Information Design – Final Project: The 5-Minute Morning Update

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INFORMATION DESIGN - FINAL PROJECT

ANIMATED INFOGRAPHIC: POINT 3 - THE 5-MINUTE MORNING UPDATE

WANG JIHENG  0378904

Bachelor of Design (Hons) in Creative Media

GCD60504 Information Design

Final Project: Group Animated Infographic

Individual Contribution: Point 3 - The 5-Minute Morning Update

LIST

  • MIB
  • LECTURE
  • PROCESS
  • FINAL SUBMISSION
  • FEEDBACK
  • REFLECTION

MIB

The final project for Information Design is a group animated infographic based on Cal Newport's How to Become a Straight-A Student. The purpose is to transform research and book content into a clear visual narrative using information design and motion graphics.

Our group was assigned Part 1 of the book. We developed the overall message as a simple student survival system: study smarter, not longer. The full video is organised around practical actions such as using a calendar, managing a daily list, updating plans, recording work progress, planning hard tasks, studying early, avoiding distractions, and taking breaks.

My assigned contribution is Point 3: The 5-Minute Morning Update. My section explains that students can spend five minutes each morning reviewing unfinished work, adding new deadlines, and planning realistic time blocks for the day.

LECTURE

During the final-project briefing, I learned that an animated infographic should not only look attractive. It needs to communicate information through a clear sequence, a simple visual system, and motion that helps the audience understand the message.

Mr Martin asked each group to use the research material to create a short and understandable video. The group therefore needed to simplify the source content instead of reading the book word-for-word. Every member was responsible for a short point, while the whole group needed to keep the typography, colour palette, vector style and pacing consistent.

The lecture also showed that the preparation stage is important before animation starts. The script, storyboard, assets and layer organisation need to be planned clearly first. This prevents the video from becoming confusing when the visual elements are moved later.

PROCESS

Content Understanding and Script Development

I first used the provided book chapters and NotebookLM notes to understand how the morning-update system works. The main idea is not to make a longer to-do list. Instead, students should move unfinished tasks into a new realistic time slot, put new deadlines into one calendar, and see how much time is actually available.

I used AI as a support tool to summarise the relevant information and test a simpler explanation. I then checked the wording against the group notes before writing my own short script. The key message for my point became: five minutes of planning now can create a calmer and more organised day later.

10-Second Script

My part is placed from 0:20 to 0:30 in the group video. I divided the information into five short actions:

  • 0:20-0:21 - Start your 5-minute morning update.
  • 0:21-0:23 - Check yesterday's list and move unfinished tasks to a new time slot.
  • 0:23-0:25 - Add new deadlines, reminders and to-dos into the calendar.
  • 0:25-0:27 - Build today's schedule with realistic time blocks.
  • 0:27-0:30 - Five minutes now means a calmer, more organised day.

This structure gave each sentence one direct visual purpose. It also made it easier to decide which elements were needed for the later motion graphic.

Visual Direction

The group agreed to use a friendly flat-vector style. The visuals use solid colours, simple shapes, soft shadows and clean negative space. We avoided heavy outlines and complex gradients so that every asset would remain clear and easy to animate.

We selected Nunito Sans as the group typeface and used a warm palette of coral, yellow, muted green, cream and dark brown. For my point, I chose familiar planning symbols: a morning sun, alarm clock, calendar pages, task cards, arrows, sticky notes, a daily planner and check marks. These symbols communicate time management quickly without requiring long explanations.


Fig. 1: Initial vector development for the 5-minute morning update scene.

Storyboard Development

I changed the script into a five-panel storyboard. The first panel introduces the morning with a sun, alarm clock and 5-minute message. The second panel shows an unfinished task moving from Yesterday to Today. The third panel adds new reminders and task cards into the calendar. The fourth panel organises the tasks into labelled time blocks. The last panel shows a clean daily plan with check marks to communicate a calmer result.

The storyboard helped me check that every scene had one main action. It also gave the group a clear preview of how the visual sequence would move from unfinished work to an organised plan.


                  Fig. 2: Five-panel storyboard for the 5-minute morning update.


Vector Graphics Development

I created the assets in Adobe Illustrator. I started with the morning scene by drawing the sun, alarm clock, 5 MINUTES graphic and supporting shapes as separate vector objects. The sun, clock hands, text and small decorative elements were kept on separate layers so they can move independently in the next stage.

After I shared the first vector graphic with the group, I received feedback to improve the negative space, reduce the clock scale, use the agreed Nunito Sans typeface, and split the sun, clock and supporting elements into different layers. I revised the asset based on this feedback instead of treating it as one flattened image.

I then developed the calendar and daily-planner graphics. The planner includes separate task rows, icons, time labels and check marks. This makes the design ready for future movement, such as task cards appearing, sliding into place and the check marks being revealed.

For the planner, I received feedback to make the top rings smaller and leave more space for the TODAY'S PLAN title. I adjusted the layout and kept the cream background, muted green planner, coral accents and brown shadow consistent with the group visual direction.

By the end of this stage, I completed the editable vector graphics for my five scenes: the morning clock and sun, the Yesterday-to-Today task system, reminder cards, time-block planner and final daily schedule. All graphics were prepared in separate Illustrator layers for the animation stage.

Fig. 3: Revised daily-planner vector graphic prepared for animation.



FINAL SUBMISSION

At this documented stage, I have completed the research summary, simplified script, five-panel storyboard and animation-ready vector graphics for Point 3: The 5-Minute Morning Update.

The completed vector asset set includes the morning clock and sun, task cards, calendar elements, reminder cards, organised daily planner and check-mark system. The assets are editable and separated into layers, ready to be used in the following animation stage.

FEEDBACK

The first feedback on my script was that I should keep only the information that would appear in the video. I removed extra explanation from the script and focused on short captions that can be understood immediately in a ten-second sequence.

The main feedback on my vector work was to make the art style more consistent with the group. I adjusted the typeface, created more negative space and organised the elements as separate layers. This made the assets clearer and more suitable for animation.

The feedback on the planner was especially useful. Reducing the size of the calendar rings and giving the heading more breathing space improved the hierarchy. I learned that small changes in spacing can make information easier to read and the visual system more consistent.

REFLECTION

This project showed me that an animated infographic needs a strong information structure before any movement is added. The research, simplified script, storyboard and asset separation all affect whether the final animation will be understandable.

I learned how to turn a long idea from a book into a short and practical message for students. I also learned that vector graphics need to be designed with future movement in mind. Separating layers, leaving negative space and keeping the visual style consistent are not only design decisions; they also make the animation process more manageable.

Through the group feedback, I improved the scale, typography, spacing and organisation of my assets. Completing the vector graphics has given me a clear foundation for the next stage. This blog entry documents my process only up to the completion of the animation-ready vector graphics.

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