Better In Than Out

The narrative always seems to be that screen time is bad. We see studies and data fueling the endless debate surrounding technology use. However, after a year of quarantine, screen time and technology became my lifeline. For the course Design and Visual Communication 1, we were given the challenge of tracking and analyzing our screen time used while learning virtually. I, like most of my classmates, was able to rack up quite a few hours of screen usage. I decided not to be hard on myself and look at it from a positive mindset. While I may have been spending more time using a screen for class and entertainment, it was better than the alternative of going out and acting irresponsibly during a pandemic. This is what I chose to highlight through the infographic of my data. I wanted to show that while spending time inside, there are still plenty of ways to stay entertained and connected. To push this point I gave the comparison set of data that showed the risk of activities outside the home. To match this thought process, I wanted a design that was fun and lighthearted. I decided to allow myself to have fun with creating by hand illustrating everything including the infographics. This was a good opportunity for me to work on incorporating hand drawn elements with structured typographic layout, to create a functioning info graphic that showed various data points. This ended up being a favorite piece of mine. I feel that it really expresses myself and my exploration as a designer.