Exploring the visualization of data and research, I created an illustrative infographic and bird characters to display the migration pattern of thousands of birds through the illuminated Chicago skyline.
Going for walks, hiking along trails and birding has become a weekly activity. My partner introduced me to the world of birding. He listens, tracks, and photographs birds. I never knew the importance of biodiversity, specifically the biodiversity of birds, in the world. I began to ask myself these questions:
How does biodiversity fit within the discussion of the climate crisis?
Why are so many animal species decreasing in population?
How can we increase and save animal populations?
After reading and researching all about biodiversity and birds, I became fascinated with a problem locally to me. Chicago has reported the most bird injuries and fatalities than any other city. This project explores the reasons, some solutions, and how to visually portray my research and knowledge.
This design is aimed at exploring how climate research and design can work together to tell a story in a visually compelling format. The project is heavily researched, yet the outcome is an abstracted illustration with infographic elements. I wanted the design to feel like a piece of art, but have research to support the story being told.
The city of Chicago has the most bird collisions in the United States. Every migration season, fall and spring, around 5 million birds pass through Chicago. The illuminated, tall, glass facades of the Chicago skyline confuses birds leading to a high collision rate. These collisions are mostly fatal.
The two main resources for the infographic are listed below:
Van Doren, Benjamin M., David E. Willard, Mary Hennen, Kyle G. Horton, Erica F. Stuber, Daniel Sheldon, Ashwin H. Sivakumar, Julia Wang, Andrew Farnsworth, and Benjamin M. Winger. “Drivers of Fatal Bird Collisions in an Urban Center.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 118, no. 24 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2101666118.
“Bird Migration Explorer.” Bird Migration Explorer, n.d. https://explorer.audubon.org/home?legend=collapse&layersPanel=expand&zoom=2&x=5.6644988810921936e-9&y=0.
“Lights out Chicago.” Chicago Audubon Society. Accessed October 6, 2023. https://www.chicagoaudubon.org/lights-out-chicago.
I wanted this design style to feel modern yet approachable. The dark theme of this project refers to the nighttime migratory period that results in the largest loss of bird populations. The bird characters are designed in a systematic way, allowing colors, and size to vary slightly but maintaining a consistent style. Lastly, the project is built to imitate glass, the glass that fractures the birds' navigation system.
The illustrative infographic displays the flight of migratory birds in one of the most well-known locations of Chicago, Michigan Avenue. Millions of birds pass over this area every migration season.
Part One:
I illustrated the city in an isometric point of view with transparent, glass-like building facades. This graphic is meant to make the audience feel slightly discombobulated at first, forcing the viewer to look closer and focus to see the details of the illustration. This experience is a imitation of the birds' experiences as they fly through the glass skyscrapers of the Chicago skyline.
I illustrated the trees to look like clouds as if the city is above clouds with the birds. It is another added element of putting thee viewer in the shoes of the vulnerable birds.
Part Two:
The bird characters reflect a similar style and design to the illustration of the city. The birds have layers of glowing glass that form their bodies. I chose to make the birds look slightly robotic in the geometric shapes and sharp lines. This decision is based on are idea that the birds have lessened autonomy when entering the confusing skyline of Chicago; their inherent navigation systems are compromised due to the illuminated buildings.
Part Three:
The last part of this project was to combine my research findings with my graphics.
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