Visual Project: The Solar Option

I chose to make an infographic highlighting three core reasons why solar energy is an important choice to consider for replacing our unsustainable use of fossil fuels and other unclean or hazardous energy production sources.

Audience: My targeted audience is truly anyone who would like to know a bit more about solar power. It is a very rudimentary overview of the benefits that fall into three major categories that I’ve titled the “Three E’s”. The E’s stand for Economic, Environmental, and Energy. I tried to cover all the bases in terms of ideology and drive to choose police. I.e. I attempted to draw in those concerned with the fiscal impact of solar energy as well as the overall environmental impact. Those that may not care so much about the financial aspect still find information and reason to consider solar energy in the “Environmental” and “Energy” portions of the infographic, while those not wholly concerned with the cleanliness and only carrying monetary concerns are also appeased. I also chose to use some basic statistics to bolster the argument while leaving the language and math relatively simple and easy to follow, allowing for a wider range of people to be attracted to and be able to understand the message the infographic is trying to get across.

Mode: I believe the infographic was an appropriate choice because the subject matter is not so much based in science or theoretical application, but in concrete information and realistic implementation. Whereas a more scientific, theoretical argument might have done better in the form of an informational video, charts, graphs or other mode of display, this argument needs simply facts laid out in an inviting, approachable manner.

Organization and Design: I chose this template from the free options on Canva.com. I think the color scheme goes well with the subject matter, with the yellow and orange representing the sun and the brown representing the Earth (though I did feel as though leaving the color green out was perhaps a mistake). Admittedly, I am not particularly skilled in the creation of eye-dazzling visuals, but I thought the top portion of the document does well in drawing the reader’s attention and presenting them with a basic layout of what the text below will encompass. I was originally going to put a world map that displays the amount of direct sunlight various places receive, but found that it left too little room for information, so I excluded it. For reference, I’ve included it at the bottom of the page.

Information Included: I chose the text on the basis of most important and effective information and language that both forms an argument and persuades the reader. Job growth is among the chief concerns of the American population, and solar energy is quietly one of the leading job producers in all of the country. This is particularly important information for members of the audience that are in other energy industries whose futures are not so bright (such as coal).

(Trust the) Process: The part which I found most rewarding personally was the discovery of the information. I am especially keen on solar energy in particular, and believe that we as a nation and as a species are vastly under-utilizing the most limitless energy source we have access to. I am extremely interested in just about everything regarding solar energy, from the technical/scientific standpoint to the policy/societal maximization side of it. The entire visual composition was the most difficult part. My aforementioned lack of skill in developing these sort of visual things makes these types of projects especially challenging. It honestly makes me feel illiterate, in a sense. I feel as though I am well below-average in terms of ability to navigate a computer/programming for these kinds of things. Learning to navigate the Canva.com site was a rewarding part of the work.

Sources: Vox Media: http://www.vox.com/energy-and-environment/2017/4/4/14942764/100-renewable-energy-debate

The Solar Foundation: http://www.thesolarfoundation.org/national/

Solargis: http://solargis.com/products/maps-and-gis-data/free/download/world