Breaking Down the Complexities of Sea Level Rise
3 techniques for simplifying science through design
graph·ic de·sign (ɡrafik dəˈzīn,dēˈzīn) n.
“the art or profession of using design elements (such as typography and images) to convey information or create an effect”
This Merriam-Webster definition perfectly sums up the challenge we at First Street have been tackling over the better part of the last two years: creating a website, SeaLevelRise.org, that breaks down the complexities of sea level rise to give both the public and government officials a solid, well-rounded understanding of the topic.
Our goal: design graphics for our intended audience that complement sea level rise science in a friendly, digestible manner.
Simple, right? Except that sea level rise is a complicated and somewhat polarizing topic. Moreover, those attempting to share information on sea level rise typically rely on numbers, charts and graphs — tools that aren’t particularly visually appealing.
Our challenge, then, was to simplify the science — while keeping true to the information — and building something engaging and exciting. We needed to lay it out clearly from an unbiased and fact-based perspective.
We started by creatively concepting new ways to visually express different aspects of sea level rise. Instead of just charts or images, our approach leveraged animated gifs, infographics, real-life comparisons and simple visual examples. Our approach can ultimately be boiled down into the following three techniques.
1. Using simple animation to convey what’s causing sea level rise
By leveraging animated gifs, we were forced to explain each of the four causes of sea level rise as simply as possible.
2. Using real life comparisons to convey size
Here is a great example of how we were able to take an iconic building, widely recognized, and use it to help the user comprehend the enormous amounts of ice that melt into the ocean every single year.
One of sites’ most important points is that sea level rise is speeding up at a rate 66% faster than the 6.5 inches it had risen up until 1950. Leveraging an everyday item like a cell-phone helped put the inches into context.
3. Using simple images to explain solutions
Solutions were a major aspect of where the custom graphics helped shape the site. We broke down solutions on an individual, local and then state & federal level. Here are a few examples of the custom build isometric graphics to better illustrate these solutions:
Building Stormwater pumps
Visualization that demonstrates a water pump vacuuming up the flood water off the roads and releasing it back into the sea.
Using natural infrastructure
Coastal communities can restore natural infrastructures that can act as buffers against storms and coastal flooding. Natural structures such as barrier islands, oysters and coral reefs, mangroves, seagrass and salt marshes can work in unison with built infrastructure, such as seawalls, to absorb storm surges.
Many people can grasp concepts and facts much simpler when using imagery and design. Sea level rise is a hot topic issue — but most importantly a topic with a heavy scientific and mathematical foundation that needs to be explained as simply and concisely as possible.
Thanks to the beauty and magic of graphic design, global issues as important as this one can be more easily explained. This designer for one has a much better understanding of all things sea level rise and had a lot of fun building out the design of the site. I hope SeaLevelRise.org is as enlightening for you as it has been for me.
