What is Visual Information Design and Why Does it Matter in Higher Ed?

Laura Rudolph
8 hours ago
5 min read

Clarity. We use the term constantly in higher ed (myself included), but of all the things, it takes me back an assignment I had in grad school.

I was in a course called Visual Information Design. My professor, who was also the lead designer at a major metro newspaper, sent us all a poem, and said our job was to read it, interpret it and illustrate it.

That’s it. No other instructions. No rubric. No helpful hints like, “maybe use a graph” or “don’t panic.”

I remember thinking, "Oh, cool, this’ll be easy." (It was not easy.)

Trying to take a poem, something abstract and emotional, and turn it into something visual that made sense to someone else? Holy cow. I can't even remember how many iterations I went through, how many I scrapped, and how hard it actually was to just be CLEAR.

It stuck with me.

Because it turns out that "clarity" doesn’t come from just bolding a sentence or slapping on a different font color. Clarity comes from design. From how something is structured and organized. From the way it meets someone else’s brain.

And honestly? I think about that every time I look at an aid page or a webpage or an app push postcard that makes me cringe.

I know we can do better.

The Root of Information Design

Design isn’t what makes things pretty. It’s what makes things easy to understand. In enrollment marketing, we’ve spent decades trying to make things “look good.” But looking good and making sense are not always the same.

Whether it’s a metro newspaper trying to explain a policy change, or a financial aid page trying to help a 17-year-old decode cost of attendance, the principle is the same:

Visual structure is a tool.

When done well, it:

Prioritizes what matters most
Reduces emotional and cognitive load
Guides the eye and therefore, guides the brain
Builds confidence and trust in the reader

We are all cognitive misers. The more energy something takes to understand, the more likely we are to disengage. The role of design is to reduce that friction, not add to it.

Why This Matters in Enrollment Marketing

Here’s the tough truth: clarity converts.

And if your materials, even the beautifully branded ones, don’t actually help students understand what to do next, what it costs, or how they fit in, they will not stick around.

We’ve all seen the impact of bad information design:

Aid pages that feel like you need a degree to decode them.
Program listings that use internal naming conventions instead of student-friendly language.
Application instructions that are 900 words deep in a PDF.

And we’ve all seen what happens: Bounce. Back button. Give up.

Students don’t quit because they don’t care. They quit because we made it too hard!

What We Can Learn from Newsrooms 📰

My undergrad degree is in journalism, so newspaper design is particularly close to my heart.

For a majority of community newspapers and media outlets out there, their audience is the public. And the public, does not read or understand, on average, at a college reading level. It's estimated to be more at a fourth or fifth grade reading level. Thus, clarity isn't an option — it's the only way to stay in business.

And if you’ve ever seen a complex newspaper story that finally clicked for you, I bet it's because of a visual: a map, a chart, a timeline. If so, that means you’ve experienced great information design.

Newsrooms understand that storytelling isn’t just verbal. It’s spatial. It’s visual. It’s layered.

The New York Times, in particular, has set the standard for what data storytelling could be. Their best infographics are mini masterpieces, able to explain public health, politics, climate change, or the economy in ways a 2,000-word article never could.

Here’s what media visual artists do exceptionally well:

Take abstract concepts and make them visual
Guide attention through layout, color and typography
Add explanatory layers without overwhelming the reader

Take this as an example: The aftermath of the Notre Dame Cathedral fire. [BBC]

Here's a few things this graphic is getting right (and why newspapers are so good at this.)

It answers the right questions immediately. This isn’t just “here’s Notre Dame.”
It’s answering: What happened during the fire and where? Everything in the graphic ladders up to that one question.
Color is doing real work. The red isn’t aesthetic. It’s functional.
- Red = damage / destruction
- Neutral stone = what remains
- Black grid = structural focus / collapse zone. They can see first. That’s a huge principle.
It uses layering instead of complexity. This is sneaky good, if I'm being honest. You’re actually looking at three layers of information at once:
1. Exterior structure (3D cathedral)
2. Damage overlay (red + grid)
3. Interior context (floorplan beneath)
And somehow… it doesn’t feel overwhelming. Why? Because each layer is visually distinct:
- Solid realism (building)
- Flat color overlay (damage)
- Simplified diagram (floorplan)
Different visual languages = no confusion. That’s incredibly intentional.
Labels are written how humans talk. This is where some infographics have a hiccup, but not here. Look at these:
- “Roof destroyed but vaulted stone ceiling intact”
- “Wooden spire collapses and falls through roof”
- “Rose window appears undamaged”
These are written in in plain language, is specific and requires no interpretation needed. Chefs kiss.
It respects the cognitive load of the reader. Nothing here is competing for attention.
- One dominant color (red)
- One accent color (teal labels)
- Neutral background
- Clean type
No gradients screaming for attention. No icons fighting each other. No visual noise. You don’t feel tired looking at it. That’s intentional.

So while I may be biased as a former journalist, I think this one infographic alone proves my point. We should be borrowing shamelessly from newspaper design, because it works.

What Good Design Actually Looks Like

So, if what we've read is true, it means that information design isn’t just bolding half your page or turning key sentences red. That’s noise. It’s about guiding someone through complexity with care.

Strong design might look like:

Short, scannable blocks of text with clear subheads.
Visual hierarchy that lets the eye know where to go first.
Icons that support (not replace) words.
Side-by-side tables or cards that help students compare majors, housing options, or financial aid types.

The best designs are the ones students don’t even notice, because everything just feels easier. More navigable. More welcoming.

And they’ll associate that ease with your institution.

TL; DR

Information design isn’t about making it prettier. It’s about making it make sense.

Because when a student finally feels like they understand what your site is saying? When your financial aid page actually gives them confidence instead of anxiety?

That’s not just good UX. That’s good recruitment.

Design is not a wrapper. It’s not the bow on top. It’s the architecture underneath everything. And when you get that part right, students don’t just stay.

They trust you.