I really wanted to try to make an infographic of some kind, so I decided to do the Learning By Design assignment worth 3.5 stars. Since I am not very good at drawing, I googled different infographic maker sites that let you make infographics for free. I came across Piktochart and really liked the different icons and fonts that were included in their free package, so I went away and registered and began making my infographic. I chose to do an infographic about upcycling because sustainability is very important to me, and although I am not a perfect environmentalist, I do try to at the very least recycle any of my paper, plastic, cardboard, or glass products. I also figured comparing upcycling to recycling and downcycling would be fairly straightforward without using a lot of text.

For the actual design of the infographic, I went with the wood panels background since I thought it conveyed a kind of rustic, earthy feel. I also went with the sketch-like typography since it also seemed to be a little more down to earth. The word upcycling definitely had to be green because it is the “greenest” option. Recycling had to be blue, because society has made recycling bins and the recycling symbol blue. Finally, downcycling had to be a dark grey because it’s the worst option, and objects that are downcycled are at the end of their lives. The design is also very literal when it comes to direction. The wine bottom getting downcycled into the trash is underneath the start point because it is going down in value and usefulness. The bottle getting recycled into glass ornaments, is somewhat of equal value and purpose so the recycle option is next to the start position. Upcycling the bottle into a cool lamp is increasing its purpose and value, since it can continue to be a lamp forever and so that option is above the start point. Overall, I enjoyed using Piktochart, and I think I accomplished my goal of making an infographic about upcycling.