Graphic design helps people make decisions. This is a given to designers. We don’t often think about how vital it becomes in an emergency situation. Visual information guides our thinking process, helps us assess personal risk and gain understanding so that we can make informed decisions; decisions which can have a profound impact on our lives. They can mean life or death. This article explores the vital importance of information design to the public and aid workers during the disasters in Japan.

Author, Peggy Cady, is a graphic designer in Victoria, BC. She is a former national president of the Society of Graphic Designers of Canada, a GDC Fellow and frequent contributor to gdc.net and GDC eNews.

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