Popular London-based illustrator Radim Malinic - aka Brand Nu - is heading into the field of infographics. He's brought his lively colour palettes and strong use of shapes to three pieces created for the 10,000 Small Businesses programme - an initiative by investment bank Goldman Sachs along with the University College of London.
Often the challenge with infographics is balancing the level of detail in the design created, with the immediacy of the communication. However for these images, the brief was based more on the themes of business and growth than representing exact proportions. For Malinic, it was a challenge to keep the three images interesting and diverse, yet consistent.
"Each theme had to be instantly recognisable, due to variety of uses and sizes - from the website to large scale print," he says. "I wanted to create an initial bank of shapes which would represent the topics, but also work with other themes as a part of the set whilst the value of the information keeps on multiplying. I had to balance the diversity versus consistency."
He worked on the project with Navig8, a design company based in Fitzrovia, and the material promotes the programme, whose aim is to unlock the potential of small businesses and social enterprises in the UK. It's hoped this will lead to job creation in the stricken economy.
"The project is about helping businesses. It teaches them to grow, network and to diversify. Therefore my images had to portray the world of finance and business mixed with the constant flow of information that exists in such environments," adds Malinic.
In terms of his own growth, Malinic sees infographic design as a new arrow in his creative quiver. It's the first such project to go live but he as a few more on the way. "The majority of these projects have come from new clients who like my signature work and want that mixed with visual data representation. I think I've firmly added a new weapon to my creative arsenal," he says.
