What is Information Design?

I've witnessed a number of changes in the Graphic Design world over the years... some of them have been minor, others are more significant. With how fast technology evolves it's obvious new definitions will come into play for previous (and as of yet undefined) theories and disciplines. In the job search arena alone, I have noticed a drastic shift from Graphic Designer positions to User Interface Designers or User Experience Designers and so on. New titles and names are being created to specify a more targeted audience.

It seems obvious that all these new terms, positions, and theories would be under the umbrella of a broader topic. This is where I think Information Design comes in. I have been thinking about this topic ever since I saw this class listed online. What exactly is Information Design? I never see a job posting for an Information Designer. The more I thought about it, the more I came to realize that it must be an all-encompassing "catch-phrase" (so to speak) for all the disciplines of organizing information (or data). So... Graphic Design, User Experience, User Interface, Information Architecture, Interaction Design... all fall under this Information Design category.

I admit it. I'm skeptical. Does it really make sense to add another level of complexity to an already complicated world? Or, is this more of an attempt to better categorize an ever growing flow of data that needs organizing? I'm hoping by the end of this course to have a better understanding of this topic. More so, I hope to learn techniques, procedures and work-flows that will help me do my job better. I hope to come away from this with new ideas and more tools in my arsenal to be more prepared to tackle new projects that come my way.