1 in 292 Million—Exploring US Lotteries
For this project, my partner and I did a deep dive into lottery systems in America, such as Powerball. We analyzed data on the lottery's effects on the lower class, stories of those who have won large jackpots in the past, and the general flow of money and its effect on state funded education. We used this information to create various data graphics for our print, aiming to bring to light the stark realities of playing the lottery. Our final result consisted of an 8 page broadsheet, a mobile microsite, and stickers.
Software
Illustrator
Photoshop
Figma
After Effects
Collaborators
Mina Lim
Course
Information Design
Instructor
Karen Cheng
Duration
8 weeks
Research
Before developing meaningful data visualizations, we had to gather the information. Using Octoparse, Mina and I were able to scrape sources for data regarding the lottery and compile this information into Microsoft Excel. We scraped for insights regarding the odds of winning, state specific revenue breakdowns, statistics of Powerball winners, and much more.
Ideation
Next, we curated 3 moodboards to explore what visual language would best represent our gathered data. We ended up exploring options 1 and 2.
Development
After some more research and content ideation, we started on developing our broadsheet in multiple different formats and visual styles. Over the next few weeks of rapid critique, our style ended up changing and growing a lot.
We experimented a lot with concepts for an attention-grabbing cover.
Craft
Throughout the process, our instructor Karen Cheng encouraged us to further explore our concept, taking into consideration how it would work in the real world as a campaign, and what could be done if we invested more time and resources into the project. This inspired Mina and I to design and print thought-provoking stickers that would hypothetically be placed where lottery ticket sales are made, such as local gas stations.
Reflection
This project taught me how to turnin numbers and statistics into compelling visuals to pique the interest of viewers.
