haydee
Chicago, IL:: myhaydee@hotmail.com

Information Architecture is just one of the many disciplines under Information Design so I don't limit the sources of my inspiration to just web sites. Good and bad information design is all around us - signage, physical interfaces to electronics, print publications, etc. By continually being aware of my physical environment, I make a mental note of things to avoid in my designs and things to draw from.

Example:
Cartography tries to represent a three-dimensional experience on to a two-dimensional object, a map. Information Architecture essentially does the same thing with site maps, but it has not been as progressive in creating the 3D illusion as cartography has. After reading "Mapping Web Sites" I learned how to apply some cartographic techniques to my site maps and have since created 3D-like site maps to help clients visualize the experience of traveling through their own site.