Bri Cleary. Photo by Christina Gapic.
Pop dot pattern from TODOT: Urban Infographic Pattern by Bri Cleary.

Bri Cleary’s medal-award winning project TODOT: Urban Infographic Pattern communicates the relationship between people and the urban environment with a collection of patterns inspired by urban data such as weather patterns and transit rhythms. Here’s how she describes it:

TODOT: Urban Infographic Pattern is a surface design collection that communicates the architecture of everyday life in the City of Toronto. These designs are a reflection of the urban experience and the fluctuating relationship between humans and their metropolitan environments. TODOT is to mark, trace, record and connect the dots — to find the meaning in a mass of data. In our urban environment, data is all around. It lives in the flow of traffic, the beat of a neighbourhood and the vast network of people who are the pulse behind it.

The TODOT collection is a representation of this information and includes five infographic patterns that are each paired with a legend to read the data within the design. It creates a visual and tactile experience that makes everyday urban information meaningful

What inspired you and motivated you to do this project?

My passion for surface design combined with the desire to use data visualization to push the boundaries of pattern into a forward thinking and ever-evolving realm was my project’s fundamental motivation.

What part of the process of creating this project did you learn the most from?

I learned the most from my research on infographics and data visualization since, prior to this project, I had never incorporated those practices into my work.  And I’m so happy that I took the time to delve into a totally unfamiliar subject for my thesis project because I think my knowledge and understanding of graphic representation will continue to inform my future work.

What aspect of this project are you the most proud of?

I am most proud of my project’s concept — to develop a thesis that was both forward thinking and original was very important to me and I am proud to have been able to achieve that.

How did you react to the news that you won a medal for your work?

When I got the voicemail, I couldn’t believe it. The news that I had won the medal was surreal to me! Celebrating with my mom and boyfriend over a great dinner at one of my favorite restaurants in Toronto, made it feel a lot more real. I couldn’t have asked for better people to share my good news with!

What’s your fondest memory from your studies at OCAD U, and what will you miss the most?

My fondest memories from OCAD U and something that I will miss a lot are the many hours spent late at night in the fibre studio (somewhat sleep deprived) with some great friends. Those were the times when everyone really got to know each other and things always managed to get a little silly.

What are you planning to do next?

Currently, I am a design intern at UMBRA in Toronto and I was recently offered a full-time position there as a graphic designer. I’ll be working with a great team of industrial designers to develop custom products.

Contact Bri Cleary.