Designed Visual Information - Abstracted

Abstracted information display for the hit computer game StarCraft II.


Here is an example of abstracted forms found in the case of the Zerg race's technology tree, which stems at the Hatchery building. As players traverse the tiers, they are able to create new units and structures to expand and strengthen their armies. In extracted format resembling the branches of a traditional tree, the enclosed white text shows the units that can be created as a by-product of each growth, like fruit under the leaves of an apple tree. Without getting to involved in biology, the leaves are necessary for the plant to absorb energy to produce offspring in the form of fruit, and so the buildings like the "Spawning Pool" and "Spire" are necessary for the Zerg to produce new army members. Despite the unfamiliar vocabulary, the familiar tree graph remains easily interpretable and helps new players to understand the mechanics of the alien race.