Well, it’s graphic design, with a specific focus on communicating information to the end user. So, in a nutshell, we not only make something look nice, it communicates effectively at a deeper level. Information design is everywhere and often not noticed – such as the choice of font for a particular audience (childlike font for a nursery advert, a distorted spooky font for a horror book cover). The use of colour coding and organising of information is important, for such projects as financial reports or product catalogues.
Examples of brilliant Graphic Information Design are, in my opinion, the London Underground map (and infrastructure). Taking a map and making it schematic rather than to scale, colour coding the lines and following that the trains and stations as well, so that the users go about their day using the system without actually realising how information design has made their journey and navigation so simple.
Another brilliant example of Information design is Lego instructions. If you have children, or have been a child, you will most likely have built something out of Lego. Have you noticed how the instructions are broken down in to very simple steps, with extremely detailed drawings of the pieces and how they connect together? It makes building Lego so easy, and again the user probably doesn’t realise how good the instructions are.