This project is a visual presentation of data that supports allowing full joint adoption by same-gender couples in more U.S. states. This type of adoption is currently only allowed in 12 states, and it is my belief that it should be allowed in more states in order to help reduce the number of kids waiting to be adopted. Unfortunately, a majority of states do not allow same-gender couples to participate in full joint adoption, either through laws forbidding it or by leaving individual cases up to a judge. The alternative - one parent in the couple adopting the child - is much less desirable since the non-adoptive parent does not have any legal rights where the child is concerned. My goal with this project is to shed some light on this issue and present the data in an interesting way.
It took me a while to figure out exactly what data to use and how to present it. After I had a solid idea of what I wanted to do however, the design came pretty quickly. Before this class I had not worked with any image editing software, so the process of implementing my design was the most difficult stage in this project for me. The design uses the four principles discussed by Robin Williams. I placed the three graphs in close proximity to each other in order to provide an organized presentation of the data. I also grouped the state pictures together to give the viewer a visual sense of the number of states allowing full joint adoption by same-gender couples. I utilized repetition in the square graphs, along with the arrows used throughout the infographic acting as a legend for the graphs and also as bullet points for another section. I chose to left align the top block and right align the bottom block in order to create a sense of flowing unity from top to bottom. The brighter background stands in contrast to the almost white blocks that denote sections of the infographic. Using the four design principles, I was able to create a unified, organized visual argument in favor of full joint adoption for same-gender couples.
2009 data was used as it is the most recent information available. Websites used in this project:
http://www2.law.ucla.edu/williamsinstitute/publications/USCensusSnapshot...
http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb/stats_research/afcars/trends.htm
http://www2.law.ucla.edu/williamsinstitute/publications/FinalAdoptionRep...
http://aspe.hhs.gov/hsp/09/NSAP/chartbook/index.pdf
