Ah yes, design

Yesterday I met with Dwayne Overmyer. Good thing too, my ip section hasn't come down on us to have any solid ideas yet (which is really doing good things for other people), but for me I feel as though I'm just floating along lost in the mouth of a giant river. It is nearing the end of September and I needed to feel like I had some footing.

Early last week??, my GSI Charlie said to me, "Make sure the topic you are designing about is interesting."
Dwayne helped me verbalize what I was thinking... Why does it have to be interesting? Many times information design is visualizing and communicating an idea that is not interesting to some people. What is interesting? Interesting is subjective and differs from each and every person. What I find truly interesting, you may find absolutely boring. As a designer, it is my job to create interest in the design. To seduce the viewer into reading into it more. In my project subject matter is not as high of a priority as execution.

I believe that in my field I need to be able to flawlessly execute designs and codes to satisfy my customer. I need to know that after this year I will have the confidence to do so. My concentration is on my technical skills and ability to communicate complex information into an understandable visual.

Don't get me wrong, concept is very important to me. I need to answer questions. When does visual communication break down? Why does it do so? Great designs can be yielded from boring and dense information, if it causes you to read it, isn't that a success?

My project is an exploration of information and functional ways to portray it. I also am curious about the designs that are aesthetically beautiful yet less readable. I feel like they are exposing the beauty of information design that the art world is ready to accept. (Pictures coming soon)

Anyways...
List of things to do from Dwayne:
Get all of Tufte's books. (of course)
Read Information Design Journal which might actually be named Document Design
Talk to Franc Nunoo-Quarcoo
Write an abstract and then also a more specific description.
Think of questions, try to answer them.

yep.




Hopefully my next post will cover how
there is a beauty in process.