Data Visualization :)

Came across this remarkable graphic while browsing this morning. 

Following are the attributes that make Visual Communication  an extremely effective tool:

• Simplicity: Information is conveyed with easy-to-decipher simple images instead of pages of written or typed text.
• Relationships: Correlation & Trends are easily evident in visuals.
• New Insights: When one looks at compressed & reorganized information, new connections & insights pop-up every now & then.
• Decision Making: Spectacular images (magnified maps, engineering drawings, Venn Diagrams) helps the viewer comprehend data & make decisions real quick.

Check out this excellent interactive on printmaking (thanks Julia!) by MoMA - http://tinyurl.com/lqxaox. And if printmaking sparks your curiosity, do stop by Danforth Museum of Art this weekend - we've an ongoing (and much talked about) exhibit on Boston Printmakers :)

'Graphics is the visual means of resolving logical problems.'~Bertin

[Image Courtesy - iA Inc]

Squiggles & Wiggles

Some illustrations from 'Squiggles & Wiggles' workshop @ Danforth Museum of Art. The idea was to draw lines that are organic, fluid, smooth and continuous (~rivers, clouds, plants shoots etc).

"Painting is just another way of keeping a diary."~Pablo Picasso

[Image Courtesy - CG & SG]

Resolutions...

CG & SG

   >>  Create More (Draw, Sketch & Design) & Consume Less.

   >>  Read - A, B & C regularly.

   >>  Visit even more museums :)

   >>  Hope that both CG & SG stay symbiotically :D

          Good design is a lot like clear thinking made visual.~Edward Tufte

Season of Slumber :)

Onset of WINTER Season evokes varied reponses in people. For some it is time to take a break and settle into extended slumber, for some it is time to equip oneself with warm, comfy & stylish winter clothing, for some it is time to stack up rich foods, for some it is time to start working on New Year resolutions and so on.

Winter reminds us of the cyclical nature of lives where one experiences both sunny & cold moments year after year. As the temperature plummets, air turns dry and crisp and days darker, we naturally gravitate towards warmth cozy environment.

Here at Danforth Museum of Art, we strongly believe that the beauty and significance of wintertime deserves to be acknowledged & appreciated! We thus gather today evening to commeorate this crucial time of the year. Join us for an evening of insightful conversations with artists, light refreshments & brand new exhibits to spark your creative spirits yet again :)

Danforth Winter Exhibit

"You come to nature with all her theories, and she knocks them all flat."~Renoir  

Free Museum Day

If you wish to seek some inspiration, stimulate your mind or come up with some cool ideas, plan a trip to a nearby museum this weekend. 25-Sep-2010 is National Smithsonian Museum Day & more than 1300 museums across the US welcome people into their premises for FREE! Oh and before heading out to your favorite museum check out following pointers:

• Print your FREE ticket here
• Some interesting tips to make the most of your visit are here
• Probe museum docents with plenty of questions & most importantly have a blast :)

Have an educational weekend ahead :D

 Give me a museum and I'll fill it.~Pablo Picasso

[Image Courtesy - Smithsonian]

Spreading Happiness

In the ever expanding world of fast moving consumer goods, the products that stand out are the ones that offer a unique shareable creative experience. A friend (who works in ad industry) emailed me a link to Unilever's latest "Share Happy" project. Here are its salient features:

• Simplicity: Make consumers extremely happy & trade their smiles with ice-cream.
• Inventiveness: Utilizes latest face-recognition technology (by SapientNitro) to deliver a never-heard-before product consumption experience.
• Emotiveness: Engages instant happiness and euphoria.
• Buzz: Idea that Smile-O-Meter rating people's smiles to friends is so viral!
• Powerful Visuals: Warm red color on a washed-out striped white background, words "HaPpY" on an ice-cream bar invoke instant curiosity.

Take a look at this slideshow to learn more. While you wait to actually pose before this ultra-cool interactive vending machine, keep spreading happiness by beaming your winsome smile while relishing your favorite ice-cream this summer :D

The only way to advertise is by not focusing on the product.~Calvin Klein

Words Have Weight

If reading can be fun, writing can be way more fun. I am truly excited upon hearing that true to her form-Surabhi, a dear friend, recently bagged 1st prize in a Picture Writing Contest. As I browsed through her feedbacks & congratulatory notes (we always share our Ahaa! moments), I grabbed the salient words & thought of presently them visually right here :) Keep those accolades coming Surabhi!

Here's some light reading for the weekend - Surabhi's write-up & Yann Martel's writing secrets :D

Writing is thinking on paper.~William Zinsser

FIFA Fever :)

When you take a break from watching & cheering your fav teams & players, check out these visually captivating links:

>> Interactive World Cup Schedule - here

>> Opening Ceremony - here

>> Eye Popping infographics by Brazillian designers - here

Till sooner-Hip-Pop Hurray :D

Colour is my day-long obsession, joy and torment.~Claude Monet

[Image Courtesy - ADA]

Hand Painting Art...

While talking to a friend who is taking up Bharatnayam classes this summer, I learned about importance of hand gestures in traditional Indian dance styles. These gestures (also called Mudras) are powerful means of non-verbal communication & they often invoke strong emotional instant responses in the viewers. For ex in Anjali Mudra, one would press the palms of both hands together firmly with fingertips pointing upwards & bow one's head slightly towards the recipient. This centering pose brings the practitioner in a meditative mindset and is symbolic of unification of left & right hemispheres of the brain. The pose symbolises respect, greeting & humble salutation.


As I decided to spend rest of the weekend reading about various mudras & their significance, I came across AT&T's inventive ad campaign which depicts stunning hand-painting artworks by Guido Daniele. Some other works of this remarkable Italian artist can be viewed here, here or here.

Art is everywhere, except it has to pass through a creative mind.~Louise Nevelson

[Image Courtesy - AT&T]

Interactive Art...

During Danforth's Docent Training, we were told true difference between passively looking and actively observing the visual stimuli. Once we start paying attention to objects in our immediate environment and start asking plenty of questions (Why is water tumbler cylindrical?, Why are door knobs round? Why are flags rectangular? Why is roof usually painted white? Why do birds chirp in morning?), we realize the "inter-connectedness" nature of things & aptitude for concentrated attention seems to shoot up in no time.

At Danforth & MFA, I have often seen viewers engaged in internal dialogue with the paintings. While some viewers fill up their notebooks, others nod their heads in admiration of artworks but the ones that interest me the most are kids (watching them is always fun:))! They have boundless enthusiasm and indulge in active dialogue with artworks by doing kinesthetic movements such as waving arms, mimicking expressions (portraits), hopping around sculptures, making open-mouthed expressions before extra large (scale) artworks etc. It seems kids make conscious efforts to interact with ART but unfortunately the static nature of most artworks (paintings & sculptures) makes the interaction one sided.

While reading ARTSCOPE, I came across the term "Interactive Art" and the concept is plain brilliance. These artworks are housed in a responsive environment and engage in continuous dialogue with the viewer. Here are some salient features of these artworks (that I found fascinating):

• Like a smart sensor-based electronic device (air conditioner thermostat, light controlled switch etc), these artworks basically seek input from viewer's movement, body temperature, voice pitch or touch etc & provide viewer with a pre-programmed response. 
• The viewer & artwork work together to create an experience & effect unique to each observer.
• Due to dynamic nature of artwork, they foster personalized human-machine interactions in a highly creative setting.
• The viewer experiences a state of total immersion and gets emotionally involved in no time. (One knows it isn't real but it feels so!)
• Some famous examples are Embankment, Irrational Geometrics or Test Site.

Here's  an interview by Camille Utterback, a renowned interactive installation artist, who keeps pushing boundaries with her awe-inspiring installations.

Discovery consists of seeing what everybody else has seen & thinking what nobody has thought.~Szent-Györgyi

[Image Courtesy-Camille Utterback]