PRELOG: The Brief - The Specification

What?

In level 4 and 5 I was exposed to a series of challenging and various projects to prepare me now - the level six study. Generally, I work best digitally, for many different reasons. The last unit in level 5 (digital revolutions) was an enjoyable and a challenging one because it lead me to learn and understand things I had never been able to understand before; animation, 3D modeling, various design applications/platforms, presenting bodywork digitally and a general comprehension of what is possible. So my definite direction from here on is in the growing field and study of the digital revolution.

Specifically, this unit will provide me with the opportunity to channel my ideas, research and efforts into the visualisation and interactivity of ideas. In the industry the most popular and familiar terms are; infographic design and data visualisation. This is an evolution and a more specified focus within the world of digital revolution.

So, What?

For this unit I am going to visualize and make interactive the a set of data only exposed originally in text. This data will be analysed into parts and then rebuilt into a visual representation (data visualisation). When the data is visually constructed into a visual model it will be then be made interactive to make the data more comprehensive and dimensional.

Here is an example:

Iron Man 2

This is an interactive data visualisation of the periodic table. Before this was constructed it was textual data. Until it was digitalised, it was a passive model of explanation.

Another example:

This is a data visualisation of the “Pulse of the Nation: U.S. Mood throughout the Day Inferred from Twitter.” Data streamed from Twitter constructed an animated illustration representing the data giving it more meaning, richness and understanding.

How?

This interactive visualisation will essentially be an interface for the viewer/user. This interface will be a mix of animation and Flash scripting. This presupposes that I will be using Adobe After Effects (animation), Adobe Flash (illustration, animation and scripting) and with the additional aid of Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator.

Why?

When I leave level 6 I plan to take what I have learned at AUCB and apply it in collaboration with clients that need the involvement of digital interfacing with the addition of applied-aesthetics. As far as I am concerned I have learned a lot about aesthetics from the past seven years of studying in art, graphic design, photography and illustration. I now value the technological functionality and communication that illustration can supply (I will allude to this throughout the theory). This can stretch the definition of 'illustration' and indeed this project will/(might?).

In essence, this project will expand my capabilities of what I can do and create with illustration – how it can present the information that flows throughout all systems in our life and how it can be manipulated with interactive methods.