Vizporn
by Leah BuleyA friend just clued me in to the Feltron Annual Report (the 2007 edition recently came out).
How have I not stumbled across this marvelous example of information visualization before? The Feltron Annual Report is designer Nicholas Felton’s report of his last year, a detailed catalog of personal minutia like amount of coffee consumed, music listened to, books read, locations visited, public transport taken, and lots more. Best of all, it’s full of fascinating charts, graphs, and numbers — all well considered and beautifully rendered.
I think this would be fascinating to anyone (check it out!), but it’s particularly interesting to me because I’ve recently given myself a personal project to improve my visual skills and sensibilities.
Unlike others at Adaptive Path, I don’t have a formal background in fine art, industrial design, etc. I come from the very left brained world of library and information science. While I love that Adaptive Path is a home for people with lots of different types of backgrounds, I’ve seen the benefits that come with being able to visualize a concept quickly and communicate precisely what you mean with a modicum of aesthetic integrity. Even better if you can do it with a sharpie and a sticky note.
My self improvement project has been slow going. I started with Betty Edward’s classic Drawing From the Right Side of the Brain. I realized that I am actually capable of doing a passable drawing of something when it’s sitting in front of me. The challenge is to be able to visualize something in my head and then render it on paper. I think this has something to do with why I like the Feltron Annual Report so much. It’s not just clever and gorgeous and a sterling example of good infographics, it also gives you a little insight into Nicholas Felton’s life in ways that I wouldn’t have thought to to ask, but which he clearly had a vision for how to communicate.
So now I’m working my way through a rapid viz workbook, which promises to teach me to transform the ideas that are in my head into something visual and tangible, but it too has been a challenge. I’ve hit a wall at elementary perspective drawing. Anyone out there know how to draw in two point perspective? Tips and tricks are most welcome.
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January 17th, 2008 at 4:33 am
hi leah-
the truth is that there really aren’t any shortcuts to drawing, and it’s really really hard to get good at it. but that’s ok- in your case it’s probably not important to get GOOD at drawing, just to communicate your idea.
as far as two-point perspective goes, i’m sure this is in your book, but it’s really just a matter of playing connect the dots, at least when drawing simple geometric volumes. draw you horizon line and vanishing points, and connect the dots between the appropriate vanishing point and any vertex on your object (to put it in more left-brained terms).
good luck!
January 17th, 2008 at 10:28 am
Leah, thanks for the “confessional” post.
I come from a background in languages and psychology … it seems that there are a million different ways to transition into interaction/experience design. And every one has a unique value to it.
The other thing that Felton’s annual report does is act as an excellent calling card or portfolio. What a fabulous way to represent both yourself and your work!
Thanks for the link to the rapid viz workbook as well … I’ll add it to my wishlist for upcoming purchases. Another inspirational book that I’ve loved is Will Eisner’s Graphic Storytelling. It’s not a rapid visualization book, but an excellent idea book about creating visuals that effectively tell a story.
Best of luck on your self improvement project and thanks again for sharing!
January 17th, 2008 at 10:44 am
Leah, this is a revelation. While I’ll leave it to Mr. Felton to count his consumptions, I completely understand your desire to communicate more visually.
Though I adore the Tufte and envy those who naturally draw pictures to communicate, I find myself falling back to text, like many of us who come from worlds of words.
Thanks for the kick in the pants!
January 17th, 2008 at 4:07 pm
[...] from this post on Adaptive Path’s blog: Feltron 2007 Annual Report. It’s a personal year-end review, [...]
January 21st, 2008 at 7:39 pm
[...] This blog entry is worth a read simply to visit the Feltron Annual Report link, which shows a pretty impressive visual display of a year in one person’s life, depicted with graphs of how much coffee he consumed, maps of where his favorite bands of the year are from, a pie chart on averages throughout his day, info boxes on types of public transportation he used and how much he spent, etc. It’s just…pretty. But the blog also gives some tips and links to designing and visualizing when you’re a right-brainer approaching a project [...]
July 1st, 2008 at 5:27 am
hi leah, i got into web design and instructional design from a journalism background and went straight into messing around with photoshop and illustrator for graphic design. now, years later i am trying to go back and learn to draw with just a good old pencil and paper. yep, sorta backwards.
i also started with drawing from the right side of the brain. got frustrated with that. went to rapid viz. got VERY frustrated with that. and now i’m on keys to drawing, by bert dodson. everybody has to find what works for them i guess, but this new book seems a lot better to me. i’m flowing through it quite nicely and don’t see any sticking points ahead. you might want to check it out. good luck!
July 4th, 2008 at 11:41 pm
Hi Brent,
Thanks for the recommendation. I’ll definitely check out Keys to Drawing.
I also recently picked up Perspective Without Pain and The Back of the Napkin, both of which are turning out to be interesting additions to my education in drawing. Perspective Without Pain is helping me to see images more structurally, while The Back of the Napkin is getting me thinking about the ideas behind the images. Seems like everywhere I look now there are good books and interesting discussion about how to sketch and why. It’s exciting!
In any case, your journey sounds similar to my own, so it’s nice to know I’m not alone. Thanks again.
All the best,
Leah