Author: emilyaug

In line with the public intervention project we presented today, I thought it would be worth talking a bit more about symbols used in social and historical movements throughout history.

Of course, not all symbols have been used for “good” causes, with the most widely identifiable perhaps being the Swastika. Although for many of us this symbol represents Nazism and the horrors committed during World War II, it’s important to recognize the other contexts in which it was been used for centuries. The Swastika is also a sacred religious symbol in Buddhism meaning “good fortune.”

Symbols don’t inherently have meaning. It is the culture in which they’re used and associated that gives them their power. Yet the Swastika shows how strong such association can be, that even decades after the end of the war it remains a nearly universal symbol of hate.

Aspects of art and design have become increasingly important in the data science community. A 2018 article from Forbes, for example, explains the “art of data science” :

https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2018/04/03/the-art-of-data-science/#61d4168e1d45

It’s generally easy to tell when data is represented successfully and whether the conclusions to be drawn from it are appropriately highlighted in the graphs and charts.

Some interesting examples taken from the subreddit r/dataisbeautiful :

[OC] The Evolution of NBA from dataisbeautiful

[OC] How Uber took over New York City from dataisbeautiful

[OC] RNA sequence of COVID19. This 8kb of data is responsible for all the chaos out there from dataisbeautiful

Especially now, I’m sure we’re all looking at graphs of coronavirus trends and heat maps of heavily-impacted regions. And as crucial as the numbers/statistics themselves are, it’s also important to remember and appreciate the design that goes into generating forms that the public can digest.

Fascinating video on how Disney used to animate their films with the MultiPlane Camera, providing depth and movement to the scene.

Below are a few book covers on copies of Calvino’s Invisible Cities, with a variety of interpretations in their use of color and degree of abstraction. It’s hard to pinpoint exactly what is most successful, and the reasons as to why.

Many people have probably seen some of Piet Mondrian’s (1872-1944) most famous works, such as the bold red, yellow, and blue blocks shown, but I was surprised at how much I also liked his other compositions upon re-discovering him.

Also stumbled upon a contemporary abstract artist from Alabama: Walter Poole, who likes to work with depositing silver nitrate. According to his website, he donates 25% of his art sales to the World Wildlife Foundation.