February 28, 2008
Information Design Watch
From Dynamic Diagrams
Design for Understanding

All of these articles first appeared on our Information Design Watch blog. Please visit the blog to view additional entries not included in the newsletter. You also can register and comment on most posts.

In This Issue:

VISUAL EXPLANATION
-  The Movie Money Landscape

DESIGN
-  Logo Evolution
-  Periodic Table of the Imagination

DYNAMIC DIAGRAMS NEWS
-  Dynamic Diagrams Has Moved
-  Contractors Needed for Research, Information Architecture, Interaction Design

 
VISUAL EXPLANATION

The Movie Money Landscape
Posted by Henry Woodbury

The New York Times has a nice interactive chart on The Ebb and Flow of Movies: Box Office Receipts 1986 - 2007, partially captured below:

The Ebb and Flow of Movies: Box Office Receipts 1986 - 2007

This visual explanation does several things well. It captures a lot of information in a small space. It avoids unnecessary gridlines and tick marks. It uses color to clarify the area plot for "total domestic gross" allowing easier comparison between movies with short and long runs (compare Shrek to Hannibal, for example). A "Find Movie" feature helps locate any release in the time frame and highlight it among its contemporaries.

One thing that is missing is a single view of the entire chart. Even a static thumbnail image would help illustrate seasonal and macro trends. Here's a sample view of 1986 - 1990.

The Ebb and Flow of Movies: Box Office Receipts 1986 - 1990, Macro View

 
DESIGN

Logo Evolution
Posted by Henry Woodbury

From the Neatorama blog comes an interesting exhibit of tech company logos and their changes over time. The companies range from Apple to IBM to Nokia to Palm, offering an engaging contrast between start-ups professionalizing their brand and manufacturing firms reinventing their business. IBM, for example:

IBM Logos

 
Periodic Table of the Imagination
Posted by Henry Woodbury

We've seen some unfortunate attempts to use the Periodic Table of the Elements as an organizational metaphor. Here's a more successful idea -- the Periodic Table as communal art project:

2007 Periodic Table Printmaking Project

Organized by printmaker Jennifer Schmitt, the 2007 Periodic Table Printmaking Project brings together "Ninety-six printmakers of all experience levels, have joined together to produce 118 prints in any medium; woodcut, linocut, monotype, etching, lithograph, silkscreen, or any combination."

Many of the artists are users of the handmade craft commerce site Etsy which features a short article about the project in the current issue of its online magazine: This Handmade Life.

 
DYNAMIC DIAGRAMS NEWS

Dynamic Diagrams Has Moved
Posted by Henry Woodbury

Dynamic Diagrams Has Moved

Our new address is:

111 Chestnut Street
Providence R1 02903

Our email, internet address, and phone numbers have stayed the same.

 
Contractors Needed for Research, Information Architecture, Interaction Design
Posted by Henry Woodbury

Dynamic Diagrams is seeking to develop new relationships with user experience contractors to supplement our full-time staff.

Please follow the link above or refer to the Careers page on our web site for details.

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