i was inspired by the IM status of a friend. it said: 8 simple techniques. so i connected the thoughts, dots and things i had read that day.
8 simple techniques
to catch a butterfly
to break your heart
to see beneath the soil
to protect an elephant
to release light
to become a whale
to dream backwards
to feel alive
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7825780.stm
I read through this article today on the BBC and was intrigued by the following quote:
“The beauty of the surgical safety checklist is its simplicity.”
Is this an example of a graphic design object (although not named as such) that has the kind of impact that visual communicators hope for their socially-minded work? This simple idea started somewhere in the WHO: a field office, a job site, or a mention in a meeting. Now, a humble one page 8.5 x 11 digital file is making global headlines. This could very well be more of an inspiration to what we do as designers than any Addy, mention in a Print annual or other insider manufactured accolade.
I would like to interview the person who hit “export” to PDF on this job. I would like to ask them about the path this job took through the design pipeline at WHO, or in a contracted organization. I wonder if it was laborious and lengthy, or if it just “happened” and was recognized by someone with some PR clout as being an effective tool. Perhaps I will never know, but then again … maybe I should track them down and ask.
In terms of the final form that this one-pager takes—the spatial organization, color scheme and typography—it would make a great exercise for a typography class. Has it reached the pinnacle of what it could be or could it be improved? For an interaction class I might look at it from another angle: what other forms could it take? Could this be transmitted to a PDA or a version made for battlefield triage?
How interesting this humble display of pixels is, how elegant in its concept and how thoroughly commonplace in its form. Standing on the shoulders of all the more notable products of the digital layout era in the empire of the PDF, this too, is high design.
this evening while biking through the UC Davis Med Center campus i heard someone playing amazing grace on bagpipes in a parking garage. the sun was just about to set and the edges of the western sky were glowing with the glory of all the last hours of light. from the top of the garage i assumed it would be stunning, it was my my lower vantage point. i wondered why the lone player chose that place, and who they were mourning. i rode a little slower to catch the notes until it faded behind me.
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