Principles of Visual Communication Panels: Session 1

1. Computational Style

[grenby, cchao, r, philip, tom]

What is 'good' coding? Is it comments (overt legibility), recyclability, legibility (clean code), efficiency?

2. Computation and Creative Process

[nelson, flavia, pcho, nitin, mgorbet]

What is the process you use in creation/creativity on the computer? How do you approach it in the beginning? How does it end up?

3. Indeterminacy as Computation

[andyd, joey, tom, mtuteja, nelson]

What is random? What is not random? Is randomness evil (cheap, crass, overused)? Or is randomness your friend (in tune with nature, unpredictability of life, joy of surprise)?

4. To be Literal or Not to be Literal

[mgorbet, pwrice, r, kram, wandy]

What is the advantage of being spatially/temporally abstract versus being tied to something that we can already recognize from our physical world?

Principles of Visual Communication Panels: Session 2

1. Static, Physical, and Hyper-real

[kram, rice, pcho, mgorbet]

An object in motion stays in motion. What does an object on the computer screen do? Should it do nothing? Should it emulate our physical world? Should it go beyond? But if its too beyond, can we recognize it anymore?

Everything has a place and context. Should also consider if the context is display screen or else virtual reality, 3 screen wall, etc.

2. One shot performance vs. Continuum

[wandy, nelson, joey, r]

When a person interacts, does he or she get only one chance? Or, does the dialogue unfold over time? Or is it understood immediately? Can the person come back later? Do we need light interaction and heavy interaction? What kind of contexts are there?

The singular, repeatable experience versus the forever experience; interacting with a pool of water versus hearing a narrative.

3. Coding vs. Caching

[andyd,tom, mtuteja, grenby]

Using computation, we can generate imagery. However, what imagery can we not generate in real time? Is that an issue? Will we ever be able to seamlessly move between drawing and computation? Can they be one and the same? Are they already?

What was meant was a discussion of computer-generated versus handmade. The conclusion was that there is a distinction between computer-generated, handmade, and computer-corrected.

4. Object Viewpoint, User Viewpoint

[Chloe, Nitin, Flavia, Phillip]

We interact with an object, but we sometimes forget that the object interacts with us. What does the object see? Should the user treat the object with special care? Is the object "alive?"

This topic was never really addressed, the discussion moved towards what it means to be "alive", is it "lifelike" or really "alive"?

Principles of Visual Communication Panels: Session 3

1. Color systems, 3 value, 2 value, 1 value, no value?

[nelson, tom, manish, grenby, chloe]

We always address color as a triplet. When we want to run the entire gamut of color, this is necessary. Are the current color systems out there adequate? Is CIE, MUNSELL, RGB, HSV, HSL, LAB, etc. an adequate way to manipulate color? Or are they only adequate for 'selecting' colors.

2. The moment of contact.

[joey, r, wandy, nitin, kram]

Most web pages today have a sort of cover page, 'click me', then it takes you to the home page. When a user first makes contact, what should happen? Obviously an abrupt introduction is no good, but what sort of smoother mechanisms exist to pull the user gently into the interaction seat?

3. The scale of visual design.

[chloe, phillip, andy, flavia, pcho]

When we create, we either focus on some central object, or else upon the entire surroundings as the 'object'. As brought up in class, when we think of a small patch of dynamic light, we only fixate/design for a smaller area. If the patch is larger, how would things changed. Could we address multiple objects, multiple environments simultaneously? Is larger space a hindrance due to the loss of control?

4. Billions and billions of motons

[kram, grenby, rice, gorbey, r]

As we exercise more control of computation, we can utilize systems of moving elements, 'motons', that fly around the screen at our command. What are the control paradigms that we should consider when utilizing this element? When does such motion become irrelevant and unnecessary. When is it a vital part?