Rachel+H+R01

Because I switched the two readings around I got the rare opportunity to hear the class talk about the first reading before actually reading it. The discussion on the reading didn't make a whole lot of sense to me yesterday; however, once I read the chapter I think I got a lot more out of it because of the background knowledge I received during class. In class today when I was handed the map/chart/timeline of Napoleon's Russian campaign by Charles Joeseph Minard it was the first time I had ever seen it so I was able to try and dissect and analyze it simply based on the orange and black line, the title, and the numbers. I thought that it was very successful and visually interesting to have the line weight measure and correlate to the amount of soldiers throughout the march and the retreat.

I was surprised at how much information and narrative could be pulled out and created from a map, especially one where the main dialog was written in French. Although I'm sure it would have come a lot faster to me if I had read the paragraph in our reading about the map.

The reading was very informational and a lot more interesting to me than I would have thought. I was glad to get an overview and a little history on the art of graph/chart making as I know it is important to understand where a medium came from before you can dive in to try and do it on your own. I was also pleased with the variety of charts shown in this reading, the more styles that I see between the two readings the better I can start to formulate my own plans and ideas for my final project.

I would consider myself a layperson when it comes to any sort of graphic design, sure I can tell you if there is a bad design but to distinguish what exactly makes it poor I would have some trouble. McCandless said in the TED talk, that he didn't need schooling or formal training in graphic design because he is surrounded by design everyday and because of that somehow he innately knows how to design. I myself am wondering if I too could just start making my own visual organizers without any schooling. I know for sure that this is not the case as I have now looked back at my own art and the posters/bulletin boards I have created and I notice several of the mistakes pointed out in the two articles that make the information hard to receive. I never realized there were so many rules and guidelines, normally I think it is okay to break rules, especially when it comes to art, but now I am seeing that the rules for design have reasons and they really make sense. I am excited to see what this class will bring out in me and to see if I can come up with a successful design that will present information clearly to the receiver.