Siliceous and Delicious

Took the day off to see Tufte do his thing. It was cool. I liked the idea of making graphics about the content, and putting everything in service of the cognitive task at hand—of making every aspect of the display support the intellectual activity the display is trying to accomplish. At many points along the way I reflected on what this means my morphospace project. In some ways, a helpful reflection. In other ways, reinforcing my crippling stuckness. There’s nothing I can accomplish with a good figure if I don’t know what I’m trying to say with that figure.

The metaphor is the map. Make the graphic as clear and uncluttered and minimal as a map. But, how can you make a map if you don’t know where you’re going?

“The best good design can do is not to get in the way.” I liked that thought. But it scared me a bit, too, because in some ways I feel like well-designed figures is all I have in this project. What I’m lacking is the spine to back it up.