Looks matter. It is just the truth. It is the first impression you get of something, it is what sets the tone for a continued experience. And I am not just talking about relationships here, I am actually talking about everything.
I wanted to post some links of this one company that I think does really interesting work, and more importantly confronts some really fascinating questions. How can one harness big data in a visually attractive, concise, yet profound way? How can the information be literally formed into visual symbols to make more sense? What needs to be done to improve the viewers experience of information overload such that they can read it quickly and deduce solid next steps or conclusions from it?
Accurat is a Milan data design firm. Data design? Yes, the literal “look and feel” of data is what they are preoccupied with. My personal favorite was the work they did with visual artists. This relates to another digital platform for visualizing art, Planatir. What a difference it makes to put things in boxes, add some lines, and zoom in and out at just the right time to explain an entire web of almost a century of change. Who would have thought a few strategically placed shapes could completely shift understanding of a situation, or even more shockingly, history?
Finding the Overlaps 