Introductions

[dave...@gmail.com]

I am Dave Gray and I'm the crazy man who started this discussion. My
goal is to bring visual language to the world. I believe its potential
uses are staggering:

-- Rich communication between people who share no common tongue
(example: ordering food in a restaurant)
-- Education/communication for people who can't read or write (example:
health education)
-- Rapid development of rich visual maps and diagrams (example: visual
instruction manuals)
-- Visualization of complex systems, philosophies and ideas (example:
visual textbooks)

There is really no end to the possibilities.

You can probably tell I am passionate about this -- you can read more
on my blog, Communication Nation
(http://communicationnation.blogspot.com)

Best,

Dave

[charlene]

Hi, I'm charlene. I make my living as an information architect and
spend the rest of my time doodling, cutting up paper, making wooly
textiles and jewelry and generally making a mess. Also I am known to
wander for hours on end taking pictures of street art, signage, and
anything else that catches my eye. I am so honored to be a part of this
conversation.

I have recently begun to learn to drive. While studying for my
learner's permit I found that street signs have new meaning. It's like
they are meant to communicate something concrete, but a driver's (or a
pedestrian's!) interaction with them is strictly conditional.

I just wonder what getting around will feel like when 1) I always have
to find a place to park a giant tin can on wheels and 2) I can't just
cut through the grass to get where I need to go. I'm going to have lots
of new rules to follow.

[dhole...@gmail.com]

Hi Dave,
Thank you for your invitation to this group!

I am interested in language, writing and especially how to deliver
information to other people in a way they can easily access, understand
and use it. Therefore, the development of a (standardized) visual
language is key.

I am looking forward to the discussions in this group.

Dominik

[Lars Hasselblad Torres]

hi folks -- i am lars, itinerant writer about things democratic and
public deliberation. soul of an artist seeking escape. seems apropos
that i am following charlene, for i also love to collect scraps,
tidbits of place and experience. i combine these on wood panel to
create mixed media collages. mad about color and texture. working to
bring my passion for collage to young people through http://
www.peacetiles.net. thrilled to be here and learn more about the
symbols (trying to muddle my way through 'the first idea' in between
nips from about a half dozen other books. ack! well, i'm rambling.
ciao for now.

lars
-----
Lars Hasselblad Torres
Researcher & Web Developer
802-563-2759

www.americaspeaks.org

Download AmericaSpeaks' Latest Report,
"A Manager's Guide to Public Engagement": http://
www.americaspeaks.org/lab/docs/ibm_managers_guide.pdf

[interfaced]

My name is Patrick Keenan
I am extremely excited about the new possibilites presented by visual
language and the interconnections that are now possible between
previously disconnected concepts.

Specifically I am excited about:
1. an identitfier for every physical object(eg rfid, ebay)
2. a distributed network of inventories(eg ipod,cellphone addressbook)
3. The opening of how people are interacting through a network(APIs, UN
statistics)
4. The collaboration on creative production(Creative Commons, Open
Source)

FIVE. Ultimately, the access to visualize all of the above and act on
that information. Allowing for a glimpse in to daily probablity and
encouraging ethical/smart decision making at a relevant time/place.

I see visual language as the new printed work, except now, it is an
interconnected word.

I look forward to speak and doing things here,

Pat

[joeralt]

Hi Dave
Thanks for the invite and for opening this space here about this
important subject.
There are so many topics included in this vast subject of visual
languagge.
Hi everyone.
My name is Josef Ralt
I am an artist, painter and visual thinker, teacher of art, drawing and
visualisation techniques deeply intrigued by the ways visual
information creates our paterns of thought and how we can change and
restructure those obsolete patterns that no longer serve us well.
I would like to start a topic on the unique contribution of Rudolf
Arnheim in the field of visual thinking.

[loui...@gmail.com]

Thanks for the invitation to this group. I work at HP and have led
various projects to introduce visual explanations to our business and
customer communications. My passion for this topic is rooted in
memories of having challenges with text-dominated schooling and was
shaped into more actionable form by my time spent with Edward Tufte in
graduate school.

Thanks Dave for expanding this dialogue.

[matthew...@gmail.com]

Hello all. I am Matthew McNeely -- a software consultant working in New
Hampshire. Thanks for the invitation to this group.

I've worked with Dave for many years now on various visual
communications software projects -- some more successful than others!
I'm interested in developing software applications that employ visual
communications techniques to accelerate the understanding process.

[Sheila Kim]

Hi, everyone,
I'm Sheila. I'm interested in the potential applications of visual
language as a way of facilitating creative and problem-solving
conversations, as well as a way of capturing the learnings and
experience of conversations so that people who weren't part of those
conversations can easily see what the conversation was about. My
specific area of focus is change, particularly organizational change.

I'm increasingly convinced (and have the fervor of the convert) that
there's very little that's meaningful that can be told...that people
have to be able to experience and process things their own way before
coming to conclusions. So how can visual language help create those
experiences and facilitate people processing information?

I'm also interested in figuring out ways to enable speedy use of visual
language and toolsets by people who don't consider themselves artists,
i.e., through the use of quickstart cards for common concepts, etc.

I'm really looking forward to working with you all on this, and
learning from you all.

Regards,
Sheila Kim

[Bill Westerman]

Hi everyone. I'm Bill Westerman, and I like pens. Oh, and keyboards
too. But I find that the pens are much more attuned to how I think.
I'm a principal with Create with Context, a user research company in
the San Francisco bay area, and spend a lot of time talking with "real
people" and structuring findings visually so that clients can act upon
them.

Glad to be here!

- Bill
work: createwithcontext.com / personal: utilware.com

[dhole...@mmm.com]

Hi Bill,

Welcome to this group.

Small World!

I visited you website three months ago because I found it during a little
online research on 'work management'.
Your approach (GSD) to get organized is very simple but extremely
effective. I have just one problem: the Miquelrius notebooks are not
available in Switzerland...

I agree with you: Having a pen and paper around to just jot down an idea or
to scibble around is still the better solution to work on ideas than
sitting at the computer staring into the screen. Don't understand me wrong:
I like to work with the computer and to create Mind Maps with it but I am
more creative when I start on paper.

Here kind of a workflow:
1. Start to sribble around on paper (a mix of written text, drawings, mind
maps) -> I most like a plain white paper to start with
2. Organize the ideas into an outline or a Mind Map (-> a Mind Map is
basically the same like an outline) on the computer
3. Write the final text or presentation (on the computer, of course)

Dominik

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