Comments on: VizThink: Does it have to be attractive to be effective? http://www.christinemartell.com/2007/12/vizthink-does-it-have-to-be-attractive-to-be-effective/ Inspiring connections through images Fri, 12 Mar 2010 13:13:47 -0700 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.5 hourly 1 By: VizThink: Where do you start with visuals? » VisualsSpeak http://www.christinemartell.com/2007/12/vizthink-does-it-have-to-be-attractive-to-be-effective/comment-page-1/#comment-162 VizThink: Where do you start with visuals? » VisualsSpeak Mon, 24 Dec 2007 21:49:03 +0000 http://christinemartell.com/2007/12/11/vizthink-does-it-have-to-be-attractive-to-be-effective/#comment-162 [...] Where do you start with visuals? VizThink: Does it have to be attractive to be effective? VizThink: Wrestling with the monster named Fear Visual Language: About Line Discovering the essence [...] [...] Where do you start with visuals? VizThink: Does it have to be attractive to be effective? VizThink: Wrestling with the monster named Fear Visual Language: About Line Discovering the essence [...]

]]> By: Christine Martell http://www.christinemartell.com/2007/12/vizthink-does-it-have-to-be-attractive-to-be-effective/comment-page-1/#comment-161 Christine Martell Sun, 16 Dec 2007 17:01:13 +0000 http://christinemartell.com/2007/12/11/vizthink-does-it-have-to-be-attractive-to-be-effective/#comment-161 Jack, I think you have a good point about it really being about an optimal balance. Can be a fine line sometimes! Jack,
I think you have a good point about it really being about an optimal balance. Can be a fine line sometimes!

]]> By: Jack Pierce http://www.christinemartell.com/2007/12/vizthink-does-it-have-to-be-attractive-to-be-effective/comment-page-1/#comment-163 Jack Pierce Sun, 16 Dec 2007 05:39:21 +0000 http://christinemartell.com/2007/12/11/vizthink-does-it-have-to-be-attractive-to-be-effective/#comment-163 Le Corbusier, Walter Gropius, Mies van der Rohe...I don't know that any of these gifted architects can be credited with the phase, "form follows function," but they all embodied that philosophy in their work. And their work was beautiful, because of it. Outside of fine art, I think the point of any creative discipline is to reach a (hopefully) well-defined objective. Any visual approach...beautiful and off track, or shoddy but to the point...that gets in the way of the objective is poor design. Le Corbusier, Walter Gropius, Mies van der Rohe…I don’t know that any of these gifted architects can be credited with the phase, “form follows function,” but they all embodied that philosophy in their work. And their work was beautiful, because of it. Outside of fine art, I think the point of any creative discipline is to reach a (hopefully) well-defined objective. Any visual approach…beautiful and off track, or shoddy but to the point…that gets in the way of the objective is poor design.

]]> By: Tom Tiernan http://www.christinemartell.com/2007/12/vizthink-does-it-have-to-be-attractive-to-be-effective/comment-page-1/#comment-159 Tom Tiernan Thu, 13 Dec 2007 23:31:43 +0000 http://christinemartell.com/2007/12/11/vizthink-does-it-have-to-be-attractive-to-be-effective/#comment-159 Hi Katie Yes, for us its all about the the impact our images have in eliciting responses in applications such as strategic visioning, innovation, diversity training, team-building, cross-cultural communications to name a few. While we enjoy getting some ooohs and aaahs, that's not the primary focus of our work. Thanks for your comment. Tom Hi Katie

Yes, for us its all about the the impact our images have in eliciting responses in applications such as strategic visioning, innovation, diversity training, team-building, cross-cultural communications to name a few. While we enjoy getting some ooohs and aaahs, that’s not the primary focus of our work.

Thanks for your comment.

Tom

]]> By: Katie Konrath http://www.christinemartell.com/2007/12/vizthink-does-it-have-to-be-attractive-to-be-effective/comment-page-1/#comment-160 Katie Konrath Thu, 13 Dec 2007 18:21:33 +0000 http://christinemartell.com/2007/12/11/vizthink-does-it-have-to-be-attractive-to-be-effective/#comment-160 I like how you pointed out the importance of asking "what impact am I trying to achieve?". That's really the very important thing to keep in mind. With your images, you're not trying to impress people with their beauty, or give them something nice/peaceful to look at. It sounds like you want to provoke people into new behaviors and thought processes--which is great. Visual design seems to come into play more when people are trying to make users feel good and happy. People like the ipod because its smooth and simple, and they buy more expensive toilet brushes not because they work better, but because they look better. But that's a totally different thing from what you're trying to achieve, and as a result, choosing the images with the highest design rating doesn't sound like the right focus. I like how you pointed out the importance of asking “what impact am I trying to achieve?”. That’s really the very important thing to keep in mind.

With your images, you’re not trying to impress people with their beauty, or give them something nice/peaceful to look at. It sounds like you want to provoke people into new behaviors and thought processes–which is great.

Visual design seems to come into play more when people are trying to make users feel good and happy. People like the ipod because its smooth and simple, and they buy more expensive toilet brushes not because they work better, but because they look better.

But that’s a totally different thing from what you’re trying to achieve, and as a result, choosing the images with the highest design rating doesn’t sound like the right focus.

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