Illustrated Science

In the Verge:   I honestly like illustration that is more to the point and less artistic.

" ... Learning about science can be tedious at times. Scientists aren't always the best communicators, and they can struggle to present their research in ways we laypeople understand. Sometimes you just need someone to break down all the complicated jargon for you — maybe with an added visual element to get the point across.

James Olstein, an illustrator in Philadelphia, is here to help with a fun Tumblr called Illustrated Science. Every day, Olstein lists a simple, yet kooky science fact he's researched, paired with one of his own retro-inspired vector designs. The pictures provide an aesthetic twist to the science trivia and aren't meant to be taken literally. So don't go thinking you can survive in space with just your swim trunks on. ... " 

On Comics and Story Visualization

Via Kevin Winterfield, A look at Scott McCloud's classic book on the comics. The sequential panel model of comics can be used as a means for storytelling a storyboard outline of an idea, often used as a communications approach in advertising.  The book is a great look at the history and mechanics of the the method, that we used for early attempts for looking at visual assets.

McCloud Presentation at TED

Presentation Zen has a good overview of and links to Scott McCloud's presentation at TED: Presenting comics in a new (media) world. I read McCloud's book: Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art some years ago which inspired me to look at other forms of abstract yet logical expression.

I recall recommending the book to someone and they responded that they were not 'into' comics. I reply that this is more about storytelling and expression rather than lite literature. The presentation is a great introduction to McCloud's work. After that, read his book.

Understanding Comics: Scott McCloud

I read McCloud's Understanding Comics back in 1993, I was pointed back to it again by Christ Atkinson's book Beyond Bullets, now I am re-reading. Here is his site. Some very interesting things here ... See in particular the interface to the 'Morning Improv', something I would like to experiment with myself for instructional interaction.

In the early part of this book McCloud posits a fascinating distinction between realistic drawings of people and various levels of stylizing with a minimal number of pen-strokes. In real-life, whenever we talk to people we look at them directly and get a realistic view, but our pictoral view of ourselves in that interaction is stylized, since we cant see ourselves. So he suggests that by using a level of simplification in cartoons, it allows us to put ourselves in the position of the character. Thoughtful view.

Understanding Comics

I was referenced to this book: Understanding Comics. Via Cliff Atkinson's Beyond Bullet Points. See also his excellent Beyond Bullets site.