Sampler of TED Talk images
Creative Brief
Crafted Product
Goal
- Make simple notebook sketches to illustrate concepts in a TED Talk about how we're on the threshold between the way we've lived in the world and now in a digital world.
- Project the illustrations during the TED Talk to illustrate the concepts at the moment they're invoked.
The goal is described in detail by Karen Sobel-Lojeski here:
Materials for Graphicacy for TED Talk.pdf66.0KB
Role
My role: Illustration,
- Karen Sobel-Lojeski, Stony Brook University, TED Talk
Process
Discovery → Concepts
Observations
Karen didn't want polished Blueprints and Crafted Products for this project because that would contradict the message in her TED Talk. So I decided not to look at a lot of visual references and just sketch in my Moleskin notebooks the way I would intuitively.
After speaking with Karen, she sent me the following text to listen and learn from in making the sketches:
Draft Storyboard with Image Markers.pdf122.3KB
The client, an expert on virtual distance learning, didn't want data visualized, but rather concepts. These concepts included Plato's Cave and the relationship between this story and the illusory digital world we live in today.
Because Karen literally wanted my notebook sketches, that's what I did. I was also working on a very strict time constraint, so that helped me commit to just making sketches in my notebook and sharing them with her. I added color so the images could 'pop' when projected.
Reflection
The client was pleased with the outcome. This project was straightforward and also unique in that it was about concepts, not measurable data. Like my other illustration projects, I see much room for improvement. I've gotten so used to Art Direction that it's become an adjustment to be the final illustrator. I would look forward to revising these sketches for greater clarity and a more distinctive, yet still informal, visual storytelling style.