So I started thinking about other types of clocks, so I thought about those clocks that some businesses have in their offices that show the time from other places around the world.  I figured the only reason why those things are useful to anyone is to basically tell them whether or not it’s a good time to call.  So going on a perhaps false assumption that the majority of businesses around the world are open from 9-5, I made this graphic for a clock that would have an hour hand (just like the other ones I’ve done) on a 24 hr clock where, if the hand is over a block then that means it’s somewhere between 9am and 5pm there.  I haven’t yet incorporated the actual countries that these bars represent yet, but that’s next.  And the REALLY cool part of this clock is that it could potentially be used anywhere in the world, just by setting the hour hand differently, which is awesome.

I’ve also got another cool graphic that came from this (which implies that the previous graphic was, in fact, cool), but when I first set this up, I had them in wedges, so when I overlaid all the wedges and put them at a 3% opacity what you see are the trends of when more or fewer countries are in work.  The lighter areas suggest at that time fewer countries are working and the darker areas imply that more countries are at work (assuming that work is 9-5).

Cool huh?  Senior Project is rolling along!

Tuva Day 2009 is coming!  Here’s the flier I made for it:

I also made a website for the day:

Check out the live site here:  kristi-lynn.org/tuvaday

So I’ve been working on senior project for a few weeks now, and didn’t really have a solid direction until last week, when I decided information graphics would be fun.  So I first made a series of graphs comparing the use of different forms of communication from the time you’re a baby to the time you’re in your early twenties (since that’s as long as I’ve been alive, and it’s really all I know).

So I liked the idea of information design so much I decided to think of other ways to design information and I started thinking about time.  I never wear a watch so telling time involves taking out my cell phone and checking it.  Thing is, sometimes you don’t even really care what time it is, you just care if you’re early or late.  So I started thinking of all these situations where they give you a list of times and all you want to know is, ‘how soon is the next one?’.  So in situations where there is a list of times that things start, you really only check the time to find out if you can make it or if you’ve missed it.  So for instance, when I’m waiting for a bus to come, I don’t much care what time it is, but I’m forced to check the time to see if I’ve missed the bus or how soon the next one is coming.  So I decided to make a series of clocks that have the bus schedules built into them.  Rather than tell you the time, it only has an hour hand with AM/PM rings with ticks for when the bus is coming.  If the hour hand is coming up on a line, that means the corresponding bus will be there next.  Thankfully, at UConn, the bus lines are colored which made this even easier.

So this clock shows that if it was AM, blue line would be here shortly, and if it was PM, red line is just a few minutes away.  Not sure if this is going to be the final data presentation, but I have a real direction!  I’m also trying to work it out for use as a weekly scheduler and perhaps to show movie times, and if it was possible to digitize the thing it would be sweet because it would be so easily updated for train and airplane schedules (since they’re updated with such frequency as to require it to be a computerized updating system).

Another revision, I like this one better, this may be a final version for presentation, we’ll see.

So this is the in-progress version of the ECE website.  I think I like it, it’s just not there yet.  I actually had fun designing it though, which I don’t think I’ve been doing enough of lately.  Time to start playing again.

I’ve never tried to insert a video into this thing, and I thought this might be the perfect opportunity.  I think cell phones are the new polaroids.  I have so many hilariously un-considered images in there and it’s great!  The video quality sucks, of course, but it’s hilarious only because this is what you get for the convenience of taking video in random situations.  They serve no purpose, especially considering they can only be like 15 seconds long, but that, for some reason, is no deterrent for me.

Enjoy…

wish you were here

I had this idea today, I wanted to join in the design fun that can come as a result of this epic election!  The quote at the bottom says, “Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.  Barack Obama”  It’s nice to know that there’s a politician that’s not just all talk…

Barack Obama.  Thank you very much.  Finally, a good president that can’t have the election pulled from under his feet *cough Gore *cough.

Now I can post works in progress!  This is exciting.  Do you know how many times I’ve tried to figure out how to install wordpress?  A lot of times.  A lot a lot of times.  I think I’ve finally got it though.

Attn: world

Please stop using the font “Handwriting - Dakota”. It is perhaps the worst typeface ever. Professional companies: you are making fools of yourselves. If you want that “handwritten effect”, here’s an idea… GET OUT A PEN AND PAPER.

Thank you, I’ll be awaiting your apologies,
Kristi-Lynn

P.S. Heads up to all comic sans, papyrus, and curlz mt users: you are on an entirely different level of poor design choice making. You should probably just get a typewriter so you can’t embarrass yourself any further. You are next…