3 The Network: A Swiss Design Visualization
How it works
>> When you click on any element (circle, diamond, triangle, etc.) that you’d like to know more about, the panel on the left will provide you with a description for it. For example, if you click on a designer, like Armin Hofmann, the panel will display a short biography.
>> When you click on any connection (the lines), the panel on the left will tell you how two elements are connected. For example, if you click on the connection between Max Bill and Zürich Concretism, you can read more about why Bill can be connected to that period even if he is categorized under another. You’ll also get a picture of him that you can click on to enlarge.
>> All connections have pictures, but not all elements do. If you have questions about this, read the FAQ at the bottom!
>> You can move the elements and connections so that they don’t get in your way, and if you don’t click on anything and just hover on top of a specific node, the visualization will only focus on that node and its connections.
>> Clicking on the periods at the top will filter out your view, and when reading the left panel, if you hover over the tags, you will also get a filtered view, which might be particularly useful if you want a geographically-focused one!
FAQ – Network visualization
Why don’t all posters have pictures?
That’s a great question!
Since this is a prototype, one of the future goals is to be able to add scanned high-quality images of all posters–– or as many as possible. While there are several libraries and databases around the world that provide online access to their pictures, embedding them in a project like this one can be tricky because several of the source posters are still under copyright and will continue to be until 70 years after their authors’ passing. As such, online collections oftentimes do not have permanent image links for pictures to be embedded in other sites, so finding the specific one needed can be a matter of luck.
For the available pictures, using copyrighted material for a project like this one is not sanctioned because it is an educational resource (you might have noticed the “fair usage” term). However, it can still be tricky since there can be technical issues, like the image link might be broken or the quality might not be the best.
As mentioned, while Virginia Tech is planning to scan its posters using specialized equipment and staff, due to the sheer size of the collection, this can be very time consuming and expensive.
Why is adding pictures a future goal for the prototype?
Most of the posters included here are enormous; they are about 50 inches in height. This means that moving these posters–– which tend to be stored laying down in batches of about 50–– can be incredibly difficult, oftentimes necessitating more than two people to complete the task. Additionally, and even if the posters are in mint condition, any type of contact with them will affect them somehow: the moving can wrinkle them; hanging them up to take picture might leave slight stains or creases on them; and/or any sudden movement can worsen small tears. Aside from that, and due to their size, taking pictures without any equipment means very low-quality ones that will not show the entire poster.
This is why, when having a collection of objects such as this one, it is better to be able to use the proper equipment and people professionally trained to achieve this, like a scanning laboratory with custom-made scanners.
Why didn’t you add pictures to the elements/nodes? Or not all elements/nodes?
Because the overall goal was for any viewer to be able to understand the general organization of the network, which meant having an obvious color order to it. The nodes that have images cannot be grouped under a specific period of design, so identifying their specific correspondence was not as pressing as having a general idea of designers.
If you notice, adding images as the covers for the nodes can look very attractive, but it can also make visualization a little harder. As such, it was decided to add pictures to all connections, in order to offset the lack of images on the nodes.
How do you decide where a designer should be categorized?
Since categorizing incredibly successful and active designers was a challenge, they were assigned to a specific period depending on several factors: 1) they happened to be particularly active during that time; 2) they were key or a major figure in that period; and/or 3) they were easier to associate to that period more than any other.
While this does not offer the ultimate guideline for categorizing designers and no designer will only be influenced or shaped by one major style or period, this offers a blueprint to better understand a topic as complex as Swiss design. Furthermore, it acts as a springboard for anyone to learn the basics about Swiss graphic design. Perhaps you see a poster that you really like and that leads you to find out more about who designed it and when; that is our goal!
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