Some basic rules for napkin-sketching

Here is a short (3.5 minutes) video with a few guidelines for making better napkin sketches:

1. Ground line

2. Center(s) of gravity

3. Connect figure to ground

4. Big-to-little

5. Draw through and over

I hope you enjoy it.

Visual thinking

This is from a VizThink workshop in Chicago. More about VizThink here.

Upcoming

Geneva workshop, originally uploaded by dgray_xplane.

Quick update: Here are some upcoming events where I will be speaking or facilitating in the next couple of months. The photo shows Laurent Haug of LIFT fame in a previous workshop that I conducted in Geneva.

SXSW 2009 — Mar 13 - Mar 17, 2009

I'll be speaking on a panel at the SXSW Interactive Festival in Austin, Texas. The panel is called Shift Happens: Moving from Words to Pictures. More.

VizThink 2009 — Feb 22 - Feb 25, 2009

I'll be speaking and facilitating at the VizThink conference in San Jose, California. More.

s-Lab launch8 — Dec 4, 2008

I'll be facilitating the launch of the Ontario College of Art and Design's Strategic Innovation Lab in Toronto.

How to draw a car

How to draw a car, originally uploaded by dgray_xplane.

I just posted a short video drawing lesson on how to draw a car here. I chose a car because it's one of those things that people quite often need to draw and often struggle with.

I show how you can use simple shapes to make something that conveys the idea pretty clearly. The same principles will apply to other kinds of drawings.

Let me know if you'd like to see more of these. Enjoy!

Good morning Amsterdam!

I'm in Amsterdam today and this evening I will be having an informal conversation with Yuri Engelhardt and whoever else shows up. If you live here I hope you will join us. Here are the details:

Thursday 16 October, 20:00-21:30
Location: Department of Mediastudies, Universiteit van Amsterdam, Turfdraagsterpad 9, room 0.04. Map here.

Greetings Berlin!

I arrived in Berlin yesterday for VizThink Europe 08. I will be touring the city with Tom Crawford and Ryan Coleman of VizThink. If you happen to be in or near Berlin and would like to meet up with us text message me at +1.314.496.6129 and I will text back our location. Hope to see you!

The eyes have it

The eyes have it, originally uploaded by dgray_xplane.

Actual bandwidth of the five senses, compared to the bandwidth we are consciously aware of. From The half-second delay: What follows?, a paper on learning, consciousness and perception.

Another quote from this interesting paper:
"Traditional models of affect posit that ... first we decide what we think, and then we decide how we feel about it. However, the evidence ... indicates that the real order of things is likely to be the reverse of this... what we feel about something tells us what we think."

Five reasons to go to VizThink in Berlin

S-Bahnhof Friedrichstrasse Berlin Mitte Capital Germany, originally uploaded by holger doelle.

On October 12-14, 2008 I'll be facilitating at VizThink Berlin. For those of you who haven't heard, Vizthink is a global community of visual thinkers who believe the time is right to really engage with visual thinking as a practical way to solve problems and deliver understanding.

Here are five reasons to go to VizThink Berlin:

1. Flights are really, really cheap right now. I just got a round-trip ticket for less than $800.

2. Berlin, by all accounts, is one of the most exciting cities in Europe. The art scene there is world-renowned, with 450 art galleries, with approximately one new gallery opening every week.

3. VizThink will be one of the biggest collections of visual thinkers ever assembled in one place. If you are one of those people who feels a gravitational pull when you're near a whiteboard, you'll find an assembly of like-minded people such as you've never seen before.

4. Yuri Engelhardt will be there. Yuri is at the forefront of visual thinking research, and he's compiled the most thorough exploration and synthesis of visual grammatical forms I've ever seen. Plus you get two-for one: Christian Behrens is one of Yuri's students and a formidable figure in his own right, and he'll be there too. His exploration of visual frameworks, information design patterns, is one of the best in existence.

5. Manuel Lima will be there. Manuel is the genius behind Visual Complexity, a web-based compilation of the most interesting visual information displays on the web. He is also a senior user experience designer at Nokia, looking at the future of how we'll work with information on mobile devices.

The people mentioned above are based in Europe and don't come to the US very often, so this may be one of your only chances to see them all together in one place.

These are just a few of the speakers, and just a small number of the compelling reasons to go to Berlin this October. I'll definitely be there and hope you will decide to come too.

To register, or to get more information about VizThink, visit their website here.

The unbook

The unbook

view presentationtags: davegray jaycross unbook xplane

Join me and Jay Cross tomorrow as we discuss the future of books:

More information here.

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

10:30 PDT, 1:30 EDT

Conference Dial-in Number: (712) 432-1601
Save phone charges by using Skype to call in.

Participant Access Code: 391096#

Update: This presentation was just featured on the Slideshare home page! :)

Another update: For those of you who missed the call, Jay will be posting a recording and some other links here.

The Process

Nonlinear presentation tool

I just discovered this very interesting presentation tool which is being developed in Budapest.

ZuiPrezi is a zooming presentation editor which allows you to easily create dynamic and visually structured zooming maps of texts, images, videos, PDFs, and drawings. ZuiPrezi has a very intuitive interface and support for online sharing, and it works really well with tablet PCs.

This is a tool I can't wait to delve into -- I have been looking for something like this for a long time.

Business model innovation

Alex Osterwalder does a great job of visually explaining business model innovation. He has several upcoming workshops and speaking engagements, including New York and Toronto, so depending on where you live you might have a chance to attend a workshop in the near future. More detail on upcoming events here.
Business Model Innovation Matters

View SlideShare presentation (tags: osterwalder alex alexander telco)

VizThink Toronto 7

VizThink Toronto 7
Originally uploaded by Ryan ColemanRyan Coleman put together this excellent video of the recent VizThink get-together in Toronto.

Upcoming events

Geneva workshop, originally uploaded by dgray_xplane.

I'll be participating in a number of events in the coming months. Here's an update on some of the events where I'll be speaking or delivering workshops.

• Visual and Iconic Languages (VaIL) conference — Jul 21 - Jul 22, 2008
  At the VaIL conference I'll be speaking about visual language. If you can make it to San Diego, there's no charge to attend the conference.
• Visual thinking workshop — Jul 25, - Jul 25, 2008
  On July 25th I'll be delivering a full, one-day workshop in Toronto. In the workshop you'll learn how to visualize your ideas so you can think and communicate with greater clarity and effectiveness. Working individually and in small teams, you will learn and practice visualization techniques that have been successfully used to improve innovation and accelerate change at some of the world's leading companies. After completing this workshop you will have a toolkit for thinking and presentation effectiveness -- your presentations of complex information and strategies will never be the same. More.
• Visual thinking in practice — Aug 19 - Aug 20, 2008
  CONNECTICUT: What's the difference between theory and practice? In theory they're the same. In practice they're different. We'll look at some proven, practical tools and techniques for turning complex or potentially confusing information into clear, concise, concrete visual images. At this event I'll give a short talk followed by an afternoon workshop. Get more info at the CAIS Summer Institute.
• IDEA 2008 — Oct 7 - Oct 8, 2008
  I'll be speaking at the IDEA conference in Chicago. The IDEA Conference is a yearly conference about Information: Design, Experience and Access that is sponsored by the Information Architecture Institute. More.
• VizThink 08 Berlin — Oct 12 - Oct 14, 2008
  I'll be facilitating at VizThink 08 in Berlin. VizThink is an international community of visual thinkers. More.
• Sarasota Design Summit — Oct 27 - Oct 28, 2008
  More than 350 designers, entrepreneurs, thought leaders, and business and technology professionals, exploring how design and design thinking are transforming technology and innovation. I've had a hand in proposing some of the speakers for this one, and can promise that some very interesting people will be there. More.
• CANUX 2008 — Nov 16 - Nov 18, 2008
  I'll be speaking/facilitating at CANUX 2008 in Banff, Alberta. CANUX is a small gathering, limited to 70 participants, with a focus on practical skills for user experience professionals—web designers, software developers, information architects, interaction designers, interface designers, communications, and anyone else who's passionate about making things work well for people. More.

I hope you'll decide to join me at one or more of these events!

London Calling!

Geneva workshop, originally uploaded by dgray_xplane.

London is calling my name again.

Next week I'll be in London for two events, July 9th and 10th.

On July 9th, from 4pm-9pm, I will be leading a workshop called Thinking visually to tackle business challenges: A creative and innovative approach to problem solving.

Statistical surveys have shown that design and visualisation have averifiable impact on business performance. Visual articulation is important when solving a problem that involves strategic goals and initiatives. At its core, it helps bridge the problem or opportunity with the solution. That is why helping decision makers to think and express themselves visually gives organisations a competitive edge in the marketplace.

Joining me will be a couple of XPLANE clients, who will share case studies of how they employed visual thinking in their organisations.

There is a fee for the workshop and a 10% discount if you register by July 2nd. You can download a pdf description and register for the workshop here.

On July 10th I will be leading an interactive session and discussion at VizThink London. That event goes from 5:30-9:00pm.

I hope you can join me at one or both events -- and I am sure there will be drinks afterward in both cases, so if you can't make the events I hope you'll join us for the drinks!

The picture above is my friend Alex Osterwalder, from one of my previous workshops.

Who are you?

VP of NO, originally uploaded by dgray_xplane.

A comment from Cindy, a new reader, prompted a realization that Communication Nation has quite a few new readers who have recently discovered this blog.

I have met many of you over the years and found you to be a unique and fascinating community of people. You need to be aware of each other! I did this a while back but I think it's time for an update.

Tell us:

Who are you?

Even if you don't regularly comment on blogs, please consider taking a minute to tell me and the other readers:
1. Who are you? If it's not too personal, what's your name and job title?
2. What industry or field do you work in or most strongly identify with?
3. What do you most want to see happening on this blog?

And/or anything else you want to talk about.

You also might want to check out the last post like this, from March of 2006, here.

And even if you left a note the last time I did this, it would be great to know what you're up to now and what's on your mind.

So please leave a note in the comments section and introduce yourself! We'd love to meet you.

Communication Nation named as top productivity blog

Communication Nation has been named one of the top 50 productivity blogs of the year by Evan Carmichael. Woo-hoo!

How Obama reinvented campaign finance

How Obama reinvented campaign finance, originally uploaded by dgray_xplane.

Barack Obama is the first major candidate to decline participation in the public financing system for presidential campaigns. He’s found a more effective way to raise money – by leveraging the power of the American people through online Social Networks. Get the pdf version here.

Stories from the world's children

During the United Nations Special Session on Children in May 2002, children discussed eight key issues and wrote a statement reflecting their views, ‘A World Fit for Us’.

Five years later, XPLANE worked with Unicef to develop a booklet to report back to children what progress has been made in their name; it also presents stories and concerns of children around the world.

In the video above, the XPLANE team offers a peek behind the scenes as they reflect on the project.

Click here to download a PDF or buy a print copy.

Q-tools for design and discovery

Q-tools, originally uploaded by dgray_xplane.

You can think of a question as a tool that you can use to increase your knowledge or reduce uncertainty.

In fact, a question may be the most basic tool for gaining knowledge and working with information.

If this is so, then it makes sense to ask which kinds of questions are best suited to different kinds of information challenges. A set of standard questions that can be applied consistently to different situations might form the basis of a standard toolkit for information discovery and design.

Read the full post and share your thoughts here.

Garr Reynolds talks to Google

Garr Reynolds of Presentation Zen talks to Google about how to make an effective presentation. Excellent talk.

Why PowerPoint rules the business world

Working through windows, originally uploaded by dgray_xplane.

The problem is this: PowerPoint is a visual tool, and we are a visually illiterate society. Read more.

Cartoonists make the best PowerPoints

Great post by Austin Kleon:

FOR SUCCESSFUL POWERPOINT PRESENTATIONS, LOOK TO CARTOONISTS by Austin Kleon: "Powerpoint (or Keynote) slide software solves the problem of presenting an audience with a narrative that demands both verbal and visual elements. A slide presentation succeeds when the visual display works with the verbal communication of the speaker to create a narrative in the audience’s mind. The juxtaposition of pictures and words conjure connections and meaning that pictures or words alone could not.

Some of the best uses of Powerpoint come from the masters of verbal/visual, picture/word communication: cartoonists."

Ladies Ned

Ladies Ned, originally uploaded by Pankcho.

Great image I found on Flickr.

:)

Visual language conversation

go, originally uploaded by dgray_xplane.

Recently I participated in a webcast where we discussed the emergence of visual language and debated some ideas about what it is and what it is not.

Here's the description from the Vizthink blog:

VizThink Blog Podcast 11: What qualifies as visual language anyway?: "In the visual thinking community, we frequently use the term visual language. Some would say that it gets used pretty loosely. So, today we began that discussion with 3 experts in our field in order to begin to understand what visual language really means. Neil Cohn, Yuri Engelhardt, and Dave Gray joined us to discuss topics like:

What is a visual language?
Does a visual language require a grammar?
What components make up a visual grammar?
Are certain forms of visualization a language and others not?"

There are quite a few visual examples that support the discussion.

I think the points where we disagreed are more intriguing than the points where we agreed. After you listen to the webcast I'll be interested to hear your thoughts.

Introducing the global collaboration cue card project

Dan Rose has posted an interesting exercise to demonstrate some of the differences between verbal and visual language.

Introducing the Global Collaboration Cue Card Project: "words are in fact models that are loaded with assumptions and values and... communicating with graphics is an effective method for conveying underlying and unspoken meaning."

Ten tips for global communicators

The difference between local and global markets is like the difference between the fishbowl and the ocean. To understand and engage successfully requires a shift in perspective. Here are a few tips to help you get the most from your global communications efforts:

1. Get outside your fishbowl.
To go global you’ve got to get out from behind your desk. Your culture surrounds you like the air you breathe, and you can’t understand it until you get outside it. Spend some time – an extended period, if possible – completely immersed in another culture. When you return, you’ll be surprised how many things you notice that were previously invisible.


2. Be authentic.
Being global doesn’t mean losing your identity. If you’re a global company that was started in Germany and is headquartered in Germany, it’s perfectly ok to be German. It’s a multicultural world and you are a part of it too. The key is to be respectful of other cultures while being true to your own unique identity.


3. Remember that you are a guest.
When you are visiting another country, or when you open an office there, you are a guest. The same rules apply that would apply if you were visiting a friend’s house. Be polite, respectful, and thoughtful in your communications.


4. Think visually.
There’s a reason why TV is booming while newspapers are going out of business. People understand pictures faster and more easily than words. With pictures you can communicate complex ideas instantly, and virtually nothing is lost in translation. And words need to be translated, while pictures are a universal form of communication.


5. Ask for feedback.
Share your ideas with global teams early, when they are in the napkin-sketch stage, and ask for feedback. When you ask people to participate in defining the message, you build trust. If you build your message globally, then deployment becomes much easier.


6. Engage.
To communicate you need to engage with people, and when you engage, you will make mistakes. If you never make a cultural error, you’re probably not communicating at all. Try to get outside your comfort zone. There is such a thing as being too safe. People will forgive your mistakes if they believe you are well-intentioned.


7. Respect is a two-way street.
If you work for a global company, your company’s culture may be as strong and important as the global cultures you interact with. There will be times when your company culture is directly at odds with the local culture. When those times arise, you need to have a clear policy on what is negotiable and what is not: Is fluency in English an absolute requirement? You may not want to hire interpreters for every conference call.


8. Localize strategically.
Localization is a slippery slope. You can localize to the regional level, to the country level, and beyond – there are nine officially recognized languages in South Africa alone. Balance the expense of localization against the benefits you expect to gain.


9. Listen between the lines.
Many cultures have subtle or indirect ways of dealing with conflict and communicating sensitive information. Watch people’s faces and body language for cues. If you sense something may be amiss, ask politely if you are missing anything, or take an associate aside for a quick chat. In conference calls it’s much more difficult: silence can be an indication of many things, including disinterest, confusion, displeasure, and even agreement.


10. Socialize.
In many cultures, communication outside of the office is as important as what happens inside. Take invitations seriously. Many of your most important lessons and ideas will come from informal conversations, where people feel comfortable sharing their thoughts.

VizThink workshop in NYC

VizThink workshop in NYC, originally uploaded by dgray_xplane.

Last week's workshop in New York last week went very well -- it was the debut of my latest thoughts on visual language, which synthesizes the work of many visual language researchers and information designers.

It's a major project but I am trying to boil down all the research into a simple "ABC book" -- a primer of visual language.

I believe my thoughts were well-received by the group, which included a broad mix of people, from designers to bankers. The group even included a brain scientist who said that the visual language concepts map very well to current concepts in brain science. I am looking forward to talking more about that.

There's still time to register for the Chicago workshop, which is coming up this Wednesday, May 7. You can register here.

The Whirl

I talk a little bit about the challenges of the information age and how visual language can help. Click here to watch the video.

Death by PowerPoint

| View | Upload your own

Fighting death by PowerPoint... How to make a presentation and not to bore your audience to death.

Slideshare link

New website!

New website!, originally uploaded by dgray_xplane.

I'm launching a new website, Dave Gray info, to focus on pulling together my ideas into a more holistic form.

I'll be using it to talk about the book I'm writing and organize the ideas. Check it out at davegrayinfo.com. Please take a look and share your thoughts!

Note: This used to be davegrayinfo.com but that domain seems to be blocked by many corporate filters (see comments section).

Forms fields and flows video

Forms fields and flows video, originally uploaded by dgray_xplane.

I talk and draw about visual language here.

Visualizing information: A workshop with Dave Gray and Karl Gude

I am happy to announce that I will be giving two workshops with Karl Gude called Visualizing Information, one on May 2nd in New York and the other on May 7th in Chicago.

Karl was the Graphics Director for Newsweek until recently, when he left to focus on teaching at Michigan State University.

The workshop will focus on information design and information visualization. We'll be looking at techniques that both Karl and I have used to translate complex information into graphics, diagrams, charts and maps.

The content is suitable for business people and any communications professional who is looking to improve their visualization skills.

Karl is a very engaging speaker – he's both informative and hilarious, a rare gift. I am very excited to be working with him.

Right now these are the only two workshops Karl and I are planning to give together, so this may be the only opportunity to see us both in one workshop.

Here's a description of the workshop:

Participants will learn how visual thinking can be used to explore complex information and present it more effectively. This workshop combines high-level design principles with practical applications – rules of thumb and “tricks of the trade” – that professional information designers use to quickly create clear representations from complex or potentially confusing information.

Participants will learn through a series of hands-on exercises, designed to develop their analytical, design and visual thinking abilities. Workshop facilitators Karl Gude and Dave Gray have, collectively, more than 50 years of practical, hands-on experience, creating visual explanations for national news media and multinational corporations.

Topics covered include:
- Introduction to visual language and visual literacy
- Strategies of information design
- Primary methods for organizing both qualitative and quantitative information
- Professional tips and tricks

Your presentations don’t have to be dull and ridden with bullet points. After this workshop you will understand how to explore, organize and visually display information of all kinds, from complex data sets to visual instruction manuals.

Click here to register!

VizThink 08 sketch notes

3d -- A model for learning and improvement

All learning and improvement begins with action -- with doing. For example, as a child you touch a hot stove.

Action leads to discovery; in this case, the discovery that the action led to pain, burning, discomfort.

Based on this discovery you design new ways of interacting with your environment.

Based on your design you do things differently. Over time this leads you closer and closer to your ideal relationship with your surroundings.

The entire process is called successive approximation.

Successive approximation is the secret sauce that makes methods like agile programming work so well.

It's the same process that is at work when you have a conversation.

You say (do) something, and then, based on the feedback you receive (body language, facial expression, reply) you discover something, based on which you design your next utterance, etc.

Successive approximation works because, unlike many business thinking, planning and execution activities, it's easy and natural; we do it instinctively.

Be like the internet

Presented at SXSW.

| View | Upload your own

Greetings from Geneva!

Greetings from Geneva!, originally uploaded by dgray_xplane.

I'm in Geneva this week and next. If you are in the area and want to connect, send me an email at dave.gray@gmail.com.

The adventures of Helvetica man (and woman)

By Ti.mo.

Visual thinking workshop in Geneva

Visual thinking workshop in Toronto, originally uploaded by dgray_xplane.

I'll be giving a workshop in Geneva on March 18th.

We'll be covering the same things I covered in my one-day workshop at VizThink, so if you are based in Europe and were unable to attend, this is a great opportunity to learn about and explore visual language in a small group setting.

I talk a little bit about the workshop here.

Click here to download the flyer and register.

I hope to see you there!

Project manager jobs at XPLANE

XPLANE is looking for Project Managers for our Portland and Alanta offices. You can find the job descriptions for each of these positions at http://www.xplane.com/#/careers/

Dave Gray on visual thinking and business

Alex Osterwalder of Arvetica, a consulting firm that caters to the private banking industry, interviewed me last week. We talked about communication, visual thinking and how they can be applied to business.
Podcast:

Peter Pan and Willy Wonka on visual and creative thinking

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Presentation on Visual and Creative Thinking. The presentation explores how professional in all fields can apply creative and visual thinking skills to their work as well as why people ignore the talents that made them naturally creative as children. The author discusses the myths that people hold about creativity, why they exist and how you can overcome them.

From: themoleskin, 2 months ago

SlideShare Link

XPLANE starts playing with mobile content

Hi everyone,

The video above is designed to be delivered to a mobile phone or other mobile device. This is one of our first explorations -- we're just beginning to play in the world of content for mobile. This is a new area for us and I'm very interested to hear your reaction and any thoughts/ideas/comments/concerns you might have.

Please share your thoughts.

Visio Conference 2008

Index card, originally uploaded by dgray_xplane.

Just published my notes from the Visio 2008 Conference in Seattle.

I drew this card when Jeff Raikes was describing how Steve Ballmer recruited him from Apple by scribbling diagrams about their future vision in a restaurant.

You can view the rest of my notes here.

Bob Horn on visual language

Index card, originally uploaded by dgray_xplane.

Bob was speaking at VizThink 08.

The amazing sticky-note trick

Click To Play

Big thank you to Marcus of L'Arte

How to Draw an Eye, with Karl Gude

Karl Gude demonstrates how to draw an eye. His pencil breaks and he just keeps on going. What a show-off!

Why go to VizThink?

| View | Upload your own

Are you a visual thinker? Do you want to improve your communications, presentations, learning, and marketing using visuals? VizThink '08 is the place for you! Find out why in this presentation.


SlideShare Link