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.

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Death by PowerPoint

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

Slideshare link

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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).

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Forms fields and flows video

Forms fields and flows video, originally uploaded by dgray_xplane.

I talk and draw about visual language here.

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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!

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VizThink 08 sketch notes

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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.

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Be like the internet

Presented at SXSW.

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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.

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The adventures of Helvetica man (and woman)

By Ti.mo.

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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!

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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/

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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:

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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

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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.

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