Official Singles Chart 22 September 2013

Data visualization, as a topic, felt like it belonged in the statistics department, not the art building. But the physical act of moving my hand, of giving a vague thought a rough physical form, often clarifies my thinking in a way that pure cognition cannot. I had to research their histories, their personalities, and their technical performance. From a simple plastic bottle to a complex engine block, countless objects in our world owe their existence to this type of industrial template. While the consumer catalog is often focused on creating this kind of emotional and aspirational connection, there exists a parallel universe of catalogs where the goals are entirely different. The work of creating a design manual is the quiet, behind-the-scenes work that makes all the other, more visible design work possible.