Presentation matters
Working on the projects we have been over the quarter, I’ve realized time and again how much presentation really matters. That doesn’t just refer to how articulate a speaker is, but also to their ability to visually, verbally, and experientially tell a story that resonates with their audience. It’s been neat to explore different modes – from storyboards to physical prototypes to concept art to video – and I’ve definitely become interested in expanding my skills in this area.
It was great to see some of the work teams produced in our last project (it focused on future technology to increase face-to-face social interaction among teens). I was inspired by the vivid storytelling through video and especially surprised to see how effective it can be to mix lower fidelity images (sketches) with higher fidelity backgrounds or video clips. It really helped to paint the picture of an experience and not just a product.
I was also inspired by the level of rendering done in one team’s product illustrations. It reminded me of how I want to focus on bettering my illustration skills during my time here at Stanford. I’ve begun looking around for classes and resources which would help me to do that, but have realized that our program focuses a bit more on design leadership and process than the actual visual communication details often taught in industrial design programs. I’m hoping to find a way to learn and gain more practice in quick idea sketching, refined illustration, rendering, and graphic design concepts. I doubt they’ll become the core of my work, but those types of skills can surely augment any project pitch or presentation.
One thing that isn’t completely clear to me yet is how much of visual communication is observing good work and then practicing in your own and how much is made up of specific skills that can be taught. I found some great books at Borders and am planning to continually evolve my methods of presentation through my projects, but believe it would also be helpful to have some more formal instruction in the area. There are some classes offered as part of ID programs at other schools in the Bay Area which I may look into. I’m sure there are also a lot of great mentors at Stanford who can help me to further my skills.
I suppose all I need now is just a little more time in the day… 
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