sensory delights

How do we map information and show relationship in the visual environment? Even in the visual medium we mostly continue to communicate and show relationships semantically. Perhaps we need to develop a better understanding of our senses, so that we don’t under estimate our power of cognition; and develop the confidence to go beyond our linear process of thinking.

Some of the possibilities I remember from the recent past
Cognitive presentation of a photo gallery
Sensory approach to design
Thesaurus that visually shows relationship between words
Interactive approach to design music

Each of them delight my senses. What about you?

musings and spirituality of web

It’s been quite sometime since I read the David Weinberger comments about how web is a spiritual medium, but it has sort of stayed with me. During my recent ponderings over the relationship between design and emotions, I was reminded of the transcript and revisited it. They are refreshing flow of thoughts; and seem to have a contextual relationship with my own subject of musing. I thought I might just share it.

You can visit his blog for a better understanding.

design & emotions

After the Macromedia seminar, I have been pondering about the responsibility of designers to fulfil emotional needs through their design. And quite a few instances, in the recent past came together to give rise to a feeling, that there is a growing consciousness among the designers to design products that focus on fulfilling the emotional needs of human beings.

The Japanese “Lap Pillow” which was in the media recently, “The Hug” designed to supplement ‘intimate communication’ and the set of mugs designed by Onkar Singh Kular. Unlike the first two products, which have been designed especially to address the emotional needs, the “set of cup” is of more interest.

A mundane piece of object with design intelligence has transcend the barrier of being a mere functional product. The Pantone shades of brown allow ‘each family member to choose the mug corresponding to their favourite colour of tea’. Apart from addressing the usual functional need, it goes a step ahead and addresses the emotional need as well.

“The Hug” mentioned above is also a fascinating product that enables you to communicate emotions. Check this out.

flash & emotions

Today, I was at MAX 2005 - India, New Delhi – an annual seminar where Macromedia showcase the emerging technologies and give an overview from a developer’s perspective.

I have been attending the seminars for the last three years – and for the last two years I have gone expecting there might be a session that will share insights on creating experiences. The seminar this year was titled “The power of experience”, but the sessions were entirely devoted on the technologies that shape these experiences. I was a little disappointed, as I had expected some focus would be on the importance of emotional quotient of Flash.

Creating experience is all about engaging the user senses and leaving an impact on their emotions. Flash for me is as much about technology as it is about emotions. It is perhaps the designing tool, which comes closest to capture the essence of human feelings. A user is in a different state of emotion before and after getting expose to a visual design. And it is flash, which evoke the most profound emotional reaction.

finally starting out

After much procrastination, today, I begin my journey on the blog-sphere. Perhaps one more drop had been added to the ever-expanding ocean of bloggers.
As I key in these words, I am pondering what is the single most important factor that have contributed to the flowering of the blogging culture.

On the hindsight, it appears blogging thrive on the human instinct to reach out and connect socially with fellow human life. I have a nagging feeling on a very psychological level it is driven by the human need to seek out life and reassure itself about it manifestation. It is almost a quest to probe the different expression of life, the ever expanding (quest to discover new species; of life on Mars) possibilities of life. And in the ever-expanding possibilities of life, lies the reassurance of the survival.

Well! So here I am to fulfil my emotional and social need to connect and communicate. As I am a man who is for the feelings and by the feelings, feel free to express your feelings as well. Communication, emotion and life are all about feelings.

As my interest areas are visual and semantic language, communication art, digital branding, usability, user experience and information architect, semiotics and culture; this blog will be the online space to share and exchange views on all of the above outline areas.