Wellllll thanks, Phil…way to make my infographic work look like complete bologna right before I turn it in. Journalism in the Age of Data helped me to better understand and develop a greater appreciation for the way digital media can help you transform your ideas and make them actually come to life.
Not only do I now want to animate my infographic…even though I would fail miserably… I see how you can make your design work dynamic and how you can actually give information its own new life by bringing it to fruition through presentation.
I actually realized this in Section V: Life as a Data Stream. “Is it August 12th? Yes, worst sunburn ever.” Nicholas Felton’s blurbs on his data stream sound like a bad joke I would make in class. But it’s actually interesting to see how he took his own life and presented it in a way people would be intrigued to continue reading. As it was acknowledged in the documentary…who really cares? But then again the design aesthetic compels you to keep looking, it grabs your attention and takes hold of your interest.
This reinforces the idea that it’s all about presentation. We see it everywhere. And this is so relevant to the role of journalism because it allows us as designers to take the dullest idea or story and make it sparkle. Like you always tell us, Phil, the dumb people get jobs if they can present. So maybe it’s just like that. The boring people can still be heard if they can design.