The Hahn and Zimmerman seminar focused on an analytical approach to graphic design. their take on how to approach, analyze and show raw data allows the outcome to be as informative as possible, in doing this they have created a practice which specializes in data mining but is free from the conventional trappings associated with such a tedious activity.
During the seminar we were asked to take part in a workshop to inform us as to how to go about such a process, we were given newspapers and asked to apply a filter of some sort to their content, the aim being that we can then see the important content - or the content we, as creators of the intervention want you to see. These filters can be anything - a common example would be the deletion or the actual removal of material through the use of a craft knife, by doing so you remove all cases of distracting content meaning that you are immediately drawn to your chosen focus.
Aesthetically speaking, the end result offers you an intriguing composition which can only contribute to our assimilation of the information and ultimately makes the experience more enjoyable. despite the fact that the visualization of information is a hugely important activity in today's fast paced consumer society - where more often than not, if we are not bludgeoned over the head with what we want we will simply be washed away in a current of apathy and loose interest - this approach seems to be restricted to academia - perhaps because the outcome of this practice is too intimidating or uncomfortable for the common consumer. whilst it is of no concern to 'outsiders', this technique for displaying raw facts and statistics can be highly valuable to the members of academia who take part in lectures, seminars as well as to professionals who regularly make sales pitches. Hans Rosling - a noted anthropologist and doctor currently operating from the Karolinska institute typifies this approach in his work, previously using data gathered from national bodies and the united nations to illustrate how in the case of his 2007 TEDtalk on poverty, that our conception of word finance is skewed by our ignorance - Rosling uses raw facts and statistical evidence to construct a compelling argument about so called 'third-world countries'.
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