Studio recently took part in an Infohackit, a 12 hour workshop to brainstorm infographics with scientists from the UEA.
The ambitious event was organised by Peter Moore Fuller of Made Agency and Martin Johnson of the Marine Knowledge Exchange Network. I had been tasked to be one of the team captains and bring along a few talented and willing students from Graphic Communication of Norwich University of the Arts.
It was an interesting challenge to discuss ideas with scientists and how best to communicate their work – art school thinking meets big bang theory. And we had to build our own brief, by firstly hearing about their fascinating and world-changing work. And that was when I met the Lonely Robots.
My bunch of marine scientists work with an amazing device which navigates the depths of the ocean, recording temperatures and reporting its results to help better weather forecasting. We decided that the potential placement of our infographic would support an article for the Guardian or BBC web sites, and explain its purpose to a wider audience. Alternatively, a more complex version could be used at an industry conference.
Once we agreed upon our narrative, a storyboard was drawn up and then animated for presentation later that evening. A tall order, but a great challenge – beers were richly deserved!
Many thanks to Pete from NUA Graphic Communication, Year Two – for patience under pressure and a superb animation.