My proposal is that the only reality is action. In other words, all the internal states, beliefs, thoughts and whims assume value only when they result in action. I call it getting from what to how. Not every realm of action needs numbers to decide it but some do. That is where Edward Tufte comes in.
Tufte is professor emeritus at Yale in political science, statistics and computer science. He has written several of the most beautiful books on how to present complex numerical data as rich visuals. Only with full data, clearly presented, can good decisions be made, though that is a necessary, but not sufficient, criteria for decision making.
About every 2 years, though he could entirely retire any time, Tufte presents a one day course on his ideas in Portland. Expensive, yes, but the $380 includes $185 of Tufte's cool beautiful books. The course is heavily visual. It includes examples of beautifully made charts, some bad ones for comparison, and some of Tufte's collection of richly illustrated rare 16th century books on astronomy, mathematics and science, like Euclid, Galileo and Newton, shown about the audience by white-gloved assistants.
Central to Tufte's thesis is that people are smart, and presenting a lot of information clearly allows them to make better decisions. Thus Tufte is the enemy of PowerPoint because it templates simplicity. As an example, Tufte reviews the engineer's PowerPoint slides which failed to communicate the danger to the space shuttle Challenger launch. In 1986, Challenger exploded killing all aboard. So yes, PowerPoint can kill.
I have attended Tufte's talks and found them engaging - like the best professors you have ever had. There are plenty of take home messages for graphic designers and anyone who needs to present multidimensional data with the intent it result in action.
At the Portland Art Museum space. All day. Details at www.edwardtufte.com $380 with discounts for group registrations and full time students. Worth it.
