On our mission statement

I thought I'd go into some more depth on the mission statement I posted the other day. The first sentence of the mission is, "To create the most clear, elegant, beautiful graphics and illustration."

Our successful graphics are clear. There's a intentionality of purpose. When we are commissioned to make something look "cool" I feel lost.

Apple's dictionaries definition of clarity is, "the quality of coherence and intelligibility." If our work isn't clear, if a coherent and intelligible message isn't apparent, it isn't successful. It's the clarity of the idea coming across that can make a piece beautiful or not.

Let's look at one of my favorite information graphics, the Johanes Itten color wheel:

It organizes the mystery of color into a linear, circular comprehensible whole. I have this wheel tacked up to the wall of my studio and I refer to it often.

Information and clarity don't necessarily go hand in hand. We're surrounded by so much information in our culture. As information graphic artists our job is to make sense of the information that is inundating us. I love what Nigel Holmes calls his studio, "Explanation Graphics." Explaining something is making sense out of information. In the end we are visual editors. We decide what to leave out in order to make a strong compelling point.

Let's look at elegance. The second definition in Apple's dictionary is, "(of a scientific theory or solution to a problem) pleasingly ingenious and simple." From one perspective, our studio solves problems. The problems we tackle are how to make sense of something visually. I respond to simplicity and minimalism. You've probably noticed that our color palate tends to be minimal. This has to do with the fact that in information graphics color is meaning. And my favorite information graphics are ones that make one or two points strongly. So this translates into the use of one or two colors.

I believe that clarity leads to beauty. What does this mean? I believe that there has to be a clear, intelligible message that is delivered in order for us to experience beauty. This holds true in art, illustration and information graphics. When something is beautiful, I want to look at it and make sense of it. Beauty is a core value for me. And I am not just talking about physical beauty. I believe almost anything can be beautiful. Thelonious Monk was getting at this point when he titled one of his songs "Ugly Beauty."

There's the "why," "how" and "what." What we do as a studio is clear- we make information graphics and illustrations. How we do this is what I addressed in this post. Why do we do this? This goes back to the vision statement I posted the other day:

Our work brings about a understanding and visceral experience of the beauty, wonder and majesty of the world in all of its connectedness. Through this experience we bring peace, understanding and compassion to the world.

In the end I would love for people who come in contact with our work to feel energized and elevated after looking at it.