Television on a stick?

March 2, 2010 at 11:50 am
Filed under Digital design, Signage, Technology

Photo: Fabrizio Constantini, The New York Times

They’ve also been called “weapons of mass distraction,” and many states are beginning to consider restrictions against digital billboards. In Michigan last week, the state legislature held hearings on a two-year moratorium on construction of digital billboards, and Minnesota will soon examine similar legislation. Private groups contend the billboards are major safety hazards, distracting drivers’ attention with their bright lights and moving images.

Interested parties are anxiously awaiting the results of an ongoing Federal Highway Administration study that will be complete this summer. A 2007 study by Virginia Tech concluded the billboards don’t change drivers’ behavior, but many consider its results suspect because the study was funded by the billboard industry.

While only 2,000 of 45,000 billboards in the U.S. are currently digital, the billboard industry sees it as a major growth sector. In years to come, they project digital signs will make up as high as 15% or their total inventory.  –P.M.K.

Digital dive

December 16, 2009 at 9:16 am
Filed under Data Visualization, Digital design

Further proof that digital design has come into its own as an art and communication form is a new show at London’s venerable Victoria & Albert museum. “Decode: Digital Design Sensations” is derived only from the museum’s own collections, but it manages to paint a (digital) picture of the medium, how and why it has evolved over the past three decades, and where it may be heading.

The “Digital Pioneers” area of the exhibition focuses on early computer-generated imagery, and the show also includes numerous examples of data visualization. Works such as John Maeda’s Nature (pictured) show how programmer/artist/designers use the raw data of computer code in the same way more traditional artists use paint or clay. And examples such as Aaron Koblin’s Flight Patterns illustrate the interconnection of mobile technologies and the Internet. All to say, digital design is no longer just for geeks. — P.M.K.