Generative Prints
Prints created with custom software
Task
Create generative design software for printmaking
These projects represent a series of applications that were written to create custom data visualizations. Some of these applications read information from spreadsheets while others simply generate modular grids. Most of the applications include a user interface that allows users to edit and refine parameters for their own projects. Once a user has designed a visualization, it can be downloaded in .svg format and edited in program such as illustrator or inkscape.
Physical prints were created from the data visualizations generated by the software written for each project. CNC (Computer Numerically Controlled) processes were used to translate the digital information into a physical form. For the census data project below, a laser cutter was used to create a woodcut, editions were then printed using a letterpress. Other versions utilize a pen plotter to create posters or postcards.
This letterpress print visualizes the number of individuals killed by police in 2015 and the percentage of people living in poverty within the census tract that each individual was associated with.
The largest circles in this pen plot represent 100% of the yearly earnings of an average white male individual in the United States. The smaller circles represent the average white female, black male, and black female earnings by relative percentage in decreasing order. The data for this visualization comes from the Pew Charitable Trusts.
Looking forward to solving more design problems through in-depth research, iteration, and user centered approaches.