Pecha Kucha @ The Improv (10-20-09)

http://www.pecha-kucha.org/

“usually pronounced in three syllables like “pe-chak-cha”, is a presentation format in which content can be easily, efficiently and informally shown, usually at a public event designed for that purpose. Under the format, a presenter shows 20 images for 20 seconds apiece, for a total time of 6 minutes, 40 seconds.”

Every so often you have to try on a different hat. So I’ll be putting down the dj gear and performing a little monologue for you at Pecha Kucha, on October 20th at The Improv in downtown San Jose. Myself, a few others from work, and many other enthusiastic speakers will be taking turns, delivering high-energy, fast-paced presentations. Come be part of the fun. =)

Tags: art, design, haw, pecha kucha, presentation, swami

Having a Purpose

Historically, I have had the hardest time justifying my life to myself at previous jobs. How can you stay aligned to your morals and spiritual values when you are part of an sick and twisted corporate machine? It’s hard to keep your head up when you are marketing for a company that expects it’s manpower to take the hit whenever their numbers need padding… or when you watch them make a conscious decision to do wrong because paying the fine is cheaper than doing what is right.

Today, i feel much better about my day-job. Many of our clients are purpose-oriented individuals or organizations who are really trying to make a positive difference in the world. Just now somebody passed around photos of Al Gore on Capitol Hill yesterday, testifying in front of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on the latest information on climate change… and in the photos you can see him projecting our slides.

Warm fuzzies abound.

Also I am very very excited this week to have been given full creative freedom on a presentation I’m designing for a speaker at the upcoming TED conference. (www.ted.com) And lo-and-behold… the subject matter is one that i am DEEPLY committed to; restoring a sense of morals to corporations… the need for people to do what is RIGHT instead of what is profitable.

when i am personally committed to something, it ceases to be “work”

Good times. =)

Tags: Add new tag, art, business, corporations, design, philosophy, presentation

Pecha Kucha Tonight

Going to Pecha Kucha tonight!
www.pecha-kucha.org/cities/san-francisco
more: pechakucha-sf.com/
(voted “BEST HYPERINTELLECTUAL SHOW-AND-TELL” in the bay area by the San Francisco Guardian!!)

Sounds like an interesting event… kinda like ADAC but on more of a sharing level. I’m going to be interested to hear what some of these people have to show. Maybe someday i’ll show some work there.

Also… THIS: sdo.seoul.go.kr/english/index.html seems like a good enough reason to go back to Seoul for a visit! I like how there is a picture of the olympic stadium they built in 1988 (the last time i was there) and right next to it it says that it’s going to to be held in the Jamsil Sports Complex Main Stadium… conference hall. =(

Tags: art, design, powerpoint, presentation

PowerPoint

We had a special guest here last week (on the night of modeselektor)… a presentation design specialist who just published a book on the subject… Since he likes us so much (and since we get business every time he mentions us in his blog), we held his book signing party here. Among the guests were people from microsoft and cisco… and i must say the hors doeuvres were excellent. =)

www.presentationzen.com/presen…wi.html

I can really get into this guy’s methodology and i wish more companies would embrace the less-is-more philosophy… You usually end up with the “make my logo bigger” crowd and the end result is like poop in your zen garden. har har.

One of the reasons i feel that this place is such a good fit for me is because i have strong visual story-telling skills… that’s one of the main points we try to push here… we’re not in the business of making talking points pretty… we’re in the business of engaging audiences… design, not decoration.

I attended a lecture by this guy: www.edwardtufte.com before starting work here and even though he’s an authority on quantitative information graphics, his views on powerpoint are incredibly angry and negative… even going so far as to blame powerpoint for the Columbia disaster. His belief is that powerpoint is making people stupider… that people tend to stick to the font size/resolution limitations and linear nature of powerpoint and they forget how to really communicate… that the presentation itself ends up replacing the content somehow. I am not quite sure how he can make such arching statements when he knows damn well that powerpoint can be treated like a container for whatever the hell you want to stick in there. I have never felt compelled to use ppt templates but he seems to think the world is doing it as a shortcut to thinking.

In the case of school kids being told to make powerpoint presentations for homework assignments i can see how this can be true. Instead of doing real work, they are sort of having fun decorating their assignment with cheesy clip art and somehow the medium becomes the focus instead of the content… Tufte argues “Your method of delivery should always be invisible… ” and most powerpoint presentations end up being more of an advertisement for powerpoint than anything else.

And in the case of the Colmubia incident i can see his qualms too… The Columbia Accident Investigation Board says “At many points during it’s investigation, the Board was surprised to receive similar presentation slides from NASA officials in place of technical reports. The Board views the endemic use of powerpoint briefing slides instead of technical papers as an illustration of the problematic methods of technical communication at NASA — Other professional organizations have also noted the increased use of this presentation software as a substitute for technical reports and other meaningful documentation. Powerpoint (and simliar products by other vendors), as a method to provide talking points and present limited data to assembled groups, has it’s place in the engineering community; however, these presentation should never be allowed to replacec, or even supplement, formal documentation.”

Agreed. But to go off of this and say that ppt is making the presenters, consumer, and everyone witness to it dumber by forcing them into a 1st grade level of communication is a stretch. Tufte, you’re great at what you do… but something tells me that your advisory role on the Columbia Accident Investigation Board made you take the tragedy personally and you are looking for someone to blame…

Just like anything else… HOW you use it is where the art lies. Ableton alone doesn’t write good music. Owning a ferrari doesn’t make you a race car driver. Using powerpoint does not make you a good presenter.

Tags: apple, art, computers, design, pc, presentation