Giovanni DiFeterici sets up before his talk.
On Sept. 20, Personal hosted a Refresh DC event. Gene Crawford (@genecrawford) and Giovanni DiFeterici (@giodif) spoke about UX and conceptual design.
Giovanni’s background is in fine arts; it shows, and darn it, it’s pretty great to look at. It also informs how he approaches web design and how he presents a talk on conceptual design. The intro took the form of artists who embodied the key points:
- Emotional truth – Francis Bacon’s portraits were not direct physical representations of the subjects. Instead, he sought to visually represent the entire person – emotions, motivations, soul. The portraits affect people, and it’s Bacon’s choices that help guide what that effect will be on the viewer. Everything you present as a designer will have an emotional impact on the viewer/user; either try to consciously control that impact or be controlled by it.
- World building – Odd Nedrum’s career struggled until he lit on the idea of making art that all referred visually and thematically to the same fictional world. His body of work became snapshots that existed in one context. Putting one’s design into a narrative, a body of work, or any other similar context makes it more powerful than a visual that is floating disconnected from any frame of reference. Context is crucial.
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