The Way We Work

A couple of weeks ago, I had the pleasure of attending the Entertainment Gathering 2008, a conference founded and organized by TED founder Richard Saul Wurman.

One of the highlights of the conference was David Macaulay, the author of The Way Things Work and The Way We Work.

For those who are not familiar with his book, they are illustration masterpieces that explain difficult concepts with simple diagrams and analogies. At EG, David spoke about his 6-year long process of learning about the human anatomy and experimenting with various ways to explain the inner workings of the body.

Sometimes, his drawings looked like simplified anatomy diagrams found in biology books but often, he used unexpected styles and objects to convey his explanations. For one portion, he may elect to use pulleys and gears while elsewhere, he may use architectural drawings or even analogies to trampolines to get an idea across. The detail and range of his art shows the thoughtfulness that went into the production.

I also had the privilege of speaking with David about See What I Mean and his first response was a very encouraging, “it’s about time!” If you’re looking for some last minute gift ideas, I recommend you check out his latest book.