Notes From
The Colony
An ant just called and said they are taking the day off to make a zine.
SPECS
Medium: Print Design / Publication
Format: Zine
Tools: Illustrator, Risoograph, Javascript/Generative Code
Medium: Print Design / Publication
Format: Zine
Tools: Illustrator, Risoograph, Javascript/Generative Code
THE CHALLENGE
Data sets can easily feel cold, dry, and hidden behind dense spreadsheets. The goal was to take complex behavioral data about ant colonies and transform it into a tactile, visually engaging field guide that blends generative coding with print culture to make data visualization fun, dynamic, and accessible.
RESEARCH & DESIGN
The project relied on p5.js (JavaScript) to build three distinct generative coding scripts linked directly to an ant dataset. One visualization, for instance, pulls data on an individual ant's daily foraging trips to map its routine; with a single click, the code draws fresh parameters from the dataset to generate a completely new iteration instantly. Once the generative graphic forms were generated, custom ant illustrations were drafted in Adobe Illustrator and integrated into Adobe InDesign, where typography was carefully set to structure the field guide. The entire layout was then printed using Risograph, using saturated Riso inks to translate digital algorithms into a tactile publication.
Data sets can easily feel cold, dry, and hidden behind dense spreadsheets. The goal was to take complex behavioral data about ant colonies and transform it into a tactile, visually engaging field guide that blends generative coding with print culture to make data visualization fun, dynamic, and accessible.
RESEARCH & DESIGN
The project relied on p5.js (JavaScript) to build three distinct generative coding scripts linked directly to an ant dataset. One visualization, for instance, pulls data on an individual ant's daily foraging trips to map its routine; with a single click, the code draws fresh parameters from the dataset to generate a completely new iteration instantly. Once the generative graphic forms were generated, custom ant illustrations were drafted in Adobe Illustrator and integrated into Adobe InDesign, where typography was carefully set to structure the field guide. The entire layout was then printed using Risograph, using saturated Riso inks to translate digital algorithms into a tactile publication.
THE CONCEPT & AUDIENCE
"Generative Bug Science Meets Print." Notes From The Colony tracks the daily lives of ants, visualizing denotative traits like size and species alongside behavioral metrics like foraging trips and load-carrying capacity relative to body mass. Designed for bug enthusiasts and data nerds.
THE TAKEAWAY
Embracing generative code as a design tool showed how data can organically generate its own visual language rather than relying purely on manual layout. Learning p5.js expanded my workflow, proving that code can serve as a bridge between data analysis and printmaking to create functional, expressive publications.
"Generative Bug Science Meets Print." Notes From The Colony tracks the daily lives of ants, visualizing denotative traits like size and species alongside behavioral metrics like foraging trips and load-carrying capacity relative to body mass. Designed for bug enthusiasts and data nerds.
THE TAKEAWAY
Embracing generative code as a design tool showed how data can organically generate its own visual language rather than relying purely on manual layout. Learning p5.js expanded my workflow, proving that code can serve as a bridge between data analysis and printmaking to create functional, expressive publications.
PROCESS