Dynamic Diagrams
Dynamic Diagrams is an information design consultancy based in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Its services include information architecture and design for web sites and applications, as well as diagramming complex processes, systems, and data to help clients explain and sell their ideas. The company provides visual design capabilities supported by research and analysis to understand user and business needs.[1]
| Industry | information design consulting firm |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1990 |
| Founder | Paul Kahn Krzysztof Lenk |
| Headquarters | Providence, Rhode Island, U.S. |
Dynamic Diagrams was founded in 1990 by Paul Kahn and Krzysztof Lenk, who first worked together to design the hypertext system Intermedia (hypertext) at Brown University’s Institute for Research in Information and Scholarship (IRIS). The company retains strong ties to Brown and the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), where Krzysztof Lenk is a member of the graphic design faculty. Dynamic Diagrams has been affiliated with Cadmus Communications Corporation, Inc. and Ingenta, but has operated as an independent studio under the leadership of Tim Roy since 2002.
Dynamic Diagrams is known for using isometric projections or Z-diagrams to map web sites (Dodge, 1999; Kahn & Lenk, 2001; Kahn, Lenk, & Kaczmarek, 2001), for developing the software program MAPA (Durand & Kahn, 1998), and for publishing the Information Design Watch blog. The company's work appears in several books on information architecture and information design (see Further Reading).
Further reading
- Dodge, Martin (1999). "Web Site Maps from Dynamic Diagrams". Mappa Mundi Magazine. Retrieved 2007-07-20.
- Durand, D.; Kahn, P. (1998). "MAPA: A system for inducing and visualizing hierarchy in websites". Proceedings of the Ninth ACM Conference on Hypertext and Hypermedia: Links, Objects, Time and Space — Structure in Hypermedia Systems. New York: Association for Computing Machinery. pp. 66–76. doi:10.1145/276627.276635. ISBN 0-89791-972-6. S2CID 14958404.
- Kahn, Paul; Krzysztof Lenk; Piotr Kaczmarek (2001). "Applications of isometric projection for visualizing web sites" (PDF). Information Design Journal. 10 (3): 221–228. doi:10.1075/idj.10.3.03kah. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2007-09-29. Retrieved 2007-07-20.
- Kahn, P.; K. Lenk (2001). Mapping Web Sites: Digital Media Design. Hove UK: Rockport Publishers. p. 160. ISBN 978-2-88046-464-6. The book provides an overview of the Dynamic Diagrams process of visualizing and planning complex web site structure, notably use of the isometric or “Z-diagram” approach to creating site planning maps.
- Dodge, Martin; Rob Kitchin (2001). Atlas of Cyberspace. Harlow, UK: Addison-Wesley. A survey of methods for mapping cyberspace, including examples from Dynamic Diagrams.
- Kahn, P.; Lenk, K.; Kasman, M. (1997). "Real Space and Cyberspace, a comparison of museum maps and electronic publication maps". In Bearman, D.; Trant, J. (eds.). Museum Interactive Multimedia 1997: Cultural Heritage Systems Design and Interfaces. Pittsburgh: Archives & Museum Informatics. pp. 99–113.
- Wurman, Richard Saul (December 1999). Understanding USA. Ted Conferences. pp. 324. ISBN 978-0-9674536-0-6. Dynamic Diagrams' work appears in Business and Trade.
- Wurman, Richard Saul (March 1996). Information Architects. Graphis Inc. p. 235. ISBN 978-0-8230-6455-7. Dynamic Diagrams' work appears in this book.