Vanishing

Vanishing is an editorial and digital exploration of disappearance across six distinct lenses: Camouflage, Physical Identity, Anonymity, Languages, Extinction, and Universe. Developed as part of the Atlas project at IUAV University of Venice, the project uses information design and visual narratives to make dense, abstract concepts entirely tangible and readable.

The digital extension focuses heavily on animal extinction across three interconnected pieces. A data sonification translates the grim realities of the IUCN Red List into a sound timeline, where animal classes are assigned distinct notes and repetitions reflect endangerment scales. An interactive 3D visualization, navigated via Leap Motion gestural tracking, plots all 14,448 endangered species in a virtual space where depth maps directly to extinction risk, backed by a generative audio layer that responds to user exploration in real time. Finally, a companion web app anchors the experience, providing the necessary data and information.

I managed everything end-to-end from the initial conceptual framing of each spread and digital experience down to the final visual output of both. For the printed atlas, I took care of the whole layout, typography, illustration, and data viz, all while wrestling with the savage but beautiful constraint of a shared, two-color Risograph framework.

The digital expansion was an entirely different beast where my role spanned concept, visual direction, and interaction design. We were building three wildly different components, with each demanding a completely distinct UX approach. My job was to shape the visual and experiential logic for all three, making sure they worked as standalone experiments while still feeling like they belonged to the same conceptual family. Three months of intense work, three people involved, three digital experiences (and one printed chapter) delivered, infinite satisfaction achieved.

• Art directed a print system, wrestling a strict two-color Risograph limit into a clean structure for complex data.
• Designed a three-tier digital ecosystem, integrating data sonification, a 3D interactive data viz, and a companion web app.
• Translated the abstract concept of disappearance across multiple themes into one cohesive physical and digital experience.
• Harnessed gestural tracking and generative audio to let users physically navigate a virtual space of 14,448 endangered species.
• Featured on the official Leap Motion blog for innovative interaction design.