This is a seminal course on information design and aesthetics. Students will study graphical theory, graph grammar, and investigate hierarchies, patterns, and relationships in data structures. Students will examine the role of scale, proportion, color, form, structure, motion, and composition in data visualization. Using computational methods, students will create drawings, graphs, indexes, and maps that explore the database as cultural form. The function of this course is to build a community among the students and orient them to the whole program.