Lo-fi Girl. Her friends. And the Visual Data Driven Altas of Aesthetics.

Introduction:

Today I'm going to do somthing I've been wanting to do for a long time - combining the aspect of data that I love with feelings, moods and aesthetics. This is a "soft meets hard" article and I'm dying to tell you more.

Have you ever looked at a picture or video and found yourself immersed in a world of emotions? By now you're probably familiar with the iconic Lo-Fi Girl as seen above, with her mellow and dreamy presence. Otherwise give it a listen while you continue reading. The mere sight of the gif and the sound of the soothing melodies of chilled-out hip-hop beats accompanied by Japanese Studio Ghibli-inspired animations can transport antone to a realm of introspection and tranquility.

In the article here, we embark on a journey to discover the interconnected universe of aesthetics through the vibrant realm of Aesthetics Fandom. The website that ultimately led me to bulit an Aesthetics Atlas - a visual macro-level representation of interconnected moods, feelings, styles and vibes, which combines the softness of aesthetics with the hard factual world of data

In this article I'll go through 3 sections:

1. Unveiling "Aesthetics".
2. Creating the Aesthetics Atlas - tools and techniques used.
3. Final outcome and conclusion.

Unveiling "Aesthetics":

Stumbling upon the Lo-Fi Girl a few years back, she became a constant companion during work and study sessions. Intrigued by the Lo-Fi genre, I delved deeper into its essence, stumbling upon the Aesthetics Fandom page—an invaluable portal to understanding various aesthetic styles and movements. I found a page that described feelings and moods I had experienced before, but never knew had names (a personal favorite is Liminal Space). Here, I began to unravel the beauty and complexity that lies within aesthetics. This was my starting point which eventually let me to built the Aesthetics Atlas seen below (see interactive version here):

The Aesthetics Fandom page became my portal to understanding various aesthetic styles and movements. From Cottagecore to Cyberpunk, from Emo to Kawaii or Frutiger Aero to Shabby Chic etc., I delved into a world of retro, futuristic, and culturally inspired aesthetics.

What intrigued my data primed mind even more was the wiki-like web of connections between different aesthetics that the different pages linked to. It was like embarking on a virtual journey through a network of ideas, where every click led me to new discoveries and hidden gems. Yep - the internet rabbit hole was luring me in! ??

Creating the Aesthetics Atlas:

As a data practitioner I'm used to navigating vast amounts of information, and I often preach about data visualization to gain comprehensive insights. With the sheer depth and breadth of the aesthetics landscape, I realized the need for a macro-level overview—a visual representation of how aesthetics, with their diverse styles and influences, interweave and diverge. An overall atlas to understand it all. As I browsed around the fandom website, I noticed that each Aesthetic's page linked to "similar" pages. Something clicked - I knew a network chart/graph could be a great way to visualize them all and it would allow me to navigate this world of moods and feelings.

So a battleplan was made and first up: Get the data! Using data scraping with my go to data wrangling tool Alteryx, I collected information about aesthetics, their descriptions, and, primarily, their connections (edges) between eath other. After cleaning and structuring the dataset, generating nodes and edge lists, I used Gephi, a free network visualization software, to create an aesthetically pleasing and navigable network chart. I use the Fruchterman-Reingold algorithm as it is optimal for achieving aesthetically pleasing layouts that emphasize relationships in small to medium-sized networks with complex connections, facilitating exploration, discovery, and effective presentation of the network data. The atlas was born!

After building the layout i used the modularity class algorithm to detect communities. In total i found the following 10 communities (excluding a few single object communities):

With the help of the Loxa Website Exporter plugin, I transformed the Network Graph into an interactive and searchable experience on a website, allowing viewers to explore the aesthetics atlas.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the Aesthetics Atlas has revolutionized my exploration of aesthetics, providing a concise and visual means to browse through a vast array of styles. It has enabled me to easily spot similarities and group themes, allowing me to understand the breadth and diversity of aesthetics like never before.

Through the Aesthetics Atlas, I discovered fascinating communities of aesthetics, ranging from futuristic Cyberpunk to nature-focused Cottagecore. The graph revealed how such aesthetics were positioned at opposite ends, with the unifying thread of "Vintage" aesthetics bridging them together. It showcased how each aesthetic uniquely represented vintage elements, while also highlighting their distinct characteristics. I.e. Cottagecore embraces a romanticized, rustic nostalgia reminiscent of simpler times, while Cyberpunk juxtaposes futuristic elements with retro-inspired visuals.

By mapping out the interconnectedness of aesthetics, the Aesthetics Atlas has offered a glimpse into the vast tapestry of creative expressions. It has sparked a sense of wonder and curiosity, inspiring me to explore further and delve into the intricate nuances that define each aesthetic. I has given me a language to what otherwise was "just" feelings and moods.

In essence, it has helped me to navigate through aesthetics with ease, discover new (sub)communities, and embrace the ever-evolving landscape of beauty and design.

I hope you will enjoy it just as much as I do.