The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, in collaboration with UMBC and Octava, received a National Science Foundation grant to study the potential of informal science learning in non-traditional “classrooms.” Partnering with Astrophysicist Mario Livio, and Linda Baker (UMBC Phsychology), the team (including Linda Dusman and myself) designed custom Octava content to test whether the concert context was a viable space for such learning to take place. We decided on a the theme of “symmetry” as it is expressed musically with Beethoven’s 5th Symphony.

With Octava as a visual and interactive delivery mechanism, I designed the icons above to visually brand concepts surrounding the scientific definition of symmetry with both the content being delivered, and the music being performed. The goal was to create a visual bridge, or shorthand for these concepts that might aid in retention for uninformed users.

Are these expressions of symmetry familiar to you?