SVG Artwork

Scalable Vector Graphics, or SVG, can be used to generate infinitely scalable graphics for the web, but they can also be used to generate tactile/embossed graphics that allow blind and low-vision people to feel and interact with the imagery. SVGs tend to be created using vector illustration software like Adobe Illustrator or Inkscape, but they can also be coded entirely by hand. The ability to do this offers a method for blind and visually impaired artists and creators to design and create their own digital drawings which can then be printed out for them to feel.

I've created the drawings and logos here by coding them inline in an HTML page by hand using TextEdit and the VoiceOver screen reader on my Mac. I use a visual interpreter to look at the drawings to ensure that what I'm visualizing in my head is what's actually appearing on the screen. In lieu of an interpreter, I also just run test prints through my ViewPlus Delta 2 embosser, or snap a photo with Be My AI or Aira AI and checking out how my image is being understood through the generated description. I then go back and forth tweaking and adjusting all the shapes, paths, and other SVG features until the whole drawing comes together.

Clipping paths, math and understanding curve control points and angles/slopes, layering techniques, and spatial reasoning are all used to realize the final artwork before prepping them to be run through an embosser or Swell-form machine for the final tactile graphic output.

Drawings and Artwork

Functional Graphics

Study References