A little context

Well that was fun. 500 posts and almost two years later, I think I’m about done with Context-Free Patent Art. At the very least, it’s going on hiatus for a bit. The uspto.gov fishing expeditions are getting scarcer, and each time I go looking, it feels more like poking around for variations on a theme. So while I won’t say I’m never coming back, I think it’s probably time to step away for a bit. If anyone cares, here are a few lessons I’m hoping are apparent from this Tumblr exercise:

1) The patent system is in dire need of reform. Can’t stress that one enough.

2) Context is crucial. This is something I’ve always seen in my day job, but something I think audiences don’t always grasp the importance of. The exact same information can be offensive, meaningless, profound, or absurd depending on the context you put it in (or remove it from).

3) Many patent artists have adorably little talent when it comes to drawing people.

I hope all that was made clear as you looked through these entries. If not, I’d love to hear what messages you took from this. One of the most rewarding parts of this blog has been the comments from people who saw things I never considered in the images I posted. Just goes to show how unpredictable things get when you take them out of context.

Anyway, that’s all for now. Anyone who needs to can reach me through the ask-a-question function here on Tumblr or through Twitter, where my user name is BrendanSinclair. Thanks to everyone who followed the blog, all (as of this writing) 8,787 of you. It’s been fun.

-Brendan