Using one of the color symbol fonts I created to represent DNA alleles, I translated the raw DNA data for all 23 of my chromosomes to one large document. The chromosomes are divided into horizontal sections. With each allele measuring at .1 in x .05 in, the complete document is 60 in x 114 in (5 ft x 9.5 ft).

By creating a symbol-based font, I can easily translate letters A, C, T, and G in to shape symbols. Then I can copy the text from the spreadsheet and paste it into a design program, where I can easily edit the letterspacing, linespacing, and text frame size to try different configurations more rapidly.

What has been really interesting about my genetic information project is the information I have learned about my own family tree, and the connections I have made with family members.

My goal is to develop creative visualizations of the raw DNA data of myself and family members, in a way that is compelling and accessible to both a scientific and non-scientific audience. The most difficult aspect of this project is the sheer immensity of raw DNA data. The challenge is to find an efficient way of processing and organizing this data to make some meaningful comparison.