Getting the basics right
I’m surprised to discover it’s eight years now that I’ve been running workshops about drawing charts (amongst other things +). The reason this was brought to mind today was JP Koning‘s graphic doing the rounds on Twitter (for the second,…
Before you hit the ‘chart’ button…
By and large most charts originate from a set of absolute figures, that is to say the actual numbers of people, or $ of GDP, or barrels of oil. However I’m suggesting you should pause before you hit the ‘chart’…
What are you trying to say?
Infographics improve tenfold – or just remain as charts – once people get the hang of the idea that it’s better to commission a graphic when you have a story in mind, something specific you want to say, as opposed…
Magic in graphs
There’s a lot of blog-debate over what’s good and what’s not in the fields of data visualisation, data journalism, storytelling, infographics at the moment. Given it’s a growing field this isn’t hugely surprising, the old hands having their experienced feathers…
Numbers narrative
Whether or not you agree with their methodology I think the Economist’s Shoe-throwers’ index is a good example of using video to tell a numbers-based story. With a tight script, well timed animations and clear explanations of what they’ve done…
Does anyone actually read charts?
In preparation for a workshop I was hunting for examples of charts from all sorts of media. And it astounded me how quickly I found examples to illustrate all the pitfalls I wanted to cover. Seriously, I sometimes wonder how…
Intelligent internet design
This is another graphic from the New York Times that plays to the strengths of the internet, that is to say takes advantage of interaction to present a large data set in a small space. And by considering the editorial…