The use of data visualisation has exploded in recent years as evidenced by books such as Data Flow which have become increasingly popular. The reason for this explosion is fairly simple, we now have more data flying around than we know what to do with and the general public is so incredibly bored with being told that 5% of this and 80% of that should make them think again about how they live their lives. This constant barrage of data has made people switch off whenever statistics are brought up at all and so data graphics are employed more and more frequently to catch their attention.
This Infographic from Phil Gyford’s flickr page shows us what happens when everyone and their cousin with a pirate copy of photoshop tries to produce data visualisations. There is a skill to creating effective data visualisations that many ignore, choosing to make something pretty over something that actually adds value to the raw data represented.
Lee Byron’s Last.FM data graphic for instance, reveals patterns about users listening habits that are unlikely to come across simply through raw figures. I was lucky enough to talk to Lee whilst working at Teague and his data lead approach to design is a fascinating new direction for designers to explore. We must all remember when employing these techniques that the information is the most important part, much like the message is the most important part when designing typography. Simply adding a flashy layer to otherwise useless data won’t get us anywhere.
Here is a selection of some of the experiments from the news media project. A chance to take a look deeper into the creation process and see the different directions I explored.
For some reason I can’t entirely comprehend, train journeys are quite a reflective time. Most probably due to the large amount of time with little to do except think (or sleep as my wife is choosing to do). We’ve both been through a lot of stress recently due to the fact that she’s an American immigrant and we’ve had to apply for a live & work visa, but that’s all sorted now and a great weight has been lifted that should allow me to get back to working hard.
Since my return from the states I’ve developed significantly as a designer. I’ve always been passionate about producing good design and put a large amount of my own personal energy into developing that. Since being back at university I’ve finally grasped the space and freedom that it gives you. Spending the last year and a half developing new working practices and approaching design from a more structured and engaged direction. I feel this process is now almost complete and I can finally return to enjoying the making process. As Alan Fletcher said: “I can’t understand designers who leave projects until the last minute, if you truly love design then you’ll enjoy the process as much as the outcome.”