Do you want to become a confident data designer? The first step is probably understanding what data design even means. I shared the following definition when writing my blog post about how to become a data designer. But in this post, I plan to dig deeper. What is data design? Data design is a blend […]
Web Reports are Easier to Design than PDFs
Why are so many organizations still stuck in a PDF rut? I’ve been blogging since around 2008. For context, I started on WordPress well before I had my own business, years before I started drawing comics, and even before I really started getting into data visualization design. My first blog posts were about technology, data […]
What is Qualitative Data Visualization?
What do you think of when I say, “qualitative data visualization?” Do you just pull up a picture of a word cloud in your head, or does something else come to mind? For years I would just say that good qualitative data visualization is really just illustration. But you could say the same thing about […]
Seeking your dream job & why artistry and creativity are not the same (Cartoon Q&A with Alli Torban)
Welcome to episode 003 of my cartoon Q&A series. Technology and the web have really changed what it means to be a modern data professional. The way forward is mostly uncharted. Through these chats with a wide range of creative data professionals, I hope to share a vision of what’s possible. In today’s conversation I […]
The Path to Becoming an Evaluator, and a Podcaster (Cartoon Q&A with Maria Montenegro)
Welcome to episode 002 of my cartoon Q&A series. Technology and the web have really changed what it means to be a modern data professional. The way forward is mostly uncharted. Through these chats with a wide range of creative data professionals and evaluators, I hope to share a vision of what’s possible. In today’s […]
Being a PowerPoint Slide Jockey and the Forever Side Hustle (my Cartoon Q&A with Nick Visscher)
Welcome to episode 001 of my new cartoon Q&A series. I started this video series because the thing that gets me most inspired to draw cartoons is having casual conversations with evaluators, researchers, data designers, and all sorts of creative professionals. In today’s conversation I chat with Nick Visscher, who is an evaluator and also […]
How to create dot plots, violin plots, and beeswarms, the easy way.
In this video I’ll show you step by step how to use a tool called Flourish to create beeswarms, dot plots, and violin plots. While you can create dot plots in Excel, this is definitely my preferred approach. In this short video, you’ll learn why. This is part of the DiY Data Design recipes series. […]
How to create a simple qualitative spotlight infographic with Canva
In this video I’ll show you step by step how to create a simple spotlight graphic. This can be a really easy way to illustrate interviews in qualitative reports. This particular graphic was created using Canva. This is part of the DiY Data Design recipes series. Full Transcript Hey data designer! If you ever write […]
How to create an annotated column chart with Excel and Canva
In this video I’ll show you step by step how to create a simple infographic. We start with a column chart in Excel (a.k.a. bar graph or bar chart) and then bring it into Canva for annotations. Video Transcript Hey data designer! Welcome to my new recipe series. The goal with this series is to […]
Schools kill creativity, graduate schools bury it.
Every now and again I rewatch one of my favorite TED talks, and one of the most popular TED talks of all time. And like every favorite thing that you watch over and over again, the talk keeps changing as I age. A new little thing that I might have missed before, or simply forgotten, […]
Story Finding Worksheet
So this question came up from a participant during my data storytelling workshop. The question was something like, “How do you train others on your team to find, and then tell, stories?“ During the prior session, we had gone through a series of storytelling frameworks. We practiced developing and telling stories using each one. One […]
Creative Self-Assessment
If I could go back in time to my university days, I would certainly take some different electives. Like so many of you, I spent my time in college learning how to be a social scientist. Which included absolutely zero practical creative or design courses. My professional evolution would probably have been easier if I […]