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 […]
Finding meaning in our work
I fell into the world of data visualization in 2008, when an executive at the non-profit I was working for at the time decided to send a few of the younger staff members to a local talk by Edward Tufte. My colleagues were mostly underwhelmed, but I came away changed (and with his 4 books […]
Data Storytelling Comics
As I get ready to deliver my live data storytelling workshop (now self-paced with future live sessions included), I decided to develop a series of comics. My goal over the next week is to create at least 20 (note from future me: I failed, I only made it to 14). If you have any data […]
Events
On this page I’ll be listing all upcoming live events, along with the relevant registration or RSVP pages. June 2024 6/25 & 6/27 – Workshop: Everyday Visual Reports [Register] The next live session of my Everyday Visual Reports workshop is scheduled for Tuesday, June 25 & Thursday, June 27 starting at 3:00PM Eastern. The workshop […]
We are story finders.
When I started drawing comics, back in the early 2010s, there were these really popular animations put together by the Royalty Society of Arts (RSA) in London. My comics have always been pretty simple in format. And early on, before I would even attempt to draw hands, they were even simpler. So often I would […]