There are several ways to bring Excel Charts into Canva but which way is the right way? In this post I’ll walk you through the options and help you decide the best way for you. So I had this question from an attendee of one of my data design webinars. “How do I bring Excel […]
One Page Dissemination Plan
Dissemination should be easy. It’s just sharing our findings and ideas with people who we think might be interested. If it’s hard, it’s because we make it hard. Let’s make it easy instead. The One Page Dissemination Plan At the bottom of this post you’ll find both a link to a Canva template and fillable […]
How to make a mood board with Canva.
Mood boards can be really useful design tools, especially early in the design process. In today’s post I will give you guidance on how to create your own mood boards using Canva’s whiteboard feature. I have actually written a guide on creating report mood boards in a past blog post. As much as I think […]
3 Common Report Mistakes that Waste Data
Have you ever heard of the last mile problem? It’s a concept that gets talked about a lot in discussions about supply chains and transportation services. But I also believe it applies to evaluation. The general idea is that the last leg of a journey is the most complex. For instance, in areas with good […]
How to create bar graphs in Canva – 5 ways
Trying to create a bar graph using Canva? Do you create the bar chart inside Canva, copy it in from Excel, or some other way? I have a few suggestions. In today’s post: How to create bar charts in Canva using… But first, let’s talk about the Data I’ll be using for this tutorial. The […]
How to create logic models and theory of change using Canva.
So by now, you might have guessed that I really like Canva. Usually I consider myself to be software agnostic. I’m always on the lookout for the best tool for the job. But the thing is, now-a-days, I find that I’m just almost always in Canva. It’s just made my designer life that much easier […]
Cartoon Infographic: Inside Big Bird
Comics can really make great infographics. Today’s inspiration was found in the book, Imagination Illustrated: The Jim Henson Journal. About the Infographic This is a comic drawn by Caroll Spinney, the performer of Big Bird, as a holiday greeting to his friends. It’s well drawn but also provides a good deal of information. Here are […]
Conflict in Israel & Gaza by the numbers
What happened in Israel on October 7, 2023 was an inexcusable terror attack, as is the current hostage situation. What is currently happening in Gaza is a humanitarian crisis, or rather, a continuation/escalation of a humanitarian crisis. Both things can be true. The numbers I share in today’s blog post were pulled from UNRWA situation […]
Halloween Evaluation Comics 2023
Time for yet another halloween evaluation comic post. Which is your favorite? Let me know in the comments. Scope Creep This one inspired by Kasey Valente. Halloween comic idea- something to do with “scope creep”…. I was writing about scope creep this week and kept visualising creep as a halloween monster of sorts. Whatever you do, don’t fall […]
The 3 things you need to become a better data designer (not one is about tech).
Do you want to improve your data visualization design and reporting skills? Stop worrying about technology. The technology part of data visualization design has gotten easier and easier over the 15 years I’ve been designing and teaching design. If you are driven, with a few hours and a YouTube tutorial or two, you can figure […]
Report Study – Map the Meal Gap 2023
In this series of blog posts I will share examples of professionally designed modern reports. For each report I’ll also write out a list of things to notice. My goal is not to critique but to show you real life examples of design concepts to help you become a better report designer. Today let’s take […]
How to create video explanations
Today’s blog post will walk you through a method you can use to create explanation videos using Canva and Zoom. The concept was designed as a simple way to walk an audience through a some type of model (ex. logic model, theory of change, etc.). The Concept Video This video was recorded using Zoom and […]