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Posts Tagged ‘data design’

Use simple visuals to engage audiences with complex information

Have you ever come across terminology or indices in an article that make the information uninviting? If you have, you may know how it may prevent you from engaging with the information or message because it takes more time to process it than it is worth to

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What is the best way to display my data?

As a follow-up to the graph discussion earlier this week, I am passing along a link to page compiled by the organization Many Eyes. This page outlines different graph types, when it might be best to use each, and how the different graphs work. Below is one

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Visualizing The U.S. Electric Grid

Visualizing the US Electric Grid, source: NPR This interactive visual has a lot of information on it. But unless I’m missing something (which could be very likely) it seems to be missing some key pieces of information for understanding. The visual shows the U.S. electric grid, and

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A pie chart alternative

Pie goes great with dinner, but does not always pair the best with information. If you are looking for an alternative to the overused pie chart to explain percentages, here’s a clever alternative. It is particularly effective in this case because the percentage is so small and

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“Simplicity is about subtracting the obvious, and adding the meaningful”

Information overload can be pretty common daily occurrence. Here are some thoughts on how to simplify information. The Laws of Simplicity by John Maeda Law 1: Reduce. The simplest way to achieve simplicity is through thoughtful reduction. Law 2: Organize. Organization makes a system of many appear

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Why you might not want to hear…“great graphics in your presentation.”

Yesterday I attended the Twin Cities Research Group Brown Bag. Don Feeney, Research and Planning Director at the Minnesota Lottery, presented on the topic “Graphic Revelations: Effective Communications through Statistical Graphics”. The presentation contained lots of great information. Below are some items from my notes I thought

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Do you know the work of Edward Tufte?

Inevitably when I mention that my business focus is on information design, I get one of two responses: (1) they give me a blank stare with a confused look on their face, or (2) they quickly respond with…do you know the work of Edward Tufte? Therefore, if

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Shifting religious identity

Click here to see how U.S. religious landscape has changed in nearly two decades. This visual was published by USA Today back in March, 2009. It represents multiple levels of information in one graph. It makes it easy to see broad trends without leaving out the detail.

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Holiday gift ideas

In case you are in need of finding a gift for the designer or data geek in your life, you may want to browse through the information aesthetics online shop for ideas. If you are looking to expand your own information design knowledge, but are on a

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Visualizing Information for Advocacy

I recently stumbled across this great free resource called Visualizing Information for Advocacy. It was written by an organization called Tactical Technology Collective out of the UK. Here’s just a few ways you can use information design according to Visualizing Information for Advocacy: Tell Your Story To

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