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William Careri

The Challenge of Designing Nuclear Waste Warning Markers to Last 10,000 Years

A group of experts had to propose visual warning markers for a radioactive waste site. Their design needed to be comprehensible, durable, and timeless.

An image of colorful network nodes on a black background, illustrated based on 10,000 tweets containing the hashtag #datascience over the last two weeks of 2022.
Milán Janosov

What ChatGPT (and Humans) Say About Data Science Trends

Milán Janosov asked ChatGPT about data science. Then, he analyzed Twitter to see what humans think about the topic. Here’s how they compare.

A series of Braun items: a razor, a citrus squeezer, a radio, and a calculator
Marian Eerens

How Dieter Rams’s Design Principles Apply to Dashboard Design

Legendary designer Dieter Rams established 10 principles of good product design. Here’s how to interpret those principles when designing business dashboards.

Jason Forrest

Pioneer in Black Data: Monroe N. Work and the Negro Year Book

Monroe N. Work exposed Black living conditions in the early 20th century by compiling data. Here’s how he exposed inequalities in education through dataviz.

Image of a number-four helium balloon, with happy birthday text showing the Data Visualization Society turns 4.
Amanda Makulec

The Data Visualization Society Turns Four Today. Here’s Our Birthday Wish

Happy birthday, DVS! Here’s a look at all the things we are celebrating and what we have in store as we continue to grow and thrive

Latest articles

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Alex Kolokolov
March 16, 2023

Recreating and Revising a Dashboard About Human Space Flight

A design exploration to improve a human space flight dashboard with a new layout and interactivity.
photo of smiling woman with red glasses and long brown hair in front of full bookshelves, with text "3 Questions With Guillermina Sutter Schneider"T
Nightingale Editors
March 15, 2023

Three Questions with… Guillermina Sutter Schneider

Nightingale meets the dataviz community! Today, we're hearing from data scientist and information designer Guillermina Sutter Schneider.
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Liubov Popovets
March 14, 2023

Visualizing the Dream Life of Russians During Wartime

When war with Ukraine ignited last year, a Russian journalist and sociology students turned dream recordings into data visualizations.
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Nightingale Magazine is a collectible community celebration! Our print magazine showcases some of the most compelling data visualization projects and stories from around the world. The second edition of Nightingale Magazine, on the theme of inspiration, will be shipping at the end of November!
Be sure to get your copy while supplies last!
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John Bailer and Rosemary Pennington
March 9, 2023

Submit a Data Visualization to the Stats+Stories Podcast Competition!

The Stats+Stories podcast is ringing in 300 episodes and 10 years of programs—and it is celebrating with a data viz contest! Here are all the details.
An image of colorful network nodes on a black background, illustrated based on 10,000 tweets containing the hashtag #datascience over the last two weeks of 2022.W
Milán Janosov
March 9, 2023

What ChatGPT (and Humans) Say About Data Science Trends

Milán Janosov asked ChatGPT about data science. Then, he analyzed Twitter to see what humans think about the topic. Here's how they compare.
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William Careri
March 8, 2023

The Challenge of Designing Nuclear Waste Warning Markers to Last 10,000 Years

A group of experts had to propose visual warning markers for a radioactive waste site. Their design needed to be comprehensible, durable, and timeless.
A series of Braun items: a razor, a citrus squeezer, a radio, and a calculatorH
Marian Eerens
February 28, 2023

How Dieter Rams’s Design Principles Apply to Dashboard Design

Legendary designer Dieter Rams established 10 principles of good product design. Here's how to interpret those principles when designing business dashboards.
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Jason Forrest
February 27, 2023

Pioneer in Black Data: Monroe N. Work and the Negro Year Book

Monroe N. Work exposed Black living conditions in the early 20th century by compiling data. Here's how he exposed inequalities in education through dataviz.
A kids drawing of a "Sick, sad family", generated by DALL-E 2, an AI system that can create realistic images and art from a description in natural language.I
Zach Rottman
February 22, 2023

I Visualized My One-Year-Old’s Relentless Daycare Bugs and It Calmed Me Down

When viruses started coming home from daycare and making his family sick, this dad made a data visualization to keep things in perspective.
Colleagues from the Kontinentalist news site, based in Singapore, pose on a tuktuk. Co-founder Pei Ying Loh is on far left; Editorial lead Nabilah Said is on the far right.H
Evelina Judeikytė
February 21, 2023

How One Team of Journalists Puts Visuals at the Center of Every Story

As journalism outlets increasingly adopt data-driven and visually compelling “scrollytelling” stories, Kontinentalist has made them a fixture of its coverage.
Image of a number-four helium balloon, with happy birthday text showing the Data Visualization Society turns 4.T
Amanda Makulec
February 20, 2023

The Data Visualization Society Turns Four Today. Here’s Our Birthday Wish

Happy birthday, DVS! Here's a look at all the things we are celebrating and what we have in store as we continue to grow and thrive
The Building Science Graphics book on a dark brown wood table. The book has a cover that is two-thirds blue and one-third white. On the white section of the cover, a series of overlapping half circles in yellow, pink, and blue are shown in varying degrees of rotation in a vertical arrangement.R
Jenn Schilling
February 16, 2023

Review: Building Science Graphics Is Not Just For Science Illustrators

This densely packed book is a must-have resource for science graphics designers. But it's also a great read for anyone working in infographics and visualizations.
Text reading "3 Questions With Will Careri" accompanied by a photo of Will, a smiling young man in a button-up shirt and tie with dark hair and glasses standing casually in front of a brick wall.T
Nightingale Editors
February 15, 2023

Three Questions with… Will Careri

Nightingale is expanding its team of and regular writers and contributors! Today, we're introducing our newest team member, columnist Will Careri
A poster for Love Data Week&
Jane Lee
February 14, 2023

‘Love Data Week’ is in Full Swing. Here’s How to Participate

When data geeks and Valentine's Day collide, it's Love Data Week! Running eight years (and going steady), this event is growing in scope and popularity.
Image from the cover of ColorWise book.<
Neil Richards
February 9, 2023

ColorWise: A Review and Interview with the Author, Kate Strachnyi

Color expert Kate Strachnyi shares the top tips from her new book—a reference tool for both beginners and experts, alike.

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What Makes A Data Visualisation Elegant?

On a dedicated channel, #dvs-topics-in-data-viz, in the Data Visualization Society Slack, our members discuss questions and issues pertinent to the field of data visualization. Discussion..
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Asterisk Nation: One Tribe’s Challenge to Find Data About its Population

The Yurok Tribe in far northern California needs to address a condition plaguing numerous rural communities in the United States: addiction and substance misuse. Across..
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Six Ways to Bring Empathy into your Data

One of the big challenges in visualizing data, and quantitative research in general, is helping readers connect with the content. Connecting directly with people and..
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Visualizing Small Victories

Everyone loves a trophy! Okay, it’s not that simple. Still, we humans love to mark milestones and accomplishments. Trophies are tangible reminders of those fleeting moments of victory...
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Indelible Impressions: Why You Won’t Forget the Map Room Project

In my quest to improve data fluency among those who think of themselves as non-data people, I am always on the lookout for physical manifestations..
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What Board Games Teach Us About Data Visualization

Recently I visited the biggest trade fair for board games in the world. The Internationale Spieltage (Spiel) takes place annually in my current hometown of Essen in..
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The Soul of Data: Data Physicalizations on Fabric

When my area went into lockdown in March of 2020, initial case counts were relatively low in my state, even as the coasts were plunged into..
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Did Data Visualization Erase the Woman from Women’s Work?

As the world changed over the past two years, more and more of my friends took to handcrafts like quilting and knitting as a counterbalance..

Spotlight on Community

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Jenn Schilling
February 8, 2023

REVIEW: Visit a Local Museum for Dataviz Inspiration

In early September, I had a super fun time at a Meetup with the Denver Data Storytellers at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science! The..
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February 2, 2023

Three Questions With… Emily Barone

The Nightingale team is thrilled to introduce our new managing editor, Emily Barone!  We’re excited for the new energy, ideas, and experience she is already..
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Simran Parwani
January 31, 2023

Early Career Corner: Meet Ana Cuza

Welcome to this installment of Early Career Corner, a space to learn from each other’s dataviz journeys and amplify the work of early career practitioners.The..
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Jenn Schilling
January 25, 2023

REVIEW: Questions in Dataviz by Neil Richards

I was excited to read and review Questions in Dataviz by Neil Richards, because I love the idea of data visualization design driven by questions...

Celebrating the Dataviz of W.E.B. Du Bois

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W. E. B. Du Bois’ staggering Data Visualizations are as powerful today as they were in 1900 (Part 1)

One of the most powerful examples of data visualization was made 118 years ago by an all-black team led by W.E.B. Du Bois only 37..
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Data Journalism in the study of W.E.B. Du Bois’s “The Negro Problem” (Part 2)

One of the most powerful examples of data visualization was made 118 years ago by an all-black team led by W.E.B. Du Bois only 37..
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Exploring the Craft and Design of W.E.B. Du Bois’ Data Visualizations (Part 3)

One of the most powerful examples of data visualization was made 118 years ago by an all-black team led by W.E.B. Du Bois only 37..
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Style and Rich Detail: On Viewing an Original W.E.B. Du Bois Data Visualization (Part 4)

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The Legacy of W.E.B. Du Bois’s “The Exhibit of American Negroes” (Part 5)

An all-black team led by W.E.B. Du Bois made one of the most powerful examples of data visualization 118 years ago, only 37 years after..
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Discovering an Unknown Chart from W.E.B. Du Bois’s “The Exhibition of American Negroes” (Part 6)

Activist and sociologist W. E. B. Du Bois created “The Exhibit of American Negroes” at the Exposition Universelle of 1900 in Paris in collaboration with Booker T. Washington, prominent black..
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Attila Batorfy & RJ Andrews
February 7, 2023

Exploring Hungarian Data Graphics with Attila Bátorfy

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Jason Forrest
January 24, 2023

A look inside Nightingale Magazine Issue 2!

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Nightingale Editors & Jeremy Singer-Vine
January 23, 2023

Data Is Plural Visualization Challenge: Bob Ross

This article originally appeared in Issue 2 of Nightingale Magazine.In Nightingale Magazine Issue 1, we launched the Data Is Plural visualization challenge with Jeremy Singer-Vine, creator of the Data Is..
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Alli Torban
January 20, 2023

Dear Nightingale: Create Your Physical Inspiration Train!

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January 19, 2023

From Chocolates to Bar Graphs

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Jacque Schrag
January 18, 2023

Dataviz Horror Story: Jacque Schrag

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Jason Forrest
January 17, 2023

The Telefacts of Life: Rudolf Modley’s Isotypes in American Newspapers 1938–1945

While Otto Neurath invented the Isotype in Vienna in 1925 and guided its evolution to international acclaim, he was not successful in the United States...
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Marília Ferreira da Cunha
January 13, 2023

Information Is Beautiful Awards – Impactful Community Leader and Nominees

For the first time in Information is Beautiful Awards, the Impactful Community Leader Award was recognized. This award is for an individual who has made..
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Marília Ferreira da Cunha
January 12, 2023

Information Is Beautiful Awards – Test of Time

The Test of Time Award was inspired by the IEEE Vis Test of Time Award presented to a paper published ten years prior with a..
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Marília Ferreira da Cunha
January 11, 2023

Information Is Beautiful Awards – Exemplary Book

The Exemplary Book Award was designed to recognize a critical piece of long-format writing published between 2019 to 2022, with the definition of ‘book’ being..
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Daleen Rabe
January 10, 2023

Honing Your Skills in Data Visualization as a Designer

Starting anything new can be daunting. This past year, I set out to improve my skills and confidence in data visualization. A topic that sounded..
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Viva Magenta and Waterfall Experiences in Data Visualization

In this writing, I discuss ways to use Pantone’s 2023 Color of the Year, Viva Magenta to colorize your data visualizations. I create two bar..
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How to Solve It – and by It – I Mean *Anything*

I’m so smitten with learning that I fear I may be addicted to it. Imagine my delight when I learned about How To Solve It..
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FIFA World Cup 2022 – The Network Edition

After a long qualifying process packed with surprises (Italy missing out as the reigning European champions) and last minute drama (both Egypt and Peru missed..
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Data Is Plural Submissions: London Stage Database

The inaugural Data Is Plural visualization challenge prompted readers to explore the London Stage Database, which describes 100,000+ performances in London from 1660 to 1880...
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SPOTLIGHT: Tipping Points

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Dear Nightingale Submissions: Paper and NO Pencil

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Behind the Scenes of “Unimaginable Death”

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Fixing My Design Process from the Inside Out

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IEEE VIS 2022 Highlights

IEEE VIS 2022 happened between October 16th and 22nd in Oklahoma City and I was really happy to have been able to attend in person...
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Step 4 in the Data Exploration Journey: Knowing When to Stop

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Building Science Graphics: Behind the Scenes with author Jen Christiansen

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A Camera That Prints the Futures We Envision – with a Bit of Help from an AI

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Unfair Comparisons: How Visualizing Social Inequality Can Make It Worse

Our new research shows how popular chart choices can trigger unconscious social biases and reinforce systemic racism. At first glance, the charts below seem harmless...
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At the Vanguard of Interface Design

Implications for visualization from the 2022 UIST symposium The ways in which we interact with data and visualization may look and feel very different in..

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SPOTLIGHT: Using Dataviz to Inform My Childcare Decisions

My son Ethan was 18-months old when he had his first daycare summer break. It was my first summer break as a mum, and I..
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How to Locate and Understand the Reasons for Rising Land Surface Temperature

September 2022 has been one of the hottest Septembers in the last 143-years of global climate record, as per the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration..

Dataviz Horror Stories

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Dataviz Horror Stories: Shirley Wu

Have you ever made an embarrassing mistake in a data visualization? Did you utterly fail to meet your client’s or boss’s vision? Did you proudly..
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Histórias Aterradoras em Visualização de Dados: Jorge Camões

Read this article in English here. Alguma vez cometeu um erro constrangedor numa visualização de dados? Passou por completo ao lado da visão do cliente..
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Dataviz Horror Stories: Jon Schwabish

Jon Schwabish, co-author with Alice Feng of the “Do No Harm” guide, tells his children five things: Be honest Be kind Be respectful Be hard..
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Dataviz Horror Story: How I Crashed the Top Exec’s Email

Have you ever made an embarrassing mistake in a data visualization? Did you utterly fail to meet your client’s or boss’s vision? Did you proudly..
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Dataviz Horror Story: Miriam Quick

Have you ever made an embarrassing mistake in a data visualization? Did you utterly fail to meet your client’s or boss’s vision? Did you proudly..
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Dataviz Horror Story: Jacque Schrag

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Meet the Data Visualization King of Basketball Twitter: Todd Whitehead

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The multi-disciplinary nature of the data visualization profession presents opportunities for fruitful collaboration while also leading to points of tension. One such source of tension..
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How to Get Executives on Board with Data Visualization

Convincing senior executives to jump on the data visualization bandwagon isn’t as complicated as you think: here are five tips to get senior decision-makers on..
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No Straight Lines: My Process Is Messy and Full of Failures and That’s Okay

The DVS Mentorship Program revolutionized my creative process: learning is iterative, failure is vital, growth comes in many forms, and straight lines are overrated.  No..
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When Oversimplification Obscures

When I first entered the information design space, I was eager to expand my knowledge of data (visualization) design and the wide range of disciplines..
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Data Storytelling Is the Conduit for Modern Data Literacy

All the images in this article are taken from a keynote about humanizing AI that I delivered in June 2022 at the London Tech Week...
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Say It in Icons! – The KomunIKON Project

My language limits are my world limits
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Why I Stopped Using Bullet Graphs (and What I Now Use Instead)

tl;dr: After teaching many data professionals about bullet graphs and using them in many dashboards, I started to notice that they had a fair number..
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Woven Time: Thoughts on Our Experience of Time in a Mashup

Our experience of time is simplest described like this: we move forward, and we measure periods by units like seconds, minutes, hours, etc. But I..