Visualizing Data

February 22, 2010

My book, Pull, is about the future of information. The better we use information, the more effective we can be in our personal and business lives. As the amount of information grows, it’s helpful to use visualization tools that let you see the forest for the trees. There are several ontology-visualization tools I outline in the gallery here. But today I want to highlight a new book out on data visualization. It’s written by David McCandless, a terrific designer, illustrator, and writer. His blog, InformationIsBeautiful.netis an excellent showcase for high-quality work. In the US, his new book is called The Visual Miscellaneum, and you can buy it at Amazon.com or BarnesAndNoble.com. In the UK, it’s called Information is Beautiful.

Then there is Edward Tufte, the originator of the art and craft of data visualization, whose books have influenced two generations of designers already, and the guy is still running around the country teaching courses and selling books! I have always disagreed with his ideas when it comes to putting information onscreen, whether in user interfaces or in web design, and his site is, unfortunately, a good example of why. But his books are sublime, and if you don’t have them, you should get them. Edward and his wife design, print, and sell his books themselves at their home. His site is EdwardTufte.com.

.

.

.

.

There are several sites and blogs I enjoy looking at to see new data visualizations. I hope you enjoy them as well:

Flowingdata.com – Nathan Yau’s informative blog.

Many Eyes – Visualization tools you can use right online, courtesy of IBM.

ThinkMap.com - One of my favorite little companies with great software. Creators of The Visual Thesaurus.

Infographics News – A very informative blog by Chiqui Esteban, aimed at newspaper publishers and designers. You can spend a few days here, wandering.

Datavisualization.ch is a great blog with lots of current news, articles, and a list of data-driven conferences to attend. Well designed and fun.

VisualizeIt – A very informative blog, a mix of academic and practical perspectives by Alark Joshi.

Biofusion Design – a wonderful tour of infographics by Vu Nguyen in Seattle, who has done a lot of fantastic work for the New York Times.

Tell me if you know of any others in the comments.