How should we engage with data?
→ If you’re interested in designing your brand with The Design Desk, say hi!
Data has become more expressive and accessible; telling data-driven narratives is more crucial than ever. So how should we engage with data?
Perched on our family kitchen table, my father would rush through the morning paper to the page listing the day’s cartoons. I was only five. That was my first encounter with data that mattered to me. Years later, the sort of data I care about is like the one displayed on my telecom app.
“You have 30GB of data left,” it would show as the new cycle renewed. The meaning of data has shifted for me over the years, and still is.
Yet, regardless of its evolving definition, data has always been skilled at capturing my most intimate behaviours, from identifying my preferred TV shows to tracking how much I need to stay connected to the world (sometimes more than necessary). Spotify does it best, in my opinion, showcasing a personal auditory journey through its annual Wrapped. Data tells a story about oneself; it might even know more about me than I do.
In recent times, the vocations in information design and data science have gained glamour and cultural weight, especially now, in a more plural landscape, thanks to how expressive and accessible data has become. Telling stories with data has never been more crucial. It’s a powerful tool we rely on to understand our lives.
Since the disappearance of MH370 on March 8, 2014, countless custom infographics have summarized theories, timelines, and evidence. Documentaries and reports often feature visual and infographical supplements to explain the geopolitical and technical circumstances of its disappearance. A conservative estimate would be several hundred unique infographics.
→ The Desk is offering a free Design Pack in June, discover more here!
As a designer, I’m fascinated by the artistic expression of data scientists and informants. They seem to exist at the exciting intersection of detective and artist. Data visualisation is unique in its ability to command attention and authority. Infographic design has levelled the playing field, giving us access to data-driven narratives. While it helps us grasp complex topics, more importantly, it sparks imagination.
That’s why I’m excited to get my hands on Speak Data by Giorgia Lupi and Phillip Cox. The book “...brings together years of thinking around data as a language” and “explores the definition of data and its impacts on our daily lives.”
My first greeting with data design in a professional capacity was through Synthesis. In 2020, I partnered with their team to produce a product demo animation titled Shift, designed to help teams arrive early to change and prepare for new opportunities. If this sounds exciting to you, please have a look at the visual developments of the project here: https://lnkd.in/gMJv_hXh
While the years have passed, this project remains memorable—thank you, team. As we continue to encounter data in our everyday lives, we must engage with it responsibly but also with as much imagination as possible.
––––
