In 2017, The Economist published an interesting article titled; “The world’s most valuable resource is no longer oil, but data.” Over seven years later, it’s not so difficult to understand the scope and scale of this staggering reality – as data is the fuel that powers the platforms we all use throughout everyday. With the explosion of the “data age”, visualization is an increasingly critical tool used to make sense of the immeasurable amounts of data generated every day. Data visualisation helps to tell stories by transforming information, numbers and figures into a form that is compelling, engaging and easy to understand. A good visualisation presents a narrative while removing the noise from data and highlighting useful information. In this article we discuss the importance of data visualisation, the different types and the best practises for creating compelling visualisations.
The Fundamentals of Data Visualisation
At its core, data visualisation is a technique used to communicate information clearly and effectively by using visual elements such as charts, graphs, and maps. It offers an accessible way to see and understand trends, outliers, and patterns in data. By turning raw data into a visual context, it becomes easier to grasp difficult concepts or identify new patterns that might not have been noticeable otherwise.
With interactive visualisation, you can drill down into charts and graphs for more detail, interactively changing what data you see and how it’s processed.
The Power of Visuals
Data visualisation is a form of visual art that grabs our interest and ensures we catch the intended message. If we can see something, we can effectively internalise it. It’s storytelling with a purpose.. If you’ve ever stared at a massive spreadsheet of data and couldn’t see a trend or find the relevant information – you’ll understand the power of visualisation in comparison to standard reporting techniques.
The importance of data visualisation is simple: it helps people see, interact with, and better understand data. It’s not just about presenting data in a pretty chart or graph. It is about providing insight into complex data sets by communicating their key-aspects in a more intuitive and meaningful way. Data visualization is a quick, easy way to convey concepts universally to a wide audience and increases the engagement and shareability of your data. Whether simple or complex, the right visualisation gets everyone on the same page, regardless of their level of expertise or knowledge on the data set.
Types of Data Visualization
Each type of data visualisation serves its own purpose and has its own strengths and weaknesses. The choice of visualisation should be guided by the nature of the data and the goals of the analysis. If you’re creating an annual or sustainability report implementing charts or infographics has the power to elevate your data.
General Types of Visualisations:
- Chart: Charts are among the most common forms of data visualization and present Information in a tabular, graphical form with data displayed along two axes.
- Table: Tables are ideal for comparing individual values against different parameters. A set of figures displayed in rows and columns.
- Graph: A diagram of points, lines, segments, curves, or areas that represents certain variables in comparison to each other, usually along two axes at a right angle.
- Geospatial: A visualization that shows data in map form using different shapes and colors to show the relationship between pieces of data and specific locations. Maps are perfect for geographically-related data
- Infographic: A combination of visuals and words that represent data. Usually uses charts or diagrams.
- Dashboards: A collection of visualizations and data displayed in one place to help with analyzing and presenting data.
Examples of Visualisations:
- Area Map: A form of geospatial visualization used to show specific values set over a map of a country, state, county, or any other geographic location.
- Bar Chart: Bar charts compare numerical values to each other.
- Box-and-whisker Plots: These show a selection of ranges (the box) across a set measure (the bar).
- Gantt Chart: Typically used in project management, Gantt charts are a bar chart depiction of timelines and tasks.
- Heat Map: A type of geospatial visualization in map form which displays specific data values as different colors
- Histogram: A type of bar chart that splits a continuous measure into different bins to help analyze the distribution.
- Pie Chart: A circular chart with triangular segments that shows data as a percentage of a whole.
The Best Practices
To create an impactful data visualisation you must understand the insights, the audience, and the message that needs to be communicated. A good visualization should be simple, intuitive, and communicate a story – whether it be your brand narrative or the purpose of the data. Effective data visualisation is a delicate balancing act between form and function. The most plain graph could be too boring to catch any notice while the most stunning visualisation could utterly fail at conveying the right message or it could speak volumes. The data and the visuals need to work together, and there’s an art to combining great analysis with great storytelling. The best practices include using colors effectively, providing efficient context while keeping it simple and captivating. It’s also important to make the visualisation interactive so that the audience can explore the data on their own.
The modern consumer is presented with thousands of data sets every day. It takes a visually pleasing design to ensure your content stands out and resonates with your audience. At The Brand Foundry, we understand that audiences appreciate creative storytelling and technical analysis, and values communications that are able to visually unite the two concepts. We specialise in crafting communication strategies, executing diverse tactics to help our clients engage with stakeholders to achieve their objectives. while we pride ourselves in providing an end-to-end service that leverages data visualisation to create inspiring and compelling content. If this is of interest to you, please get in touch.