Data Viz Today
113 episodes - English - Latest episode: 12 days ago - ★★★★★ - 83 ratingsHelping you become a more effective information designer.
You want to create effective data visualizations. That’s hard work. There are so many decisions to make, like chart type, annotations, and color!
Will this podcast help?
Host and fellow data viz designer Alli Torban is in the trenches with you. She shares the latest tools and methods that she’s discovered while on the job and interviewing top designers.
If you’re an analyst, journalist, or designer who wants to hone your skills with specific tactics, then this show could be just what you need.
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Episodes
94: How to Give More Confident Data Presentations (even if you’re an introvert) — Featuring Cole Nussbaumer Knaflic
April 18, 2024 05:00 - 46 minutes - 65.2 MBThere’s no way around it: If you can speak confidently about your dataviz work to other people, you’ll make a bigger impact. But you’re shy, nervous, an introvert, and not a natural speaker! That’s ok. You CAN learn this skill. Cole Nussbaumer Knaflic, a data storytelling expert, best-selling author, and CEO of Storytelling with Data, joins us today to share how to identify and fix those pesky presentation nerves so you can finally have the impact you want. Let’s go! Show notes: https://...
93: How to Leverage Sports Analytics for a Standout Dataviz Portfolio — Featuring Shri Khalpada
March 29, 2024 19:45 - 34 minutes - 48 MBAre you looking for ways to make your work stand out in a crowded industry, like sports? Or maybe looking for a topic with pretty clean data to create a portfolio project? In today’s episode, we’re chatting with Shri Khalpada, a D.C. area creative coder and Principal Software Engineer at Cleaning the Glass, which is an NBA analytics website founded by Ben Faulk that’s available to the public and also has more robust tools for NBA teams. Shri shares how he increased his chances of landing a c...
BONUS: Insider Tips for Publishing Your First Dataviz Book
February 28, 2024 21:50 - 1 hour - 83.9 MBAre you ready to write a book? Or maybe see it in your future down the road? Well, I spent hours and hours researching the book publishing process, spoke with tons of authors about their experience, and then lived through it myself. I want to save you some time and share what I learned. Recently I shared all about the process with the Elevate Dataviz Learning Community that I co-founded and I’m sharing that conversation here today… In this episode, I share what's included in a book propo...
92: How to Navigate a Dataviz Career in Mozambique — Featuring Charama Sulemane
January 30, 2024 06:00 - 22 minutes - 32.2 MBHave you ever felt like you made a big career mistake? Like you completely chose the wrong college major or took the wrong job. Well, today we’re chatting with Charama Sulemane, a data analyst at the United Nations Office for Project Services. But only a few years ago, he was a fresh graduate in Mozambique and found out that no one was hiring for data science jobs in his area. He was questioning his decision to get into this field. But not ready to give up, Charama made a few smart moves tha...
Welcome to Data Viz Today!
January 18, 2024 20:23 - 1 minute - 3.41 MBData Viz Today, hosted by Alli Torban, is a friendly and insightful podcast for anyone interested in data visualization. It offers practical advice, showcases the latest tools and methods, and features inspiring stories from the field, aimed at analysts, journalists, and designers seeking to refine their data viz skills. Show notes: https://dataviztoday.com Chart Spark book: https://www.chartsparkbook.com Elevate Dataviz Learning Community: https://www.elevatedataviz.com Follow Alli ...
91: AMA — Creativity, freelancing, dataviz process and more!
December 21, 2023 06:00 - 16 minutes - 22.4 MBIn this episode, I answer some common questions I’ve received lately about creativity, freelancing, dataviz process, and more. Let’s go! What platforms would you join when on the look out for a network, freelance projects etc? I want to transition into a dataviz job but not sure where to start? What exactly do you mean by 'creativity' in the context of data and analytics? How can data people be creative? How do you respond to negative feedback of your creative idea? What do you do when ...
90: How to Come Up with Creative Ideas
December 05, 2023 06:00 - 20 minutes - 29.7 MBIn this episode, I’ll share a concept and prompt from my NEW book CHART SPARK, and how I applied it to the library check-out receipt to develop a creative idea that uses dataviz to encourage people to go to the library more. Use this prompt in your work to come up with creative ideas! Let’s go! Now available: Chart Spark Join my newsletter Show notes
89: How Great Visualization Designers Think — with Alberto Cairo
November 20, 2023 06:00 - 37 minutes - 54 MBIn this episode, Alberto Cairo shares some common threads he’s noticed among his dataviz students who go on to excel in this field and common traits he noticed while interviewing accomplished visualization designers for his new book The Art of Insight. Show notes: https://dataviztoday.com/shownotes/89
BONUS: Wanna chat? ☕ I'm opening up my calendar!
October 31, 2023 19:50 - 2 minutes - 5.17 MBHey dataviz friend, my book is launching in early December (CHART SPARK), and after giving a workshop this morning that used the prompts from the book, I realized....chatting and brainstorming with other people is my happy place! So, do you wanna chat? Anything on your mind about dataviz careers, creativity, or brainstorming on a real project? I'm opening my calendar on Thursdays until the year-end for fun coffee chats. Snag a time on my calendly below. No cost or commitment required – jus...
88: 3 Ways to Monetize Your Data and Dataviz — with Dr. Barbara Wixom
September 05, 2023 19:37 - 54 minutes - 76.9 MBIn this episode, we explore Dr. Barbara Wixom's insights on the three main ways companies (or even freelancers) can monetize data and dataviz, drawing from her extensive research and the insights of her book, Data is Everybody’s Business. She shares the patterns of successful data monetization gathered over 29 years and we brainstorm ways it applies to dataviz work. Also, since Barb was a client of mine, we get a sneak peek into clients' top concerns when beginning a dataviz project so we ca...
87: How to Navigate the Complexities of Neurodivergent Creativity — with Andy J. Pizza
May 30, 2023 08:00 - 43 minutes - 61.8 MBAs data people, we tend to be more logical and analytical, which makes navigating creativity’s ambiguity a little tricky. So I called on Andy J. Pizza to help us out. To me, he is creativity personified — illustrator, author, podcaster, and more! He’s worked with big clients like The New York Times and Nickelodeon, and has a new book coming out where he illustrates “invisible things.” In this episode, Andy shares how his ADHD has become his superpower in his creative work, the little trick...
86: How to Find a Balance Between Clarity and Creativity
April 25, 2023 07:00 - 9 minutes - 15.6 MBIn this episode, I share the framework that helps me decide when to stick with “best practices” or try a new approach in my visualizations. We explore four key variables: the reader's time and patience, the need to capture attention, past struggles conveying a concept, and the designer’s available time and resources. Let’s go! Show notes: https://dataviztoday.com/shownotes/86
85: How to transform science into clear and welcoming graphics — with Jen Christiansen
March 28, 2023 06:00 - 30 minutes - 44.2 MBIn this episode, we dive into the world of scientific visuals with Jen Christiansen, Senior Graphics Editor at Scientific American and author of the new book Building Science Graphics. Jen shares when to consider including visuals in your work, the power of “welcoming gestures”, and the effectiveness of comics in explaining complex concepts. We also discuss collaboration, the strategic use of arrows, and how to keep your projects organized. Let's go! Show notes: https://dataviztoday.com/...
84: How to use serendipity to fuel your experiments and innovation with Mike Brondbjerg
February 28, 2023 18:06 - 50 minutes - 71.5 MBIn this episode, we explore how to practice openness through a fun activity that combines serendipity and structure. London City Hall's Data Visualization and Information Design Lead, Mike Brondbjerg, shares how he creates beautiful pieces of art dictated by the roll of a dice, and how these serendipitous experiments led him to create an incredible 3D flower project with census data! Let’s go… Show notes: https://dataviztoday.com/shownotes/84
83: Can you X-ray dataviz?
January 10, 2023 18:49 - 7 minutes - 12.5 MBWhat’s it mean to X-ray a dataviz? This is my new method to make sure I learn from my dataviz inspiration and organize it in a way that helps me use it later. In this episode, I’ll share what it is and how you can X-ray dataviz too. Let’s go! Show notes: https://dataviztoday.com/shownotes/83 Join my newsletter: https://dataviztoday.com/newslettersignup
82: How to use your inspiration with Gabrielle Mérite (Creativity Mini-Series)
December 21, 2022 20:00 - 31 minutes - 45.8 MBWe know that we’re supposed to gather inspiration, but then what? Gabrielle Mérite, a senior data visualization designer at Pentagram, shares what to do with your inspiration to put it to work for you! Join my newsletter! https://dataviztoday.com/newslettersignup Show notes: https://dataviztoday.com/shownotes/82
BONUS: How to build habits and rituals that support your creative practice
November 22, 2022 15:52 - 59 minutes - 83.2 MBWhy are habits/rituals important to your creative practice and what are some examples? Duncan Geere, Will Chase, and I share what's been most impactful to our dataviz practice! Shownotes / watch video: https://blog.elevatedataviz.com/the-elevate-dataviz-show-6 RJ Andrew's creative rituals infographic: https://infowetrust.com/project/routines
81: Going off the beaten path with Neil Richards (Creativity Mini-Series)
November 01, 2022 16:00 - 30 minutes - 44.5 MBHow do you approach creativity for personal projects vs business intelligence? That's our big creativity question today for Neil Richards. Neil Richards is the author of the new book Questions in Dataviz, Lead Business Intelligence Analyst at JLL, and four-time Tableau Visionary. Show notes: https://dataviztoday.com/shownotes/81
81: Creativity Mini-Series with Neil Richards
November 01, 2022 12:15 - 30 minutes - 44.5 MBHow do you approach creativity for personal projects vs business intelligence? That's our big creativity question today for Neil Richards. Neil Richards is the author of the new book Questions in Dataviz, Lead Business Intelligence Analyst at JLL, and four-time Tableau Visionary. Show notes: https://dataviztoday.com/shownotes/81
80: How to start a creative project with Manuel Canales (Creativity Mini-Series)
October 11, 2022 16:00 - 26 minutes - 37.8 MBWe’re exploring creativity in information design from the perspective of amazingly creative people in the field! Let’s hear how Manuel Canales, the graphics assignment editor at the Washington Post and previously the senior graphics editor at National Geographic, gets the most out of his creativity. How he approaches the pressure of a new project has changed the way I work! Let’s go… Show notes
80: Creativity Mini-Series with Manuel Canales
October 11, 2022 05:00 - 26 minutes - 37.8 MBWe’re exploring creativity in information design from the perspective of amazingly creative people in the field! Let’s hear how Manuel Canales, the graphics assignment editor at the Washington Post and previously the senior graphics editor at National Geographic, gets the most out of his creativity. How he approaches the pressure of a new project has changed the way I work! Let’s go… Show notes
79: Don't exceed your audience's patience with Marcelo Duhalde (Creativity Mini-Series)
September 06, 2022 16:00 - 31 minutes - 45.6 MBWe’re exploring creativity in information design from the perspective of amazingly creative people in the field! Let’s hear how Marcelo Duhalde, the Associate Creative Director at the South China Morning Post, approaches creativity. We dive into how he defines creativity, what his process is like, what kills his creativity, and more! Show notes
79: Creativity Mini-Series with Marcelo Duhalde
September 06, 2022 05:00 - 31 minutes - 45.6 MBWe’re exploring creativity in information design from the perspective of amazingly creative people in the field! Let’s hear how Marcelo Duhalde, the Associate Creative Director at the South China Morning Post, approaches creativity. We dive into how he defines creativity, what his process is like, what kills his creativity, and more! Show notes
78: Creativity is a risky act with Duncan Geere (Creativity Mini-Series)
August 16, 2022 16:00 - 37 minutes - 53 MBWe’re exploring creativity in information design from the perspective of amazingly creative people in the field! Let’s hear how Duncan Geere approaches creativity. We dive into how he defines creativity, how he gets the most out of his creativity, and more! Duncan Geere is an information designer living in Sweden who works with graphics, words, and sound. He's one-half of the loud numbers, data sonification podcast and studio. And one-quarter of the Elevate data viz learning community. Dun...
78: Creativity Mini-Series with Duncan Geere
August 16, 2022 05:00 - 37 minutes - 53 MBWe’re exploring creativity in information design from the perspective of amazingly creative people in the field! Let’s hear how Duncan Geere approaches creativity. We dive into how he defines creativity, how he gets the most out of his creativity, and more! Duncan Geere is an information designer living in Sweden who works with graphics, words, and sound. He's one-half of the loud numbers, data sonification podcast and studio. And one-quarter of the Elevate data viz learning community. Dun...
77: What daily practice looks like with Mesa Schumacher (Creativity Mini-Series)
August 09, 2022 16:00 - 31 minutes - 46 MBWe’re exploring creativity in information design from the perspective of amazingly creative people in the field! If it’s not a magical process, then what is it? Let’s hear how Mesa Schumacher approaches creativity. Mesa Schumacher is a science artist currently living in Fiji who specializes in communicating complex ideas through illustration, infographics, and animation. Mesa's work can be found in National Geographic and Scientific American, on signage at the National Zoo, in academia, an...
77: Creativity Mini-Series with Mesa Schumacher
August 09, 2022 05:00 - 31 minutes - 46 MBWe’re exploring creativity in information design from the perspective of amazingly creative people in the field! If it’s not a magical process, then what is it? Let’s hear how Mesa Schumacher approaches creativity. Mesa Schumacher is a science artist currently living in Fiji who specializes in communicating complex ideas through illustration, infographics, and animation. Mesa's work can be found in National Geographic and Scientific American, on signage at the National Zoo, in academia, an...
76: Creativity is a spectrum with Andy Kirk (Creativity Mini-Series)
August 02, 2022 16:00 - 34 minutes - 49.6 MBWe’re exploring creativity in information design from the perspective of amazingly creative people in the field! If it’s not a magical process, then what is it? Let’s hear how Andy Kirk approaches creativity. We dive into how he defines creativity, what his routines are, what kills his creativity, how he presents creative ideas to clients, where he finds inspiration…and more! Shownotes Volunteer to be a Beta reader for my creativity book!
76: Creativity Mini-Series with Andy Kirk
August 02, 2022 05:00 - 34 minutes - 49.6 MBWe’re exploring creativity in information design from the perspective of amazingly creative people in the field! If it’s not a magical process, then what is it? Let’s hear how Andy Kirk approaches creativity. We dive into how he defines creativity, what his routines are, what kills his creativity, how he presents creative ideas to clients, where he finds inspiration…and more! Shownotes Volunteer to be a Beta reader for my creativity book!
75: Change your space to change your mind with Stefanie Posavec (Creativity Mini-Series)
July 26, 2022 16:00 - 22 minutes - 32.5 MBToday, I’m launching a mini-series all about creativity in information design. If you’re like me and came from a data background, communicating information in creative ways can feel a bit like a magical process, so over this series, I’ll invite creative information designers and dive into their process: What are their routines, what kills their creativity, how do they present creative ideas to others…and more! Let’s hear how Stefanie Posavec approaches creativity in information design… S...
75: Creativity Mini-Series with Stefanie Posavec
July 26, 2022 12:55 - 22 minutes - 32.5 MBToday, I’m launching a mini-series all about creativity in information design. If you’re like me and came from a data background, communicating information in creative ways can feel a bit like a magical process, so over this series, I’ll invite creative information designers and dive into their process: What are their routines, what kills their creativity, how do they present creative ideas to others…and more! Let’s hear how Stefanie Posavec approaches creativity in information design… S...
74: What It's Like Being a Data Journalist — Featuring Danielle Alberti
June 30, 2022 13:23 - 46 minutes - 66.4 MBToday, we have Danielle Alberti on the show to share a behind-the-scenes look at how to become and be a data journalist! She's the editor of the data visualization team at Axios and shares: What's a typical day as a data journalist Which skills are important What she looks for in a resume and portfolio when hiring for a data journalist position What she would do differently if she were starting her data journalist career over again This interview with Danielle was the special opening...
73: 3 Ways to Analyze Time Series Data Without Losing Nuance — Featuring Zan Armstrong
May 24, 2022 10:00 - 25 minutes - 37.3 MBToday, we have Zan Armstrong with us to share 3 simple alternatives to aggregating time series data in the usual ways so you don’t lose important nuance. It’s so easy to get pushed into aggregating data a certain way by our software so being aware of some alternatives is really helpful when you’re analyzing and visualizing data. Show notes: https://dataviztoday.com/shownotes/73
BONUS: Top Tips on Creating a Data Viz Brief
April 26, 2022 14:41 - 11 minutes - 17.9 MBI walk you through my process for creating a data viz brief and how to use it! If you're interested in a short training and getting a copy of the data viz brief template that I use with my clients, shoot me an email with the subject line "INTERESTED!" and if there's enough interest, I'll host a live training! [email protected]
72: How to Add Strategy Sessions to Your Data Viz Workflow — Featuring Liz Hatherley
March 15, 2022 10:00 - 40 minutes - 57.5 MBWhen you’re kicking off a data viz project, do you have a series of questions that you ask to uncover the goals, audience, and data? Want to know how to kick it up a notch? I know I do! Recently, I had the pleasure of working with Liz Hatherley, whose whole expertise is wrapped up in pulling this kind of information out of her clients, which has led to incredibly smooth dataviz projects! In this episode, Liz shares more about what kinds of questions she’s asking in her discovery workshops ...
71: Demystifying the Freelance Dataviz Process
January 11, 2022 11:00 - 1 hour - 93.9 MBJoin the Elevate Membership Program! I invited a few of the best dataviz designers and freelancers I know on the show today (Duncan Geere, Gabrielle Merite, and Will Chase) and we absolutely stuffed the hour with as many dataviz freelancing tips as we possibly could! In this episode, we demystify the whole process: starting from when someone emails you that they’re interested in your work, what you should write back, what you should ask in the discovery call, basics to include in your co...
70: My 3 Biggest Lessons Learned in 2021
December 28, 2021 11:00 - 11 minutes - 18.4 MBToday I’m calling out the biggest things I learned in the past year. There’s just something about naming it that helps me remember to keep doing it in the new year and even how I can take it up a notch in the next year. In this episode, I’ll highlight the three biggest lessons I learned this year, and they all stem from better communication with clients, ourselves, and with our colleagues. Let’s get to it! Show notes: https://dataviztoday.com/shownotes/70 Elevate Membership waitlist: h...
69: 3 Tips for Solving Problems with Networks — Featuring Dr. Keita Broadwater
November 30, 2021 11:00 - 31 minutes - 45.3 MBHave you ever reimagined your tabular data set as a network and discovered new insights? Networks are an obvious choice if you’re visualizing someone’s social network, for example, but there are so many more possibilities! In this episode, Dr. Keita Broadwater will explain what a network is, share a couple of examples of tabular data reimagined as a network, and give us a few tips on when a data set might be ripe for this kind of analysis.
68: How to Future-Proof Your Data Viz Career — Featuring Dr. Jonathan Schwabish
October 19, 2021 10:00 - 50 minutes - 71.1 MBHow do we future-proof our data viz careers? What skills are important now and 10 years from now as software companies come and go and $5 dashboards pop up on Fiverr? In this episode, Dr. Jonathan Schwabish and I talk about what our consultant work looks like right now and how we’re working to future-proof our careers. This is a joint podcast between Data Viz Today and PolicyViz so we’ll both be asking questions. Let’s go! https://dataviztoday.com/shownotes/68
67: How to Use 3D in Innovative Ways — Featuring Dr. Tyler Morgan-Wall
September 28, 2021 10:00 - 32 minutes - 47.1 MBHave you written off 3D as a big no-no? Not yet! In this episode, Dr. Tyler Morgan-Wall shares his latest innovations and impactful use cases of his Rayshader package in R. Take a listen and be amazed at the samples in the show notes! (you can use Rayshader and R for free!) https://dataviztoday.com/shownotes/67
66: How to Make Music with Data — Featuring Duncan Geere and Miriam Quick
August 31, 2021 10:00 - 1 hour - 89.5 MBHave you heard of data sonification? It’s the process of turning data into sound, and there's a novel podcast out now called Loud Numbers where Duncan Geere and Miriam Quick introduce a data story, explain how they sonified it, and then play the sonification they've created. In this episode, we discover how they created their podcast, what’s the benefit of turning data into sound, and how we can make our own sonifications without sounding like complete amateurs! Show notes: https://dat...
65: Why You Don’t Need to be a Data Viz Unicorn to Have a Fulfilling Career— Featuring Amanda Makulec
July 20, 2021 10:00 - 43 minutes - 62.3 MBIt’s easy to think you have to be the master at D3 and also have the design eye of an artist in order to have a fulfilling data viz career, but that has not been my experience, nor the experience of my guest today Amanda Makulec who is the Data Visualization Society’s Executive Director. She’s heard her fair share of data viz origin stories, frustrations, and career pro tips, so I asked her to come on the show and share with us her golden advice on navigating a data viz career (spoiler ale...
64: 3 Common Reporting Mistakes + How to Overcome Them — Featuring Ann K. Emery
June 15, 2021 10:00 - 44 minutes - 63 MBHow can you take a dense, technical report and turn it into something people will actually read? In this episode, Ann K. Emery shares the top tips that she recommends to her clients that have been bringing reports to life for years! Show notes: https://dataviztoday.com/shownotes/64
63: How to Integrate Accessibility into Your Data Viz Workflow — Featuring Frank Elavsky
May 25, 2021 10:00 - 38 minutes - 55.6 MBWhat can we do to make our data visualizations more accessible to more people, especially those with disabilities? In this episode, Frank Elavsky shares how we can integrate accessibility into our current data visualization workflow. It’s a skill just like anything else, so let’s get practicing! Show notes: https://dataviztoday.com/shownotes/63
62: How Much Money Do Data Visualization Professionals Make?
March 30, 2021 10:00 - 8 minutes - 13.8 MBAh, money. The topic everyone wants to hear about but no one wants to talk about! It’s a complicated and nuanced subject because there are so many variables that factor into someone’s compensation, but... In this episode, I’ll share some highlights from the responses in the Data Visualization Society community survey to give you a sense of what data viz professionals are pulling in. Don't forget to check out the interactive chart in the show notes: https://dataviztoday.com/shownotes/62
61: 3 Insights From a Personal Project That Blew Up — Featuring Nadieh Bremer and Shirley Wu
February 16, 2021 11:00 - 38 minutes - 55.1 MBWhat are the ingredients of a successful personal project? How do you even know what topic to make your personal project about? What constraints make for a successful personal project? In this episode, data visualization designers Nadieh Bremer and Shirley Wu share insights they learned from completing a year-long collaboration that ended with a new book called Data Sketches!
BONUS: 3 Steps to Feel More Confident in Your Data Visualization Process
January 25, 2021 20:38 - 7 minutes - 13 MBDo you feel lost when you’re creating a chart? Are you feeling around in the dark with every new project? Confidence comes with practice, but you can also take a few smart steps, in the beginning, to create an effective chart. I’ve interviewed top designers for years on my podcast while creating and experimenting on my own, and I’ve found that these steps reap great rewards. Try them out, and you’ll feel more confident in your data visualization skills regardless of the situation or your...
60: The Best Data Visualizations of 2020 — Featuring Lea Pica
December 22, 2020 11:00 - 1 hour - 90.2 MBThe last episode of the year! In this episode, I have a little data viz tennis match with fellow podcaster Lea Pica. We found the most inspiring visualizations in four categories: climate change, COVID-19, racial injustice, and the US presidential election. Lea and I bounce back and forth describing our favorite in each category and the mastery on display for each. What was your favorite data viz this year? Shownotes: https://dataviztoday.com/shownotes/60
59: How Art Direction Can Make Your Work More Effective — Featuring Gabrielle Mérite
November 24, 2020 11:00 - 34 minutes - 49.7 MBHave you ever created a successful graphic that really hit the mark and you felt like you were just spot on? Do you know how you can consistently replicate that feeling? If not, I have an idea of what you might be missing... Art direction! In this episode, we'll learn when you need art direction and when you don't, and how to use art direction to make sure you and your client work efficiently together to create graphics that hit the mark.
58: How to Turn Data Into an Experience — Featuring Miriam Quick & Stefanie Posavec
October 13, 2020 10:00 - 21 minutes - 31.8 MBHave you ever felt frustrated when you're trying to express important data to someone? Do the bars and pies just seem to fall flat? Try turning the data into an experience! In this episode, I try to bottle up Miriam Quick and Stefanie Posavec’s creative genius that they poured into their new book so that we can create data experiences in our work, too. Show notes: https://dataviztoday.com/shownotes/58