Data Sketches: A journey of imagination, exploration, and beautiful data visualizations

"In Data Sketches, Nadieh Bremer and Shirley Wu document the creative and collaborative process behind 24 unique data visualization projects, spanning different topics, technologies, and forms. Features: Technical write-ups with beginner-friendly explanations of core concepts; Practical lessons on data and design challenges; Full-color pages; Interview with Tamara Munzner; Foreword by Alberto Cairo. This book is perfect for anyone interested or working in data visualization and information design, especially those who want to take their work to the next level and are inspired by unique and compelling data-driven storytelling"--
In Data Sketches, Nadieh Bremer and Shirley Wu document the deeply creative process behind 24 unique data visualization projects, and they combine this with powerful technical insights which reveal the mindset behind coding creatively. Spanning 12 different topics – from the Olympics to Presidents & Royals and from Movies to Myths & Legends – each pair of visualizations explores different technologies and forms, blurring the boundary between visualization as an exploratory tool and an artform in its own right. The book provides an intimate, behind-the-scenes account of all 24 projects and shares the authors’ personal notes and drafts every step of the way.The book features:Detailed information on data gathering, sketching, and coding data visualizations for the web, with screenshots of works-in-progress and reproductions from the authors’ notebooksNever-before-published technical write-ups, with beginner-friendly explanations of core data visualization conceptsPractical lessons based on the data and design challenges overcome during each projectFull-color pages, showcasing all 24 final data visualizationsThis book is perfect for anyone interested or working in data visualization and information design, and especially those who want to take their work to the next level and are inspired by unique and compelling data-driven storytelling.“The Data Sketches collaboration is a glorious tour de force: two people spur each other along a remarkable spiral of visualization creativity, and let the rest of us come along for the ride!”– Tamara Munzner, Author and Professor, University of British Columbia“Shirley and Nadieh are honest, entertaining, and insightful in their retrospectives, and their openness and humility make the practice less intimidating, inviting newcomers to get started.”– Mike Bostock, Creator of D3.js and Founder of Observable“The work of Nadieh Bremer and Shirley Wu is some of the most beautiful and exciting data visualization work being done today.”– Elijah Meeks, Author and Executive Director, Data Visualization SocietyNadieh Bremer is an astronomer turned data scientist turned freelancing data visualization designer. Shirley Wu studied business and finance, graduated as a software engineer, and is now an independent data visualization designer. Connected by a mutual love for visualizing data, they bring a unique approach to visualization and refuse to be tied down by convention and available tools. The results are beautiful, innovative, and inspiring.They are both award-winning and internationally recognized data visualization designers. Their past clients include Google, UNESCO, SFMOMA, and the New York Times.