Graphics Reference
In-Depth Information
Computer data visualization
The use of specialized software has given designers access to tools that allow visual-
ization of data in ways that were previously very difficult.
There are several ways to visualize data; we are familiar with various categories such
as charts, diagrams, graphs, tables and maps. The way in which a piece of data is
presented depends on the data itself and what it is meant to convey to an audience.
Many software tools such as Microsoft Word, Excel and Adobe Illustrator have auto-
mated these functions. These techniques are not always appropriate when presenting
information, though, and many information designers seek to interpret data in new
and challenging ways. As a result, some designers have begun to write specialist soft-
ware to find new ways to represent visualizing data.
Processing is one such piece of open-source software, originally developed by Casey
Reas and Ben Fry. The idea was to serve as a 'software sketchbook' and to teach com-
puter programming within a visual environment. It has grown into a tool for creating
visual images, animation and interactions. The software works by writing single lines
of code, adding them one line at a time. By writing a line of code you may have a
shape appear on screen; another line may control its colour or movement or how it
changes depending on the interaction with a mouse.
Several designers have used Processing to display data visually, which has resulted in
both screen-based and print outcomes.
Data visualizer: Jer Thorp
Jer Thorp is from Vancouver, Canada, and currently lives in New York. His award-
winning software-based practice explores the boundaries between art and science. In
2011 Thorp was commissioned by
Popular Science
magazine to produce an image
that visualized the archive of their publication. The resulting graphic explored the use
of different technical and cultural terms that have been used since the magazine's in-
troduction 140 years ago.
The image uses a molecular chain to act as a focal point, using the decades to cluster
information. Within each cluster, an atom represents an issue and the number of
words in each issue determines the size of the atoms. Around each atom histograms
are placed that show the frequency of terms used in each issue. Jer used a custom tool
built in the Processing software to plot the frequency of the words and identify the
