Data Viz Today

Have 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 that landed him his first job in dataviz.

Let's go!

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Show notes: https://dataviztoday.com/shownotes/92

My book Chart Spark: https://www.chartsparkbook.com

Data 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 Torban on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisontorban

In 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 you feel unmotivated?

• How do you handle the feeling of not living up to a client's expectations? I want to be creative and do my best work, but it's a lot of pressure!

• I feel like I'm stuck in my own bubble when it comes to being inspired. How do I branch out

• What is a common mistake people make when brainstorming or ideating?

• How do I know if my graphic is effective or if I should try to be more creative? I'm confused when to keep pushing or if it's good enough.

Show notes: https://dataviztoday.com/shownotes/91

In 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
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In 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

Hey 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 – just good vibes and chart sparks! 📊⚡

https://calendly.com/allitorban/chart-spark-virtual-coffee-chat-with-alli-torban

In 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 can improve our processes. Let's go!

Show notes: https://dataviztoday.com/shownotes/88

As 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 tricks he's found that help him create, how he sees critique in a new way, and he shares his three phases of inspiration. Plus, Andy predicts what will be necessary for creators of all kinds in a future full of artificial intelligence. Even though he's not a dataviz designer, you'll see many parallels in your work. Let's go!

Show notes: https://dataviztoday.com/shownotes/87

In 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

In 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/shownotes/85