Reading in between the wines of data visualization

Nowadays, there are a lot of ways to visualize data. Designers can use visual elements like maps, graphs and charts. There are also heat maps, scatter plots and pie charts. Regardless of the type of data visualization tool, the purpose of each one is to see and understand trends, outliers and patterns within data, as noted in a Tableau article about Data Visualization.

But how does one find a story using data? Because information can be visualized through various elements, it’s important to first identify and understand the story being told. Once that’s established, it’s easier to figure out how to pick the best way to deliver the message. 

In Visual Storytelling by Andrew Losowsky, he says that “data and information are more widely available, and the visual language of data and information is becoming more popular, thanks to mass media and designers sharing their work on the web.” Visual Artist and Illustrator Sarah Illenberger is a great example of someone sharing her work online and uses unique and creative ways to spread information. Scrolling through her website and blogs dedicated to her work, it’s tough not to be impressed with her attention to detail and her approach to data display. 

My Research

In my attempt to use data for visual storytelling, I thought about this last year and a half and focused on a trend I saw a lot on social media: alcohol consumption. Whether it was the stress of the pandemic or not having more to do during quarantine, I saw dozens of posts on my Instagram feed that called for “a stress-relieving nightcap” and more cocktail recipes on TikTok than ever before. If this was a common theme on my feed, I figured it had to be happening on a larger scale.

To my speculation, a December 2020 study by the U.S. National Library of Medicine and National Institutes of Health did find emerging evidence of increased alcohol consumption during the COVID-19 pandemic.

For my visual design, I decided to focus specifically on wine since that was the trend I saw most on my personal social media platforms. What I learned on Statista.com, which is a company that specializes in market and consumer data, is that at 33 million hectoliters in 2020, the United States consumed the largest volume of wine of any country. A hectoliter is a metric unit of capacity equal to one hundred liters, and is mostly used for wine, beer and other agricultural produce.

The Design

The type of data used in the Statista.com statistic was quantitative, which means it can be measured. As far as its data relationship, it falls under “ranking,” which is when two or more values compare to each other in relative magnitude. With my example, 10 countries are being ranked based on their consumption of wine.

For my visual design, I used a variation of a bar chart, which is used for comparisons. In my version, I used wine in glasses to show the data in million hectoliters. I made sure to place a key at the bottom of the title so the end-user understood what they were looking at. The category names I used were one for each country and displayed it horizontally because that’s easiest to read. I also placed the data in rank order from the largest amount to the smallest, which can be seen through the amount of wine on each glass. I chose a sans serif font so the copy is legible, clear and more visually appealing to the reader.

Through a mix of eye-catching designs and information, visual data is a type of digital content that has been making its mark online. From getting the audience’s attention to leaving an impact, infographics can influence how messages are shared. In the Digital Age, content illustrators and graphic designers have more opportunities to leave their mark on the internet. By using visual designs, we can deliver knowledge and ideas in ways that the audience can understand quickly and help them form opinions instantly. 

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References:

Conway, J. (2021, May 20). Global wine consumption by country 2020. Statista. https://www.statista.com/statistics/858743/global-wine-consumption-by-country/.

Das, S. (2020, January 14). Data visualization beginner’s guide: a definition, examples, and learning resources. Tableau. https://www.tableau.com/learn/articles/data-visualization.

Grossman, E. R., Benjamin-Neelon, S. E., & Sonnenschein, S. (2020, December 9). Alcohol Consumption during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Survey of US Adults. International journal of environmental research and public health. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7763183/.

Losowsky, A. (2010). Visual Storyteller. Politecnico di Milano; Density Design. https://bit.ly/3uVNOD2

Oetting, J. (2020, November 9). DATA VISUALIZATION 101: HOW TO DESIGN CHARTS AND GRAPHS. Hubspot. https://cdn2.hubspot.net/hub/53/file-863940581-pdf/Data_Visualization_101_How_to_Design_Charts_and_Graphs.pdf.