In Your Dreams
I really liked this visualization from Kailie Parrish. Not just for the stylish look. But for the subject matter. Stepping out of the info-, data-, stats-sphere into the deeply personal and a little bit magical-sphere. Nice! (I’d also love to see a version that was actually readable.)

[via DataVisualization.ch]

How Do I Get My Girlfriend To Shave?
Type a phrase into Google and it will attempt to auto-complete the phrase for you. An incidental feature but always hilariously revealing about the deep concerns of the group mind. I had a go at visualizing the query “How do I get my girlfriend / boyfriend to…” using the sweet tool Web Seer. See what you think.

How Safe Is Your Password?
A few visuals about the weakness of most peoples’ passwords have been doing the rounds. I like this one best as it adds an extra layer of sociological categorization. Due credit to Robin Richards.

As ever, if you find anything worthy of being breakfasted upon by hungry info-nerds, please pass it on.

My lovely book, Information Is Beautiful, is out in the UK (Amazon).

To celebrate, I’ve teamed up with HarperCollins to give away five signed copies.

All you have to do to enter the prize draw is become a fan on our much-neglected-but-soon-not-to-be-so-neglected Facebook fan page.

We’ll choose five members of the group at random on Monday 15th February and contact them via email. It’ll be my pleasure to write a personal message in each copy.

Here’s the link to the Facebook group. See you on there.

The Book

Information Is Beautiful is a collection of infographics, data visualisations and information designs, covering everything from pop to philosophy – all with the minimum of words. Inspired by the experience of clicking through the web, it has no chapters, no overt structure – it’s just beautifully random.

The UK version essentially the same book as the US copy, The Visual Miscellaneum. Except it’s a true hardback book and it’s printed on uncoated (matt) paper, rather than coated (shiny) paper of the American version. Personally I think it makes for a more ‘arty’ book. Plus it has *that smell*. One I’m, in fact, huffing right now.

Please note: Since the US and UK versions were printed at the same time (last year), so the first edition of the UK version has the same minor printing errors. They affect 12 of the 256 pages. Really sorry about that. I’ve uploaded an errata. It’s passworded. The password is the last word in the bottom right hand corner of page 159 of the book CASE SENSITIVE. Thank you.

Some more screenies to savour.

Link to the Facebook fan page. Order the book on Amazon.co.uk. American version here. Advert over.

Here in the UK, there’s been a recent spate of harassment and even arrests of innocent photographers by police invoking anti-terrorism laws.

So we’ve compiled an easy-to-read wallet-sized infosheet of photographer legal rights here in the UK (PDF). It’s designed by David McCandless and Joe Swainson. The information is sourced directly from the UK Metropolitan Police and distilled from other bust cards out there.

Download and print the PDF, cut it out and stick it in your wallet or purse. If you’re stopped by police for taking photos, whip out the sheet and instantly check your rights.

Of course, it’s never a good plan to antagonise the politzei. We hear they’re particularly unimpressed by having ‘infosheets’ waved in their faces. If you are stopped for suspicious photography, a good response is usually something like:

“I’m an amateur photographer taking pictures for fun. Would you like to see them officer?”

NOTE: Note Saturday 23rd Jan 2010, there’s a Mass Photo Gathering in Trafalgar Square in London 12 Noon to protest photographers rights. It’s organized by PhotographerNotATerrorist.org

If you can help us with photographers rights cards for other countries, such as the US, please get in touch. Thanks!

Thanks to my publishers HarperCollins, I now hold what could be the last five copies of the first edition.

I’d like to sign them and give away to you, lovely readers. Before this site goes all Information Is Beautiful on your ass.

To enter the prize draw, just leave a comment below.

On Saturday 16th January I’ll pick five winners at random and contact them via email.

(BTW Apols for the lack of updates recently. I’ve been working on some cool new stuff to be released v. soon).

UPDATE: Thank you for all your entries and the lovely comments. I have been blushing continuously all week. Comments are closed now. But I’ll be picking winners on Monday 18th.

A piece exploring the myths around 2012, Mayan Prophecy, geomagnetic reversal, The Long Count, consciousness shifts, Hunab Ku, galactica alignment, the Precession Of The Equinoxes, rogue planet Nibiru, solar storms, pole shifts, timewave zero, the return of Quetzalcoatl and THE END OF THE WORLD December 21st 2012!

Make up your own mind

UPDATE 1 (8 Dec 09): There’s now a Portuguese version of 2012 (thanks Ricardo Vieira) and a French version DEUUUUXMIIIILLEDOUUUUZE (thanks to Olivier!)

This is the point where I go a bit glassy. To be honest, I don’t know. I am unschooled in both information (I was a college dropout) and design (I am a self-taught designer). I’ve never really thought about it.

So, I made a nice cup of tea and had a think and came up with this.

To me, these seem like the key components of a good infographic / data visualisation / piece of information design.

• Information needs to be interesting (meaningful & relevant) and have integrity (accuracy, consistency).
• Design needs to have form (beauty & structure) and function (it has to work and be easy to use).

You may disagree. I welcome your input. I may not have got it right.

Something surprised me about doing this though.

In information design, it seems, if you have just two elements, you get something tolerable and cool. i.e.

• integrity + form = eye candy
• interestingness + function = experiment

(I’m not entirely sure about these combos)

But if you combine three elements without the fourth, things suddenly FAIL:

• interesting subject, solid information, looks great, but is hard to use = useless.
• amazing data, well designed, very easy to read but isn’t that interesting = boring

What do you think? This is a work in progress. Can you help me shape this a bit? Have I missed anything?