Book Review: Numbers and Nerves (Oregon State UP)

»We know from the start that we are creatures of compassion and feeling, but also animals of analysis and measurement. … More

Preview: The History of Infographics, as seen by the experts (June 2019)

I am especially happy and honoured that four experts on the history of information graphics have contributed to my upcoming book: David Rumsey, Michael Friendly, Michael Stoll, and Scott Klein. This post is a preview of their individual chapters…

New Book: “The History of Information Graphics” (June 2019)

In the age of digital distribution, when news travels ever further and faster and media outlets compete for a fleeting … More

Preview: The Early Modern Age in Infographics (June 2019)

With the early modern age in Europe began a long-term process of intellectual development that brought with it an increasing appreciation of individual expertise as compared to the authority of traditional knowledge. Intellectual culture began to be shaped more and more by thinkers and artists who were devoted to the “study of reality”…

Preview: The 19th Century in Infographics (June 2019)

In the 19th century there was tremendous growth in the use of information graphics, such that by the end of the century a natural proliferation of maps and diagrams can be noted across many areas of media culture…

Preview: The 20th Century in Infographics (June 2019)

My new book with art & design publisher TASCHEN looks at the incredibly rich history of infographics and data visualisation, tracing … More

Book Review: W.E.B. Du Bois’s Data Portraits (Princeton Arch. Press)

The Library of Congress holds a collection of hand-drawn infographics about the life and progress of the African-American population. The … More

Fun: Get your own Minard

Dear visualisation enthusiasts, it’s MINARD DAY! Charles-Joseph was born on March 27, 238 years ago today. To celebrate his birthday, … More

Book: “The Minard System” (Fall 2018)

Charles-Joseph Minard was the engineer behind THE most famous historical infographic: The flow map tracing the loss in soldiers during … More

Review: “Otto Neurath & Fritz Kahn 1920-1945” (Leipzig)

The interwar period in Europe was marked by a whirlwind of contradicting social influences and political turmoil. Revolutionary and socialist … More

History: “81 Years of Graphical Excellence” (1874)

81 years of budget data and various categories in three diagrams – the United States Fiscal Chart from the 1870 US census atlas is a real blockbuster in the history of data visualisation. Today, experts from the field like to joke that data visualisation serves as a gateway drug to statistics…

Research: “The Forgotten Maps of Minard” (Paris)

UPDATE January 2019: This article is a few years old and outdated. In 2018, my book on Minard’s work and … More