Data visualisation for researchers

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Data visualisation for researchers

By The Guardian Masterclasses

Date and time

Monday, September 29, 2014 · 6:30 - 9pm GMT+1

Location

The Guardian

Kings Place 90 York Way London N1 9GU United Kingdom

Refund Policy

Contact the organizer to request a refund.

Description

Make your data come to life through powerful infographics

Researchers are increasingly being asked to visualise their data. While this used to mean bar charts and line graphs, there's now a growing need to communicate with audiences outside of the research community – and this means using more striking and memorable visual techniques.

This introductory evening course looks at how to match data to the needs of your audience and how to keep them engaged using a powerful mixture of copywriting, storytelling and design. It looks at some of the common pitfalls that researchers fall into but also emphasises the crucial role of good research and solid data in the data visualisation process.

Led by Tobias Sturt and Adam Frost – formerly of the Guardian's Digital Agency, now the directors of Graphic, a specialist data visualisation agency – the course delivers a series of lectures and a practical workshop which gives you the opportunity to get expert feedback on your work. Detailed handouts ensure this course offers a long-term benefit to your communications.

This course is for you if...

  • You have to present for a living, using Powerpoint, Prezi or similar software
  • You are a researcher who is used to collecting and analysing data but not communicating research findings
  • You are a researcher who has to regularly brief designers and developers
  • You're a designer working for a research company who wishes to learn more about information graphics and interactives

We also offer further bespoke data visualisation training for businesses – click here for more information.

Course description

This evening masterclass will look at how raw data can be turned into striking visual stories – focusing specifically on the problems and issues faced by researchers and analysts. There will be a workshop in this masterclass in which participants will be asked to collaborate on creating their own wireframes before presenting back to the group. Topics covered on the evening include:

  • The importance of good visual storytelling
  • Designing and presenting graphs and charts to maximise their impact and memorability
  • Common mistakes that researchers make when talking to a general audience
  • The evolution of data visualisation, and examples of best practice

PLEASE NOTE: Although we do discuss the different visualisation software options available, this is not a software training course

Tutor profiles

Adam Frost was formerly head of data visualisation at the Guardian's Digital Agency. He is now content director at Graphic, an agency specialising in data visualisation. His work has appeared on the Guardian, the New Statesman, Buzzfeed and elsewhere. He has produced infographics and interactives for a range of public and private-sector clients including the Department for Education, HMRC, Google, P&G, Nestle and Unilever.

Tobias Sturt was head of Creative at the Guardian's Digital Agency and is now creative director of Graphic. He has been working in digital storytelling for almost two decades, in all kinds of media, from web to TV to games to infographics. He has also worked on more conventional digital development projects, from website design to branding, from mobile app interfaces to print projects.

Full course and returns information on the Masterclasses website

Organized by

Welcome to Guardian Masterclasses – a unique programme of learning embedded within one of the world's most forward-thinking media organisations.

We offer a broad range of short and long courses across a variety of disciplines from creative writing, journalism, photography and design, film and digital media, music and cultural appreciation.

Harnessing the expertise and specialisms within the organisation, our courses are led by first class and award winning guardian professionals whilst also drawing on the skills and expertise of other leading figures at the forefront of the creative and digital industries.

The programme is aimed at anyone interested in personal or professional development whether that be refining your skills, focusing your ambition or simply broadening your mind and gaining inspiration.

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