Dataviz Drawing Class: Learn to design custom, creative data visualisations

Please read refund policy before booking, thank you!

Drawing from life now means drawing our data! Learn the benefits of sketching off-screen when creating custom, creative data visualisations.

Wednesday 4 June 2025 + Thursday 5 June 2025

A workshop held in two sessions over two days

Online & intimate: maximum 16 participants

Session time each day:

8:00 - 11:45 CT

9:00 - 12:45 ET

14:00 - 17:45 GMT

15:00 - 18:45 CET

(living elsewhere? Use this timezone converter)

*A week before the workshop, Zoom links will be sent via Eventbrite's email platform to the email address registered on the ticket*

About the workshop:

Drawing from life now means drawing our data! In this drawing class, data is the lively, vibrant model on the plinth before us.

Starting a data project through sketching by hand introduces novel ways of thinking, and leads to designs that are uniquely customised for the specific type of data problems we are working with. How would your approach within a data-driven project change if you started by sketching offscreen instead of jumping directly into visualisation software or code?

This intimate, two-session workshop is structured as follows:

Session 01 begins by providing a basic overview of data visualisation as seen through the lens of drawing. Next, participants undertake a series of fast-paced drawing challenges where they work with the constraints inherent in a single black crayon or stick of charcoal, applying techniques found in traditional drawing classes to data visualisation and exploring quick experimental strategies for pushing their custom visualisation ideas into new directions.

Session 02 puts the ideation techniques from Session 01 into practice, where participants will explore the creation of a custom visualisation system using nothing but basic drawing materials.

Alongside the class project, participants will gain insight into what a custom dataviz design process looks like as well as how to find visual inspiration when creating a custom visualisation method.

By the end of this workshop, participants will both better understand how to implement a creative data design process and also have access to a variety of off-screen creative strategies for working with data and shaping its aesthetic (even if moving onto the computer / into code at a later point!)

Topics covered include:

• Why start by drawing your data?
• Introduction to rule-based drawing as an approach to creating a data visualisation
• Quick offscreen visualisation techniques: learning approaches to quickly sketch visualisation ideas and push visual experimentation
• Basic data analysis to serve visualisation ideation
• The custom data visualisation design process
• The role of underlying architecture within a custom visualisation design
• What else do you need? Communicating your visualisation rules to a newcomer

By the end of the workshop, attendees will:

• Create a unique visual system to visualise a dataset
• See data visualisation from a different angle through using drawing techniques normally used in art/design school
• Discover strategies for integrating off-screen, hand-drawn ideation methods into their data visualisation process, whatever the application

Technical requirements:

• Workshop sessions are held online using the free Zoom app (Sign up here)
• Our shared workspace is hosted by Miro (free and accessible in browser, no download / account setup required. First time using Miro? Here's an intro!)
• Spreadsheet software like Excel or Google Sheets (free) is required to work with the class dataset
• Access to Eventbrite emails: workshop communications will come through the Eventbrite platform... make sure these don't go to your spam folder!

Drawing materials needed:

• One black or dark-coloured crayon (or charcoal!) you don’t mind destroying
• 20 sheets of plain A4 / Letter paper
• Selection of coloured pencils / fine tip markers, minimum 6 different colours
• Pencil with eraser
• Black pen
• Drawing tools (optional): Ruler / straight edge
• A smartphone camera to take photos of your work to upload to Miro

Testimonials from previous attendees:

'A perfect introduction into data visualisation!'

'The workshop's timed exercises helped me overcome 'perfectionism freeze'!'

‘An excellent mix of introduction/theory and applied learning… I could literally feel my brain stretching trying to think differently, which was a good thing!'

About the course leader

Stefanie Posavec is a designer, artist, and author focused on creating playful, accessible, and human-scaled custom approaches to communicating data.

Her work has been exhibited at major galleries including MoMA, the Storefront for Art and Architecture (New York), the Centre Pompidou (Paris), ArtScience Museum (Singapore), the V&A (Kensington and Storehouse), the Design Museum, the Wellcome Collection, the Science Museum, The Southbank Centre, and Somerset House (London), and Bletchley Park. She was Facebook's first data-artist-in-residence at their Menlo Park campus, and recent art residencies include the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, London.

Her Dear Data project (with Giorgia Lupi) has transformed data visualisation education and is included across the globe as a standard part of design, visualisation and data science curriculum for all ages and education levels. Besides leading to two hugely-popular books (Dear Data and the journal Observe, Collect, Draw!) the project was also nominated for Design Museum’s ‘Designs of the Year 2016’ and is held in the permanent collection of MoMA. Recently she undertook the book design and art direction of chart design for the activist Greta Thunberg’s much-lauded The Climate Book.

Stefanie’s latest illustrated book (I am a book. I am a portal to the universe., co-authored with Miriam Quick) has received multiple accolades, including being named one of the Financial Times’ ‘Best Books of 2020’, winning the Royal Society’s Young People’s Book Prize 2021, and winning Silver (in the 'Unusual' category) in the Information is Beautiful Awards.

Reduced tickets:

Limited discounted tickets are available for attendees from low- or middle-income countries (who are not employed by international corporations). Current reduced fees can be found in the ticket dropdown menu.

Cancellation / change policy:Note: Please reach out to me sooner than later with any issues, I am always happy to help! Reaching out as soon as you envisage a potential problem means more options for resolution :)

Tickets cannot be transferred to other events.

Full refunds (minus the non-refundable Eventbrite processing fee) are offered for any cancellations made up to 7 days before the course start date.

50% refunds (minus the non-refundable Eventbrite processing fee) are offered for any cancellations made less than 7 days before the course start date.

No refunds are offered for any cancellations made less than 36 hours before the course start date/time.

Alternatively, you can switch your registration to another person! Please email stef@stefanieposavec.com to discuss in more detail.

In the extremely, extremely rare event the course itself has to be cancelled because of unforeseen circumstances, all attendees will be given a full refund (this includes the processing fee). Refunds are limited to registration costs only: Stefanie Posavec is not liable for any other costs incurred.