If a picture is worth a thousand words, a good infographic is worth a thousand pages – particularly during a time in which the language of elections and pandemics is data.

In this in-depth, two-part workshop with award-winning information designer Valentina D’Efilippo, you will learn how to speak the essential language of data visualisation, discovering how data is visualised for greatest impact.

Mixing theoretical instruction with exercises in sketching and storyboarding, this two-part workshop will cover visual storytelling, data literacy, and cognitive maps as a tool to encode and decode data.

No experience or software is required to attend this masterclass, but you will need some materials to draw with (paper, coloured pencils and pens, if you have them).

All participants will receive a digital handout after the workshop with reading materials and an overview of digital tools.

Course Content

Introduction to the history and principles of data visualisation
The core principles of visual storytelling with data
The anatomy of an infographic
Sketching as a rapid prototyping tool
The process of encoding and decoding in practice
Understanding different charts
Maximising design for best impact, understanding and memorability
An overview of digital tools
Group discussion of visual outcomes

This course is for ...

Beginners to data visualisation and infographics who want to develop a foundational understanding to apply to their own projects
Anyone interested in learning about storytelling with data through hands-on exercises

You will be sent a link to the online workshop 2hrs before the start time of 3pm (BST).

Tutor Profile

Valentina D’Efilippo is a graphic designer with a special interest in information design. After studying industrial design in Italy, she moved to London and gained a postgraduate degree in graphic design at the London College of Communication. She has worked with a number of leading agencies contributing to award-winning campaigns for global brands. In 2013 she published The Infographic History of the World.

You will be sent a link to the online workshop 2hrs before the start time of 3pm (GMT).

Course Details

Date: Wednesday 22 – Thursday 23 September 2021
Time: 3pm-6pm (BST)

3pm BST | 4pm CEST | 7am PDT | 11am EDT

This masterclass is available globally. If you are joining us from outside the United Kingdom, please use this time zone converter to check your local live streaming time.

You will be sent a link to the webinar two hrs before the start time. Please email masterclasses@theguardian.com if you have not received the access link within one hour of the scheduled start time.

All Guardian Masterclasses are fully accessible but please contact us at masterclasses@theguardian.com if you have any queries or concerns.

Full course and returns information on the Masterclasses website

Visual storytelling with data: A two-day infographic bootcamp