Masterclass: Visual Storytelling With Data

Full event details including how to join our zoom room will be sent out 24 hours before the event via email.

Objectives

The main goal of this workshop is to provide the knowledge and practical skills necessary to develop a strong foundation on information design.

Poorly designed presentations of data slow down decision-making, mislead your audience and can ultimately damage your brand. This workshop combines theoretical instruction with exercises in sketching and storyboarding to provide a detailed understanding of different aspects of decision-making that go into the creation of an effective data-driven narrative (infographic or dataviz).

• Gain a clear understanding of why and how we visualize data.
• Enhance the sophistication of how to read and evaluate the effectiveness of visual displays of information, in order to create better briefs and/or provide effective feedback.
• Learn how to maximize design for impact, understanding, and memorability.
• Identify the best-fit solutions for data visualization through a step-by-step process.
• Build a vocabulary of terms to bring back into your workflow.

Dataviz and infographic storytelling are fast-evolving graphic languages that are transforming design, data journalism and presentations. This online seminar provides an introduction to data visualisation’s potential as a storytelling medium as well as the principles behind the construction of effective and compelling visual displays of information.

Format

The content is delivered through a mix of teaching, discussion, and exercises across three 4-hour sessions on consecutive days. The workshops will commence at 1:00pm and finish at 5pm on each day (UK time).

Attendees will work independently and in groups to address briefs with original visual solutions.

Topics covered include:

• The history and principles of data-driven storytelling
• Visual perception theory in practice
• The anatomy of an effective visual display of information
• Colour theory and usage
• Charting conventions: dos and don'ts
• Visual metaphors and semiotics applied to data encoding
• Motion and interactivitity
• Primary considerations: audience, purpose, medium
• An overview of selected digital tools

Audience

The seminar is designed to accommodate up to 18 participants to allow group discussions and individual participation. It is ideal for people with an interest in telling stories through data and no design experience is required.

Attendees come from various backgrounds and sectors:

• Data researchers, analysts, statisticians, journalists, marketers, students looking to enhance the creativity and impact of their communications through design
• Designers or developers looking to get a better understanding of data-driven visual solutions

What you need:

• Basic drawing materials (pencil, pen, etc.)
• A smartphone to snap pictures of your sketches
• Access to a video camera and the video conference tool Zoom

Valentina D’Efilippo is an award-winning designer, author, trainer and TEDx speaker. Her passion for visual communication and digital media has taken form in data visualisation, art direction, and interaction design.

Her work has won many recognitions and has been exhibited internationally. Her critically acclaimed book, "The Infographic History of the World", co-authored with data journalist James Ball, has been translated into eleven languages. Valentina is also the co-author and illustrator of the groundbreaking "Britannica’s Encyclopedia Infographica", an awe-inspiring encyclopedia for kids featuring thousands of facts and hundreds of original infographics covering a vast range of topics – from space to planet Earth, the animal kingdom and the human body.

Valentina's unique blend of creativity, storytelling, and data-driven insights has led her to collaborate with public organizations, start-ups, agencies, and global brands across a wide range of fields and formats. Her work spans theater productions, exhibitions, editorial content, and interactive platforms, establishing her as a leading voice in the field of data visualization and information design.

Valentina's passion for sharing knowledge has also led her to coach corporate teams and teach at universities around the world. She has lectured at Columbia Business School and runs a popular Guardian Masterclass.

What people are saying...

Since 2014, Valentina has been teaching Masterclasses for The Guardian, the V&A and Graphic Hunters. She has trained corporate teams globally for clients such as Spotify, Google, Pfizer, UBS, OPEC, United Nations ILO, and the NHS.

Other Info

ZOOM LINKS are embedded in the Event page on Eventbrite - you will have access to it once you register. You simply need to click on the link when the classes are live. We look forward to seeing you online!

Host or Publisher Valentina D'Efilippo