
Welcome to the knowledge-sharing home of independent data visualisation expert, ANDY KIRK
Hi, I’m an independent data visualisation expert based in Yorkshire (UK) delivering a range of professional services to clients worldwide. I work as a data visualisation design consultant and trainer, but I’m also an adjunct lecturer on the MSc Business Analytics programme at UCL, a three-times published author, a researcher, a sought-after speaker, and host of the ‘Explore Explain’ video and podcast series.
Since launching visualisingdata.com as a blog in 2009 this site has grown to become a popular reference in the data visualisation field for new enthusiasts and experienced practitioners alike, offering written discourse, collections of resources, design references, and contemporary examples. Across these pages you’ll find examples of my work and experiences, as well as lots of useful resources and information I’ve gained from tracking and participating in this recent golden era of growth in the data visualisation field.
Data Visualisation Training
I’m fortunate to be one of the most in-demand, prolific, and experienced data visualisation trainer. Since starting them in 2011, nearly 8000 people have attended over 375 public and private training courses, virtually and in-person in 27 countries.
The training page has lots of information about my range of training offerings, which include public and private training courses, different short, medium, and long duration formats to suit different learning appetites and budgets, and courses delivered through in-person classroom events or as online virtual sessions.
Podcast & Video Series
Explore Explain is a long-form data visualisation podcast and video series. Each episode is based on a detailed conversation with visualisation designers, developers, and data journalists to explore the story behind a single or series of visualisations, or a related major project.
There is a diverse cast of talented practitioners from across the field and around the world, showcasing a variety of different types of visualisation work. Visit the podcast page to see the full line-up of previous guests and links to all episode videos and audio from across the first four seasons of this series.
AWARD-WINNING BOOK
‘Data Visualisation: A Handbook for Data Driven Design’ is an award-winning second edition published by Sage in 2019.
The aim of this book is to help people to become more sophisticated in how they go about communicating data in visual form. It focuses on the craft of this discipline, taking a human-centred perspective on the complex challenges in optimising creative, analytical, and contextual decision-making.
Portfolio of Work
Visit the work page to see a portfolio of examples that characterise the wide range of professional and public services I offer, one-off personal projects, and some of my public collections of learning, resources, and articles collections.
Not all commercial projects can be shared publicly but the work that is shown is created and shared with the motivation of spreading knowledge about good data visualisation practice.
BLOG POSTS
Visualisingdata.com was originally launched in 2010 originally to serve as a blog to help continue the momentum of my learning from studying the subject via a Masters degree. I continue to publish articles and share announcements that track developments in my professional experiences as well as developments in the data visualisation field at large.
In the panels above you will see a random selection of six sample posts to offer a flavour of the content that is available to read through. Visit the posts page to see the full collection of all my published posts, starting with the newest and dating back to 2010, tracking. These posts include articles, design commentaries, podcast updates, professional updates, and general news from across the data visualisation field.
Data Visualisation Resources
The resources catalogue organises links to hundreds of tools, applications, and libraries across many different categories of the data visualisation technology landscape.
Most of the tools compiled are directly applicable to the creating of data visualisations (like making charts or developing interactives), with others assisting with different aspects of the creative process (such as statistical analysis, colour generation, sketching).
Chartmaker Directory
The Chartmaker Directory is a collection of hundreds of references to examples and technical solutions that help answer that most common of questions: what tools can make which charts, and which charts can be made with what tools?
This directory displays the chart-making capabilities of around 40 of the most common tools selected from the resources catalogue against a list of around 50 distinct chart types.
CLIENTS
These are some of the organisations with whom I’ve had the pleasure of working since founding Visualising Data Ltd in 2010. They represent a wide range of different client organisations, from across all industries, sectors, and regions, operating in all shapes, types and sizes, and seeking different types of professional support. Some engagements have been for one-off work, others for recurring projects. Some have been short-term in nature, others more long-term.
Every organisation has and uses data, which means every organisation could and should be embracing the importance of harnessing a sophisticated data visualisation capability. Whatever your organisation’s data visualisation needs, get in touch and we’ll explore the knowledge transfer solutions needed to best support you.