You may have seen a recent post where I published details of a great event being held in February 2011. The O’Reilly Strata ‘Making Data Work’ conference will bring together a unique blend of professionals, experts and innovators from all walks of the data world, including a very strong visualisation presence.
For those who can make it, once again, allow me to express my recommendation that you attend. To register your interest, click here, and don’t forget to use the 15% event discount code for Visualising Data readers: str11vsd.
However, if you can a short while, you may be able to attend the event entirely free of charge. I’m delighted to reveal details of a competition I am running to give one lucky person the chance to win a Full Conference Pass to the event, worth up to $1500.
The Contest
The theme of this contest is visualisations in the wild and the challenge is to take a photo of a great example of best practice information design being used in everyday life.
I’m looking for unique examples that demonstrate the value and power of good visualisation practice, designs that help to make your day go by that little bit more smoothly. It might be the display on your clock radio, the dashboard in your car, the arrivals board at an airport, maybe some food information on packaging or even the instruction diagrams to build a cupboard. It might be something so small, so minor, so mundane but equally so elegantly efficient at communicating some information.
How to Enter
To enter all you have to do is send me a photo or video of your example and accompany it with a short explanation of why you think it is a great representation.
Please keep the description brief, ideally using a maximum of 140 characters to keep it Twitter-proof.
Send your submissions to me on email [email protected] or via a direct message on Twitter @visualisingdata.
How Will the Winner be Judged?
The assessment will be based on two criteria:
- How well the visualisation functions – the accuracy and clarity of the information exchange
- How elegant the visual design is – its visceral appeal
The only rules are that I won’t accept examples from print or digital media nor from corporate/commercial setting. For example, don’t send me photos of a graphic from the New York Times, screen shots of a TV graphic, nor your company’s latest monthly sales report. As I’ve said above, it is about sharing examples of the everyday information designs – visualisations from the wild – that interest me. I will let you know if you’ve innocently violated these rules to give you chance to re-enter!
Results
The contest is open now and will close at midnight on Friday 3rd December. I will reveal the winner on Monday 6th December.
Good luck and happy visualisation hunting!