PREP WEEK: Sketching without and with data, and a guest lecture from Duncan Geere.
PREP WEEK
This we are going to prepare for what is coming next week. What will we do next week you ask? Next week there will be a feedback round with your coaches. For this you need to:
- Update your documentation page
- Post what your subtopic is on Slack
- Make some exploratory sketches
Guest lecture
Duncan Geere shows how sketching has become a crucial part of his data visualization process over the last few years. In this video He explains how it fits into his process, why he finds it useful, and how to get started with sketching.
Duncan also has written a great article about sketching on his blog:
https://blog.duncangeere.com/how-to-start-dataviz-sketching/
Data Sketching Exercise
If you like to get ahead in visualizing and sketching, you can do an exercise, before visualizing your real data.
The interesting thing about data sketches is that you don’t necessarily need data, but just experiment with form! Think of your subtopic, and just start sketching. The thing about sketching is that it’s okay to draw weird stuff, it’s just a sketch! Sketches don’t need to look beautiful, just throw them away if you don’t like them.
So with your subtopic in your mind, make at least 10 form sketches:
- a bar graph
- a line graph
- a pie chart
- a flow chart
- a stacked bar chart
- an area chart
- a treemap chart
- a bubble chart
- a map
- a fantasy chart
Now you are ready for the real thing: sketching with your data.
Of course we would like to see them, so share them in Slack!
