As creating viz regularly may lead to a block sometimes, I seek out inspirations for my next viz. Besides Twitter, I go through other media at times to unblock my mind. One of the magazines that I flip for ideas is the Economist. The Economists are filled with more charts compared to other publications that I have access to. Its charts are often in the distinctive red and blue that their readers are familiar with. Although many of the charts are simple bar and line charts, there are some innovative ones among them. The Economist is after all a weekly newspaper that brings facts to readers in an easily readable manner.
Below are the 3 vizzes that I have found interesting enough to make note of:
1. Disturbingly spikey from Issue 3 Apr 2021
A combination chart of what looks like a warming stripe and a line chart. This chart puts 2 metrics together and presents a story in a digestible manner for readers. Using the colour gradient as the background is a clever way to fill the otherwise plain line chart. Nonetheless, despite effectively showing a trend, specific numbers on colour gradients are hard to read even with a scale provided when the chart is on a print and do not allow readers to interact with it like hovering or clicking for more details.
2. Disconcerting spreads from Issue 24 Jul 2021
A combination of a scale coloured sequentially and confidence strips. This viz tells not only a story but also a choice for readers. Nevertheless, I wish the confidence strips can be labelled more clearly to give a fuller picture in a snapshot.
3. A chancellor's progress from Issue 25 Sep 2021
I like the chart because of the twist it has added to a simple line chart. The bands that signify the duration of the special events help readers understand the impact of each event and how long each of them has lasted. The additional timeline below adds more details for comparison. Although it is already packed full of information, I do think that one way to add another dimension is to make the height of the bands mean something like a bar in a bar chart.
All in all, the Economist despite its standardised format and colour still manages to offer insight and creative vizzes. Perhaps, it is a lesson for creators to have their own colour palette as a signature for their content and branding.
