We humans have a hard time comprehending our future. Fortunately, there’s a lot of great science being done about our collective future. Unfortunately, this data is typically presented in a way that feels removed from our human experience. No matter how real data is — if we don’t perceive it as having a direct, tangible impact […]
Connecting with audiences based on the values that are behind a desired activity/behavior can be more powerful than highlighting benefits to the audience. This values-driven approach has been shown to have more impact than ‘saving the environment’ or even ‘cost savings’ messages, according to the founder of Climate Outreach, George Marshall, who presented at Behavior, Energy and Climate Change […]
For this year’s Minnesota State Fair, we’ve teamed up with Fresh Energy and Connexus Energy to create a three-dimensional display to draw attention to a new way of thinking about renewable energy: Pollinator-friendly solar. Our display, part of “The Common Table: Minnesota Eats” exhibit in the Agriculture Horticulture Building, highlights how our region is leading […]
We’re often asked, “What type of graph should I use for this data?” We also see a lot of variety in how similar data sets are visualized (some working better than others). There’s plenty of debate out there, so how do you decide? We’ve created this visual guide to recommend best practices, which starts with […]
“We need more multi-disciplinary… communication… social science… storytelling.” I was struck by the reoccurring mention of these terms while attending the National Council for Science and the Environment (NCSE) annual conference in Washington, D.C. in late January. NCSE is a conference of scientists (primarily earth & physical scientists) who do highly specialized research related to environment and climate. At this year’s event, I presented […]
Online engagement tool shapes the City’s future The latest phase of our work with the City of Minneapolis launched this week: A new online, interactive engagement tool designed to involve residents in shaping the next 20 years of City development. This visual story utilizes a scrolling technique called “parallax,” which creates a deeper, more immersive […]
Effectively communicating sustainability across sectors What do European climate scientists, Midwest U.S. organic farmers, and small arts organizations have in common? They all have a huge amount of data (or potential for it) and battle with balancing science and more personal, emotional messages in their communications. In the past few months, I’ve presented to scientists […]
Visual storytelling reveals context and appeals to our individual beliefs Riding the tails of Brexit and the U.S. presidential election, Oxford Dictionaries has selected “post-truth” as 2016’s international word of the year. It’s not hard to believe, given the events of the past year, to see how people do not make decisions based purely on […]
When to use a photo vs. an icon There are many style options available when it comes to communicating information visually. Photos excel at evoking emotion in individual scenarios, when the photograph literally represents what is being communicated. Icon-focused infographics tend to group information on a more broad level: reflecting general patterns and information rather than specific, individual – and quite […]