Resources

I run a wide range of training and coaching relating to visually communicating with data and information, and can tailor this for social researchers, voluntary and community sector organisations, as well as the public sector.  

This page is a summary of the resources I frequently recommend.

What I cover in my training and coaching varies with your local context, but generally it draws on the following categories. NB some resources are recommended in more than one category.

Contents

There is a lot of material on this page. If you are short of time **my top recommendations are highlighted like this**.

[Last checked and updated: 25th March 2025]

Data visualisation

Reading visualisations

• Seeing Data is a good resource aimed at non-experts, to help them make sense of data visualisations which covers key terms, how data visualisations are made, factors that influence our experience with them and a chance to rate a few yourself.

  • 10 key terms

  • Top 5 things to look for (or visualisation in a hurry)

  • Taking time with visualisation

Basic charting

Helpful, practical guidance about charts, with illustrated examples:

• ** Datawrapper's blog **

Chart types

• The FT's Visual Vocabulary, as poster or interactive resource 

• Storytelling With Data

• Datawrapper 

• The Chartmaker Directory 

Maps

This is a massive field in its own right, and not my speciality field, though I have created many maps in my time. Here are a few resources that I think are useful for getting started:

• To understand different types of maps, you will find maps listed as a chart type in the three resources immediately above

• Always start by asking yourself, should this map be a map? Read this article by Matt Ericson for context.

  • ‘The impulse is since the data can be mapped, the best way to present the data must be a map…Showing the data in another form might answer other — and sometimes more important — questions’

•  Advice on choropleth maps from Datawrapper

•  Advice on applying colour to maps from Datawrapper

• Helpful tool for working out colour palettes for maps from ColorBrewer

Visual design of data visualisation

• Using text well, by Datawrapper

• The small decisions that make a big difference to your designs by Visualising Data

Spreadsheets (sort, filter, do maths, pivot tables)

• School of Data (using Google's tools)

Tools

Don’t forget each tool will have its own gallery, and tutorials how to get the best out of it. 

If ever you want to go and find out more about a tool you’ve heard someone talking about:

• Andy Kirk's 'collection of some of the many data visualisation (and related) tools, applications, toolkits, libraries, platforms, and packages'   

For templated data visualisation, with some design options:

• Tableau

• Datawrapper 

For templated design, with basic data visualisation and infographic options:

• Infogram 

• Canva

• Visme

• Excel: don’t forget, you can still do lots in Excel!

For templated datavis and design, some 'integrations' to watch:

• Datawrapper and PowerPoint

• Flourish and Canva

Collaborating with an expert is an option if budget allows.

Additional resources

Online guidance:

• Government Analysis Function > Guidance hub > Data visualisation: charts

• ONS Data visualisation guidance 

Another helpful resource, that links to lots of other resources: 

• Datawrapper's blog 

Have a go! Communities of practice

Learn from fellow learners:

• #makeovermonday 

• #SWDchallenge (Storytelling With Data) 

• Tableau users, find your nearest TUG group 

Situating your data work

Approaches to data visualisation that take more account of context

• Book: The Data Storytelling Workbook 'From tracking down information to symbolising human experiences, this book  is your guide to telling more effective, empathetic and evidence-based data stories'

Support to help you develop a data strategy and data culture

• ** ‘Self-service learning program … for the non-technical folks in your organization' (series of lunch-hour group exercises): the Data Culture Project ** 

• Organisations in UK

  • DataKindUK ‘Our vision is of a world in which social change organisations in the UK are making full, responsible use of data science to aid their work and increase their impact’

  • The Data Collective ‘A community for people using data in the social sector’

  • Data Orchard ‘Helping organisations use data for better decisions and greater impact’

Further reading

•  ** Book: Data Feminism Available to read online. By Catherie D'Ignazio and Lauren Klein, 2020 **

Infographics

Infographic guidance online is minimal these days, erring on the side of advising you to collaborate with professional designers:

• Government Analysis Function > Guidance hub > Data visualisation: infographics 

• ONS diagrams 

Tools

See ‘Tools’ section for visual design, below

Visual design: Layout

Principles of graphic design

Two takes on the principles of graphic design, to help you take decisions about layouts:

• 7 basic principles of graphic design by London College of Contemporary Arts

• 5 Principles of Visual Design in UX by Nielsen Norman Group

Tools

Don’t forget each tool will have its own gallery, and tutorials how to get the best out of it. 

Also, popular tools such as Canva, are likely to have someone local to you running training or support groups, in person or online. Have a look on EventBrite or MeetUp or local Chamber of Commerce, for example.

Templated design, basic data visualisation and infographic options:

• Infogram 

• Canva

• Visme

For total control over your design:

• Adobe Illustrator (design industry software, expensive)

• Inkscape (free)

• Powerpoint: This is the tool that most people have access to and are familiar with. This can be used as a design tool. 

• Collaborating with an expert: This is an option if your budget allows. If there’s a piece of work you’ve seen and like, search for who designed it and contact them.

Additional resources

• ** Graphic design guidance pitched at a helpful level **

• Find out if your organisation has brand guidelines, and templates, and if there is helpful guidance contained within them. Meet someone in the team who created them if possible.

  • Need a template, or to update your templates? Talk to Klair Clarke

• ** Start a library of examples ** including your own work, for ideas and inspiration for future work.

• Identify your local experts for support:

• Design-confident peers

• Design/marketing/comms department

• The professional printer your organisation always uses

• See also Nifty Fox’s page of resources relating to communicating visually

Visual design: Images and icons

Over-arching guidance

• On how to use images and make them accessible, from GOV.UK 

Icon libraries

• The Noun Project 

• Flat Icon 

Image libraries

A few, of very many, stock image libraries online which have free images, as well as paid for options. Also check the software you use, that increasingly provides access to some imagery too.

Photography (as well as other imagery)

• Pexels

• Unsplash

• Age-positive image library from Age without limits: 'We've created the first free library showing positive and realistic images of over 50s'

Illustration (as well as other imagery)

• Storyset, good for representing diversity

• iStock

• Freepik

Copyright

Usually, you are required to include a credit for the person who created any images or icons you use. The library from where you sources the image or icon will have guidance on this.

• Short guide to understanding copyright, licensing and attribution for photos and images by Dan Kemp

• Understanding what Creative Commons licensing is from Creative Commons

Visual design: Colour

• How to pick more beautiful colors for your data visualizations from Datawrapper

• How to chose related or contrasting colours for your designs from W3Schools

Tools

• To help you choose colour scales from ColorBrewer

• Generate a colour palette from your own image from Coolors

Storytelling

The most useful sources of storytelling guidance I've come across, with a strong overlap with working with data, are:

• ReStory Rocket Framework from Nifty Fox provides a framework for academics to communicate better about the impact of their research

  • Also check out their blog for many other great resources and tips

• The Data Storytelling Workbook, a book from Anna Feigenbaum and Aria Alamalhodaei: 'From tracking down information to symbolising human experiences, this book  is your guide to telling more effective, empathetic and evidence-based data stories' 

• The Big Idea worksheet from Storytelling With Data, for datavis that tells a better story

• This blog post, amongst many others, drawing on Nancy Duarte's body of work about communication and presentation

• Lots of workshop ideas for teams to start building their own data culture, from the Data Culture Project by Catherine D'Ignazio and Rahul Bhargava.

• The 'therefore test', a handy tool for sense-checking your storytelling logic from Mike D'Abramo

Writing and editing your content

• Gov.uk's helpful over-arching guidance: Planning, writing and managing content

• Book, Ginny Redish: Letting Go of the Words 

• An online tool that challenges you to write more accessibly: Hemingway app 

Accessibility

Remember, you are rarely designing for your own immediate requirements, but those of your audience. Guidance to help you do this:

• Understanding accessibility requirements from GOV.UK 

• Guidance for designing for users with accessibility needs (autistic spectrum, screen readers, low vision, physical or motor disabilities, deaf or hard of hearing, dyslexia) plus, added more recently, dyscalculia from the Government Digital Service

• On how to use images and make them accessible from GOV.UK 

• Online tool to check text colour is legible against background colour from Adobe 

• Do your colour choices work for colour blind users? You can download useful tools for computers or mobile phones to show you in real time what people with common colour vision impairments will see.  These are just two of many tools out there:

  • For your computer screen: ColorOracle

  • For your mobile phone: Chromatic Vision Simulator

• Also, check to see if these tools are built into the software you already use.

Digital skills

Much of this work assumes a level of digital skill, knowledge and experience. One organisation supporting others to acquire this is:

• Third Sector Lab ‘Consultancy, training and strategy to help charities get the most out of digital’

Collaborating with an expert is an option, too, if budget allows.

Impact reporting

I have found conversations about working with data often lead to impact reporting. There are many resources online to support you in acquiring skills to do this work:

• School for Social Entrepreneurs

• NPC 

• NCVO 

• SCVO 

• Locality 

• Also, search online for relevant consultants, coaches, trainers. There are lots! A good starting point is The Fair Collective

If you have used a resource that helped you and isn’t listed here, please let me know. Equally, if you have negative feedback on your experience with any of these, also let me know. Thank you.