IIB-awards-winnerFor more than a year, I’ve been working on-and-off on a project I call The Graphic Continuum. It’s my view of the many different types of visualizations available to us when we encode and present data. In some ways, it’s a larger, more comprehensive variation on other classification systems (for example, herehere, and maybe even here) that show how certain types of data map to certain types of graph types.

Working with Severino Ribecca, we set out to display this space in a clear and easy-to-read form. The idea was to display the space for reader to use as a resource or simply as art. We iterated dozens of times, went through multiple layouts, and determined that a horizontal grid-type layout provided the best format to show this space.

We’ve plotted nearly 90 different graphics across five main categories: Distribution, Time, Comparing Categories, Geospatial, Part-to-Whole, and Relationships. The space does not include every type of graphic, nor does it display every link between visualizations, but we view it as a thought-starter. You can use the poster to develop ideas, consider different options, or simply as a piece of art.

The Graphic Continuum is printed on heavy matte paper in a standard 24″x36″ format and is now on sale.

We hope you use it and enjoy it.

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The Graphic Continuum

The Graphic Continuum Desk Photo