2025-11-19 02:57:12
I’m very happy to announce details of a new public training course: A two-day classroom-based ‘Masterclass in Data Visualisation‘ will take place in London on 5-6 February 2026.
The course is now open for registration and is relevant to anyone and everyone.
You can read more information about my training courses, which have been running since November 2011. Further public training events, virtual and classroom, will be arranged in response to demand and schedule availability. If your organisation would be interested in exploring options to arrange a training privately for your colleagues, just get in touch.
What is this training about?
This Masterclass training course provides attendees with a sophisticated understanding of how to communicate data visually in the most impactive way. Delivered over two full-day sessions this training de-constructs this complex, multi-disciplinary craft into an organised sequence of topics towards giving attendees a thorough appreciation of how to navigate through the many creative, editorial, and analytical options that exist.
In contrast to the shorter ‘Fundamentals of Data Visualisation’ training also offered by Andy Kirk, this course teaches the same contents but in more breadth and more detail, includes additional topics not covered in the shorter course, and has much more time to allow for opportunities to practice the learning on exercise activities.
Who is this training for?
This training is relevant to anyone who has a role in or undertakes duties involving the analysis, presentation, and communication of data. Whether your work is primarily concerned with building dashboards, creating infographics, constructing data stories, or producing charts for reports, its all part of the same world. This popular course will enlighten you with new ideas and approaches for visualising data in the most contextually-reasoned way.
Please note this is not technical training – you will not receive teaching in the form of tutorials for creating charts in specific tools – but you will learn more about the common tools that are being used in the field today, as well as access to useful references to help you develop your technical skills.
For more information about the course contents and objectives visit the training page where you will also find a selection of testimonials from previous attendees.
Who is this training delivered by?
Andy Kirk is an independent data visualisation expert based in the UK. He is one of the most in-demand, experienced, and prolific educators in the field, having delivered over 430 public and private training courses since becoming a freelance professional in 2010. Visit Andy’s website, visualisingdata.com, to learn more about his training experiences as well as his other work in visualisation design, consultancy, lecturing, and book authoring.
Where will this training be held?
This course will be held at the new premises of Canva at Bersey Warehouse, which is located at 293 Old Street on the corner with Coronet Street in the Hoxton area of London (postcode: EC1V 9LA) – about 6 minutes walk from Old Street underground station. Specific arrival instructions will be provided to all attendees priort to the course. Lunch is NOT provided but there will be access to hot/cold drinks and snack refreshments throughout the day. The venue is closely located to many nearby cafes and sandwich shop opens.
Timings
On both days this training commences at 9:30am and finishes around 4:30pm. Arrival will be open from 9am onwards. There will be breaks during all morning and afternoon sessions, and a lunch break each day of around 60 minutes.
Technology
Attendees are requested to bring a laptop to use as a workspace for the session. The event is not technical in nature but this will enable you to access the course materials and exercise files referred to during the sessions. You will not require any specialist software beyond Excel/Sheets, a pdf reader, and a browser. Across a day you should expect to need around 3 hours of charge. Power access will be provided for charging devices.
The online whiteboard platform, Miro, will be used extensively during the course to collate and share exercise activities. More details will be provided in the class. Other than using a browser and a pdf reader, no additional tools will be necessary to have access to or skills with for this non-technical course.
Training materials will be issued digitally, including the teaching slides, exercise files and further useful resources, and delegates will receive instructions and information about this prior to the course resources. OneDrive, as a first preference, or WeTransfer, as an alternative, will be the typical methods used for material sharing.
Registration
Registration can be made online using the built-in Eventbrite payment processing system below. Click on ‘Get Tickets’, choose the relevant ticket option, and then follow the instructions to complete the delegate registration and payment details.
If you would prefer to register offline and arrange payment via an invoice process for electronic transfer just email [email protected] to reserve your place and progress your registration.
Pricing: Fees, VAT charges, and Discounts!
The standard registration pricing for this course is £625+VAT per person. The total cost will depend on any additional processing fees, your VAT exemption status, and the application of potential discounts.
VAT charges are relevant to the following types of buyer:
VAT charges are exempt for the following types of buyer:
There are FOUR ways of joining this course at a reduced price…
(1) Subscribers to Andy Kirk’s Visualising Data Newsletter will find a promo code for a 10% discount mentioned in each monthly issue.
(2) Do you own a copy of the ‘Data Visualisation: A Handbook for Data Driven Design‘ book (any edition)? If you do there is a 10% discount available when using the promo code which is the full name of the final chart type in the gallery of methods presented in the book’s sixth chapter. The same final ‘chart’ is listed is all editions of the book. Removing the space, the code should be 7 characters in length.
To apply this discount, when you get to the training registration checkout, in the ‘Promo code’ box enter the code (not case sensitive) and this will reduce the price by 10%.
(3) Eventbrite charges a non-refundable processing fee of ~8% which applies to all registration types. To avoid incurring these additional charges you may instead choose to register offline and arrange payment via an invoice process for electronic transfer. If you/your organisation prefer this method please just email [email protected] to reserve your place and progress your registration.
(4) For some people interested in attending such training, finances can be a barrier. Whether it is due to the relative cost of living in your region or specific personal circumstances, it is entirely appreciated that financial obstacles will exist for some. As a commitment to widening access to these training courses, at least 2 places will be made available on this course, no questions asked, at a discounted ‘pay what you can afford’ basis.
If you would benefit from and feel you would qualify to take one of these available places please email [email protected] to make the necessary arrangements for your registration (ie. this may entail being issued with a discount code to apply to a standard registration procedure).
Cancellations and changes policy
Full refunds (less the non-refundable Eventbrite processing fees ~8%) are offered for any delegate cancellations made up to 7 days before the course start date. Please email [email protected] if this situation arises.
Cancellations made during the 7 days prior to the course starting will be offered a 50% refund (less processing fees), as it becomes much harder to fill a space vacated with such short notice.
Registrations can be switched to a different attendee. Please email [email protected] if this situation arises.
In the rare event the course itself has to be cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances all attendees will be offered a choice of a full refund (excluding processing fees) OR the opportunity to attend an alternative training course in the future. Refunds will be limited to registration costs alone, Visualising Data Ltd is not liable for any other costs incurred.
The post New Course: ‘Masterclass in Data Visualisation’ (London, Feb 2026) appeared first on Data Viz Excellence, Everywhere.
2025-11-14 00:03:54
My October newsletter, that was sent out to subscribers a couple of weeks ago, is now open for all to read.
You can also access this issue, as well as visit the growing catalogue of previous issues, via the Newsletter page.
If you’re not already a subscriber, its time to change that! To receive this free monthly newsletter straight into your inbox you can sign up here or visit the Newsletter page to get a bit more background information and instructions.
Let me repeat how very grateful I am for messages and feedback I receive about this newsletter, which always gives me the renewed energy to continue spending time gathering, curating, and publishing these monthly digests.
The post The October 2025 newsletter is now open to all appeared first on Data Viz Excellence, Everywhere.
2025-10-24 16:30:34
Welcome to episode 3 of season 6 of Explore Explain, a long-form video and podcast series all about data visualisation design.
In this latest episode, I am delighted to welcome Liuhuaying Yang, a Data Visualisation Designer who works at the Complexity Science Hub Research Center in Vienna, Austria. We explore the story behind Liuhuaying’s unique data visualisation ‘Not My Name‘, which explores the process and components of translating Chinese names into Pinyin.
You can watch this episode using the embedded player below or over on the dedicated Explore Explain Youtube channel, where you’ll find all the other video-based episodes and curated playlists.
To listen directly, visit this link or use the embedded podcast player below. The audio podcast is published across all common platforms (such as Apple, Spotify, Amazon Music etc.), so you will find this series listed in their respective directories by searching for ‘Explore Explain’ or by manually entering – or copying/pasting – this url to your subscriptions – https://feed.pod.co/exploreexplain.
The post Explore Explain S6 E3: Liuhuaying Yang appeared first on Data Viz Excellence, Everywhere.
2025-10-14 20:16:22
My September newsletter, that was sent out to subscribers a couple of weeks ago, is now open for all to read.
You can also access this issue, as well as visit the growing catalogue of previous issues, via the Newsletter page.
If you’re not already a subscriber, its time to change that! To receive this free monthly newsletter straight into your inbox you can sign up here or visit the Newsletter page to get a bit more background information and instructions.
Once again I’m very grateful for the messages and feedback I receive about this newsletter, which always gives me the renewed energy to continue spending time gathering, curating, and publishing these monthly digests.
The post The September 2025 newsletter is now open to all appeared first on Data Viz Excellence, Everywhere.
2025-10-08 15:34:28
Fullfiling a Childhood Dream
Last time, I talked about remote sensing, basically, how we use technology to sense and collect data about our environment. Think of it as your five senses, but upgraded with tech.
My favourite version of this, without a doubt, is LiDAR, which stands for Light Detection and Ranging. Why is it my favourite? Easy: lasers. As a kid, my fascination with lasers started after watching an episode of Drake and Josh (don’t ask which one, just trust it was iconic). And honestly, adult me still thinks lasers are amazing. So let’s talk about what LiDAR can actually do.
Welcome to Data in the Wild
Welcome back to Data in the Wild the series where we highlight real-world examples of data collection and visualization in action. As always, it’s a pleasure to be speaking to a group of people whose views on AI are as polarized as opinions on Marmite. Today, we’re diving into light, lasers, and LiDAR.
A Quick Laser Detour
Before we go too far, let’s talk about the real star of this show: the laser. It turns out “laser” is also an acronym (brace yourself): Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation.
The difference between a laser and, say, a light bulb is in how the light behaves. Normal light sources (like bulbs or the sun) emit light in different wavelengths that scatter. Laser light, on the other hand, is carefully manufactured so that all the wavelengths line up in phase and shoot in the same direction.
The result? A beam that’s:
Basically, it’s tailor-made for precision measuring. Also, it looks cool.
So What exactly is L.I.D.A.R
The “L” in LiDAR stands for light, because light is what’s used to measure distance. Here’s how it works:
A laser emits pulses of light towards a target. Those pulses bounce back to a sensor, and the system measures how long that round trip takes. Because light travels at a constant speed (2.99792458 × 10⁸ m/s — thank you GCSE physics), we can use the formula
Distance = Speed × Time
From Lasers to Point Clouds
Here’s where it gets fun. Every time a LiDAR system measures a distance, it records a point in space and not just one. We’re talking millions of these points, each with:
Together, these points form what’s called a point cloud. If a regular 2D map is like drawing on paper, a point cloud is like building a Lego model of the real world. It gives us an incredibly detailed 3D picture of whatever’s being scanned, from forests to city blocks.
Why This Matters
This is why I love LiDAR. With these 3D coordinate datasets, we can explore places in incredible detail without even being there.
And that’s just the start. L.i.D.A.R is used in archaeology, conservation, city planning, autonomous vehicles… the list keeps growing.
But isn’t it Expensive?
Yeah, it is. If you’re starting from scratch, a full LiDAR setup usually involves:
All in, you’re looking at around $20,000+ to get going properly. So yes, there’s a barrier to entry. But for smaller experiments, community projects, or collaborations, it’s becoming more accessible than you might think. That’s a topic for another day.
LiDAR takes something invisible, light, and uses it to map the world in stunning 3D detail. It’s data collection at its most elegant and, honestly, its most fun.
So if you are a fan of these more in-depth breakdowns on data sourcing and how tech can be used to understand the world, see you next time when we uncover more data… in the wild.
Imagine mapping the world using light. That’s exactly what LiDAR does. It fires laser pulses that bounce off objects and return to a sensor, calculating distances with GCSE-level physics. Repeating this millions of times creates point clouds detailed 3D maps. From mapping cities to powering self-driving cars, LiDAR reveals the invisible.
Our five senses are amazing… but limited.
Enter remote sensing: satellites, planes, and sensors that upgrade how we see the world. From zooming in on Google Earth to mapping the ocean floor sometimes the best datasets aren’t online — they’re captured from above, below, and beyond.
Ancient Andean cultures used quipus knotted strings as a powerful form of data encoding. Long before spreadsheets, these tactile tools tracked census data, resources, and stories. Each knot carried meaning. Portable, durable, and deeply structured, quipus are a forgotten ancestor of modern data viz reminding us that information has always needed form.
The post Data in the wild #14: Light, Lasers & LIDAR appeared first on Data Viz Excellence, Everywhere.
2025-10-02 22:37:42
I’m thrilled to see a visualisation I created has been included in a new graphics book by Nigel Holmes, titled ‘Let’s Get Infografit: A Graphic Look at Exercise and Health‘.
Nigel got in touch with me late 2023 to ask “what you do to try to stay in some sort of shape: do you do anything? Running? Weight training? Treadmill? Yoga? At home? In a gym? Golf? Tennis? Swimming? Ski jumping?“.
After brushing away initial concern that he was writing to critically comment on my ‘some sort of shape’-ness, I realised he was instead enquiring to see if I had produced any prior visualisations on such a topic and, if so, would I be willing to contribute them towards the next book he was working on?
I didn’t have any existing work matching that brief, but I did have some data, with a year’s worth – and growing – of recorded details relating to aspects of my fitness and health. This data was just gathering spreadsheet dust, sat there yearning to be analysed.
I therefore agreed, with a huge sense of appreciation for the opportunity, to work on something new using this data that may be submitted for his consideration for inclusion. And, thankfully, it was included, in a chapter showcasing other graphic contributions from fellow information design friends in the field.
The graphic I created takes the form of a personal fitness scorecard, based on self-recorded data covering my daily weight, food portion size across meals, alcohol consumption, and exercise activities with granular details of outdoor runs especially.
This was initially framed over a period of 10 weeks – the 5 weeks leading up to Christmas day and the 5 weeks after – but having worked up an initial version I then re-read the brief and realised I’d misunderstood the graphic dimension requirements and so I had to kill those initial 5 weeks for space reasons. This wasn’t the worst thing to do as I caught Covid and did nothing but eat over Christmas so there was a large void in my fitness activity data!
My goal, as stated in the final graphic, was “Following the excesses of Christmas, in the face of unfavourable winter conditions and a busy work schedule, I aim to drop my weight below target within one month through a combination of healthier diet, smaller portions, and increased frequency of walks and running activities.”
I designed it with an aesthetic style inspired by 1950s baseball scorebooks, with folded-cardboard background and a limited colour palette of blue red and white, and with a typeface and icons similarly inspired by aspects of that mid-century, retro-futurism era that, at the time of producing the graphic, I was exposed to through the TV show ‘Fallout’.
I was happy enough with the outcome of the design (and also the fact that I reached my target weight objective, so nice that would be captured in the data and the graphic!). I just wished I’d fully proofed how the white annotated text would look in the eventual published graphic, which appeared fine on screen and in draft pdf but, ultimately, I feel gets lost contrast wise in the published graphic – that’s my responsibility and my error, not Nigel’s nor the publishers.
Here’s a copy of the final short/squarer version published in the book.
If you’d like to see a gif of the design process and version iterations, click on the below…
The post Visualisation work included in new book by Nigel Holmes appeared first on Data Viz Excellence, Everywhere.
