My path<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nAt first, I was just studying the works of others, hesitating to try it myself, though ideas for data encoding had been circling in my head. As is often the case, my first attempt happened by accident. A few members met offline at a caf\u00e9 just before Christmas to get to know each other and to attempt creating a data art project right there, on paper, using pens or markers, based on each person\u2019s own data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I loved it! Both the process and the result, even if it looked quite simple.<\/p>\n\n\n
\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dvsnightingale.wpenginepowered.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/1_My-first-data-art-sketch-768x1024.jpeg?resize=720%2C960&ssl=1\")
My first data art sketch based on data from that meetup<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nAfter that, I was eager to create something of my own\u2014something real, not on paper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As with any data visualization project, the key steps are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n- choose a topic<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- find data<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- and, in this case, invent a way to encode the data into visuals\u2014the most creative part, in my view<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
An important decision is the path you take in encoding and presenting data art:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n- One way is symbolic\u2014any geometric figure, flower, or petal can mean anything, depending on what data value or category you assign to it<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- The other way is to keep it as close as possible to the real object in the data, which isn\u2019t always feasible.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dvsnightingale.wpenginepowered.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/2_Another-data-art-piece-of-mine-on-cross-posting-1024x576.jpg?resize=720%2C405&ssl=1\")
Another data art piece of mine on cross-posting, themed \u201cWind Roses,\u201d created entirely in Figma<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nThe first step for every new community member is entering their data into a shared Google Sheet. This forms a dataset that can be used to create a full-fledged piece of data art. A community portrait\u2014sometimes called data badges<\/em>\u2014is a popular format in data viz spaces, especially within communities or at conferences and events.<\/p>\n\n\n\nThe range of themes for data encoding in the community is wide: geometric shapes, flowers (matching the community’s name), even bugs, and coats of arms. I wanted to create a community portrait that stood out from the gallery. And this time, I really wanted the project to exist physically; to photograph it and then compile a digital version.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to the format rules, the portrait had to show:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n- skills\u2014drawing, crafting, data, data viz<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- proficiency level in each skill<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- name, gender (optional)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Dataset: Google Sheet where each new participant fills in a row about themselves.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nThe idea of physical data art<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nFor representing the skills, I chose colorful plastic cable ties\u2014commonly used to bundle wires and cables. They\u2019re a simple and effective way to connect elements, widely used in construction and daily life. My daughter, a student, used longer ones to secure her rolled-up architectural drawings. These ties can withstand quite a bit of stress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I wasn\u2019t interested in technical specs though\u2014the important factors were color and minimal size. There wasn\u2019t much variety in colors\u2014most sets offered standard combinations: red, blue, green, yellow, and orange. So I worked with what I had.<\/p>\n\n\n
\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dvsnightingale.wpenginepowered.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/3_Raw-materials-for-creating-the-data-art-1024x828.jpeg?resize=720%2C582&ssl=1\")
Raw materials for creating the data art<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nThe encoding took shape<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n- Colorful ties = skills: drawing, crafting, data, data viz<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Proficiency level = length of the tie: trimmed literally to 1, 2, 3 cm or fully cut off if the level is 0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dvsnightingale.wpenginepowered.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/1-1024x640.jpeg?resize=720%2C450&ssl=1\")
Legend: black stick with colorful ties\u2014skill types; white stick with ties of different lengths\u2014proficiency levels<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nThe hardest part was figuring out what to attach the ties to. I tried wooden coffee stirrers\u2014too long. Chopsticks\u2014needed cutting or grouping data for 2\u20133 people, which felt clunky and undermined the clarity of the concept.<\/p>\n\n\n
\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dvsnightingale.wpenginepowered.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/2-1024x725.jpg?resize=720%2C510&ssl=1\")
Painting the sticks with gouache<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nI browsed various craft supplies, school kits, and eventually found counting rods\u2014those plastic sticks used in early math learning kits for first-graders. Perfect for the project: 6 mm in diameter, 6 cm long\u2014exactly what I needed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One stick = one participant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Everything else fell into place: gender represented by the color of the stick\u2014black or white, painted with gouache. Labels repeated this info. At first, I tried writing names with a gel pen, but eventually moved to printed labels.<\/p>\n\n\n
\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dvsnightingale.wpenginepowered.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/6_Example-of-cable-tie-attachment-1024x682.jpeg?resize=720%2C480&ssl=1\")
Example of cable tie attachment<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nThe result<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nI tried different layouts for the finished sticks. You can’t twist them too much\u2014names become unreadable, lighting matters, shadows too. The final shot of the stick layout became the data art piece. The legend was made in Figma, and the whole composition was assembled there too.<\/p>\n\n\n
\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dvsnightingale.wpenginepowered.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/7_Final-data-art-1024x576.jpg?resize=720%2C405&ssl=1\")
Final data art: photo of the arranged sticks with ties + legend<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nThe data art includes information from just a portion of the community\u2014it\u2019s grown a lot, and photographing the full dataset in one frame was technically impossible at home. I really didn\u2019t want to use photo compositing. I added numbers to the printed name labels so participants could find themselves quickly, since names repeat. The whole process took about two weeks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The sticks themselves turned out charming, and during our offline meetups I can hand them out to participants. They\u2019re nice to touch and sort through\u2014each with its own texture. Honestly, I didn\u2019t want to put them down. But all things end\u2014and the data art now fits neatly into a small box from a gadget.<\/p>\n\n\n
\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dvsnightingale.wpenginepowered.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/8_Finished-sticks-on-my-laptop-1024x753.jpeg?resize=720%2C529&ssl=1\")
Finished sticks on my laptop<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nI\u2019ve seen breathtakingly beautiful projects shared in our channel\u2014complex constructions from paper and thread, beads, even 3D-printed pieces, and what amazed me most\u2014made of clay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I couldn\u2019t wait to share my result. I didn\u2019t expect the post in the community to get so many comments and positive feedback on my modest effort. A short moment of fame\u2014delightful and inspiring.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Now I\u2019m thinking of making something material on a socially meaningful topic. To do that, I\u2019ll need to: find the data, come up with an encoding in a specific material, and bring it to life. And in my most ambitious plans\u2014participate in a data viz competition!<\/p>\n
Categories<\/span>Data Art<\/a><\/div>
After that, I was eager to create something of my own\u2014something real, not on paper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As with any data visualization project, the key steps are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- choose a topic<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- find data<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- and, in this case, invent a way to encode the data into visuals\u2014the most creative part, in my view<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
An important decision is the path you take in encoding and presenting data art:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- One way is symbolic\u2014any geometric figure, flower, or petal can mean anything, depending on what data value or category you assign to it<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- The other way is to keep it as close as possible to the real object in the data, which isn\u2019t always feasible.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Another data art piece of mine on cross-posting, themed \u201cWind Roses,\u201d created entirely in Figma<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n <\/div>\n\n\n\nThe first step for every new community member is entering their data into a shared Google Sheet. This forms a dataset that can be used to create a full-fledged piece of data art. A community portrait\u2014sometimes called data badges<\/em>\u2014is a popular format in data viz spaces, especially within communities or at conferences and events.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The range of themes for data encoding in the community is wide: geometric shapes, flowers (matching the community’s name), even bugs, and coats of arms. I wanted to create a community portrait that stood out from the gallery. And this time, I really wanted the project to exist physically; to photograph it and then compile a digital version.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to the format rules, the portrait had to show:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- skills\u2014drawing, crafting, data, data viz<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- proficiency level in each skill<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- name, gender (optional)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Dataset: Google Sheet where each new participant fills in a row about themselves.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
The idea of physical data art<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
For representing the skills, I chose colorful plastic cable ties\u2014commonly used to bundle wires and cables. They\u2019re a simple and effective way to connect elements, widely used in construction and daily life. My daughter, a student, used longer ones to secure her rolled-up architectural drawings. These ties can withstand quite a bit of stress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I wasn\u2019t interested in technical specs though\u2014the important factors were color and minimal size. There wasn\u2019t much variety in colors\u2014most sets offered standard combinations: red, blue, green, yellow, and orange. So I worked with what I had.<\/p>\n\n\n
\nRaw materials for creating the data art<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n <\/div>\n\n\n\nThe encoding took shape<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- Colorful ties = skills: drawing, crafting, data, data viz<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Proficiency level = length of the tie: trimmed literally to 1, 2, 3 cm or fully cut off if the level is 0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Legend: black stick with colorful ties\u2014skill types; white stick with ties of different lengths\u2014proficiency levels<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n <\/div>\n\n\n\nThe hardest part was figuring out what to attach the ties to. I tried wooden coffee stirrers\u2014too long. Chopsticks\u2014needed cutting or grouping data for 2\u20133 people, which felt clunky and undermined the clarity of the concept.<\/p>\n\n\n
\nPainting the sticks with gouache<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n <\/div>\n\n\n\nI browsed various craft supplies, school kits, and eventually found counting rods\u2014those plastic sticks used in early math learning kits for first-graders. Perfect for the project: 6 mm in diameter, 6 cm long\u2014exactly what I needed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One stick = one participant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Everything else fell into place: gender represented by the color of the stick\u2014black or white, painted with gouache. Labels repeated this info. At first, I tried writing names with a gel pen, but eventually moved to printed labels.<\/p>\n\n\n
\nExample of cable tie attachment<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n <\/div>\n\n\n\nThe result<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
I tried different layouts for the finished sticks. You can’t twist them too much\u2014names become unreadable, lighting matters, shadows too. The final shot of the stick layout became the data art piece. The legend was made in Figma, and the whole composition was assembled there too.<\/p>\n\n\n
\nFinal data art: photo of the arranged sticks with ties + legend<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n <\/div>\n\n\n\nThe data art includes information from just a portion of the community\u2014it\u2019s grown a lot, and photographing the full dataset in one frame was technically impossible at home. I really didn\u2019t want to use photo compositing. I added numbers to the printed name labels so participants could find themselves quickly, since names repeat. The whole process took about two weeks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The sticks themselves turned out charming, and during our offline meetups I can hand them out to participants. They\u2019re nice to touch and sort through\u2014each with its own texture. Honestly, I didn\u2019t want to put them down. But all things end\u2014and the data art now fits neatly into a small box from a gadget.<\/p>\n\n\n
\nFinished sticks on my laptop<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n <\/div>\n\n\n\nI\u2019ve seen breathtakingly beautiful projects shared in our channel\u2014complex constructions from paper and thread, beads, even 3D-printed pieces, and what amazed me most\u2014made of clay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I couldn\u2019t wait to share my result. I didn\u2019t expect the post in the community to get so many comments and positive feedback on my modest effort. A short moment of fame\u2014delightful and inspiring.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Now I\u2019m thinking of making something material on a socially meaningful topic. To do that, I\u2019ll need to: find the data, come up with an encoding in a specific material, and bring it to life. And in my most ambitious plans\u2014participate in a data viz competition!<\/p>\n
Categories<\/span>Data Art<\/a><\/div>