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The Power of Good Data Visualization
In the previous post, we took a look at some poor examples of data visualization—so it’s only natural that we balance the scales and break down what makes some of the best contemporary data visualizations so good!
Here, we’ll take five of some of the best data viz examples around and discuss what these graphics show, what makes them so compelling, and why. If there are three words that describe these examples, they are creative, innovative, scientific—and you’ll see why.
1. Terrain Map of Europe’s Population
What it is 📊
This remarkable map shows the population density of European countries through 3D terrain imaging. Needle-like structures are used to indicate population and population density per square kilometer. The taller the needle, the higher the population per square kilometer. The more needles there are over several square kilometers, the denser that area’s population.
Why it’s great 🤩
If there’s one thing that stands out about this map, it’s detail. Because the needles indicate population per square kilometer, population statistics are drilled down to the smallest reasonable unit that makes sense over such a vast area. Also, while more an artistic than data-based element, the shadows cast by the needles add a special touch, giving the visualization an aspect of realism.
The other remarkable aspect of this map is its readability. It’s immediately obvious what the needles and their clusters mean with no explanation necessary. Important information about population distribution across Europe can be found at a glance, and lead to fascinating and even unexpected insights. One can see, for example, just how deserted Norway and Scotland are, or how much of Italy's population hugs the country’s coasts.
2. US Federal Budget, 2016
What it is 📊
As part of then-President Barack Obama’s initiative encouraging greater transparency within the US Government toward American citizens, the White House published the Federal Government’s 2016 budget as a heat map. Breaking down the Government’s expenses by Social Security, National Defense, Income Security, and several other categories, the graphic is interactive, allowing the viewer to click on one of the colored boxes and obtain more (written) information about what each segment of the budget means. Because the graphic below is a screenshot, you can click here to access the original, interactive version.
Why it’s great 🤩
In two words: data democracy. This initiative from the Obama Administration took a previously incomprehensible piece of legislation—the vast and unwieldy Federal Budget—and presented it on a single webpage, allowing easy access to this data for anyone with an internet connection.
There’s nothing flashy or even particularly original about this graphic, but the simplicity is the point. This graphic’s transparency was intended to empower ordinary citizens to better understand how the government works, and equip them with the knowledge to better participate in the democratic process.
3. Global Surface Temperature
What it is 📊
Another simple visualization that nonetheless communicates a lot, especially about a contentious issue where data is often cherry-picked for politics’ sake. This line chart shows data from four separate sources measuring average global surface temperature anomalies over a long period—from 1880 to 2010. Temperature is marked off by 0.2 degree C, and time is marked off in decades. Each data source is listed in the key, and indicated by a different color in the graph.
Why it’s great 🤩
Once again, the key here is simplicity. The colored lines tell a clear and immediate story: that global surface temperatures are indeed increasing, and four separate, reputable sources correlate closely and agree on this fact.
Another key aspect of this graph is its longevity. One of the critical issues in climate change discourse is whether the current warming trend is a blip on the radar, or the culmination of decades of gradually increasing temperatures. This graph definitively answers the question.
4. World Population
What it is 📊
This graphic is a fascinating take on a pie chart, preserving the intent of the original format while completely upending the presentation. It shows the distribution of the world’s eight-billion strong population by country and by region. Each continent follows a given color theme, and the regions within continents have various shades of this overall theme. For example, Asia’s color theme is red, with South Asia being dark red and the Middle East being pale red.
Individual countries and continents are demarcated by straight edges within the chart, and are sized proportionately to their given population. This allows the reader to not only read each country’s population size, but also compare its population relative to the other countries displayed.
Why it’s great 🤩
The significant advantage of this nontraditional pie chart is that it communicates far more information than a typical pie chart ever could. An ordinary pie chart divides a circle into increasingly smaller slices that, at some point, can’t be distinguished. For this reason, traditional pie charts are best for showing only large fractions.
However, by dispensing with the traditional “pie slice” format and instead relying on irregular shapes to communicate data, this chart manages to convey an incredible amount of information that would simply be classified as “other” on an ordinary pie chart. Best yet, this unique take on a pie chart is highly readable.
5. Top 50 Websites
What it is 📊
Because this graphic can’t be classified as any one type of visualization, it absolutely wins points for its uniqueness!
This graphic displays not only the world’s 50 largest websites, but also communicates a large amount of other information about them. Website size is indicated not only by bubble size, but also by size tier, with larger companies sitting toward the middle and smaller ones lying at the outskirts.
Parent companies are all assigned a color: Google is red, Meta is blue, Microsoft is green, and so on. Sites that have no parent company are colored grey.
Relationships between sites are indicated by looped lines connecting the bubbles. Finally, a bar chart is provided to the left of the main chart, displaying how many websites fall in each “genre” (search engine, email, video streaming, and so on).
Why it’s great 🤩
The way this graphic displays relationships is by far its most prominent feature. Because this visualization is multifaceted and highly complex, it would be easy to overwhelm the viewer with the amount of information it presents.
But instead, the graphic invites the viewer to explore the relationships between the world’s largest websites. The differently-sized bubbles, the colors and numbers, the size tiers and the relationship lines encourage this exploration. Crucially, the visualization also doesn’t overdo things: it keeps some of the data in a bar chart separate from the main graphic for easier audience comprehension.
Plecto: The Perfect Data Visualization Tool
These five graphics are some of the best examples of contemporary data visualization around. Although the visualizations all have wildly different formats and are based on significantly different subject matter, they all possess a similar blueprint: the typical, simple data visualization format has at least one of its components altered, expanding it into something new and exciting while still preserving the original’s clarity and readability.
While you might not be able to create visualizations of this caliber regularly, you can still harness the power of visualization to create exciting and informative graphics to motivate, educate, and empower your team with Plecto.
Plecto’s visualization and gamification capabilities have a proven track record of success with teams across the world in a wide variety of industries, so why wait? Sign up below for a free Plecto demo, and watch the magic of data viz enhance your office workflow!
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Q&As
What makes the "Terrain Map of Europe’s Population" more effective than a traditional 2D map?
The primary advantage of the terrain map is its use of 3D needles to represent population density per square kilometer. While a traditional 2D map might use color shading (which can sometimes be vague), the height and cluster density of these needles provide an immediate, instinctive understanding of where people live. It allows for high-detail analysis—drilling down to the smallest reasonable unit—while remaining highly readable, showing at a glance how areas like the Italian coast are packed with people while the Scottish Highlands remain sparsely populated.
How does the "World Population" chart improve upon the traditional pie chart format?
Traditional pie charts are notorious for becoming unreadable when they have too many slices, as small data points get lost in a sliver of "Other." This visualization solves that by using a non-traditional pie chart with irregular, straight-edged shapes sized proportionately to each country's population. By categorizing regions with consistent color themes (e.g., shades of red for Asia), the chart manages to display an incredible amount of information—distinguishing hundreds of countries—without sacrificing clarity or the ability to make easy relative comparisons.
What is the "blueprint" of a successful data visualization according to the blog?
The blog notes that the most successful visualizations take a simple, familiar format and alter at least one component to make it exciting, while still preserving clarity and readability. Plecto follows this blueprint by allowing businesses to transform abstract numbers into interactive, real-time dashboards. By using Plecto to visualize data—whether through bubble charts, line graphs, or gamified leaderboards—companies can foster "data democracy," empowering every team member to explore relationships within the data and make more informed decisions.
JAMES NIILER
Content Specialist
An in-house content writer and specialist at Plecto, James brings an academic touch and journalistic flair to his marketing copy. Having worked and studied on both sides of the Atlantic, James is a great believer in the importance of communicating across cultures and industries. Catch his work here on the Plecto blog, or as a guest contributor on other B2B websites.
