Means & Ends

Remembering the end goal of your data stories when things get overwhelming

Those who have a why to live, can bear with almost any how.
― Viktor E. Frankl, Man's Search for Meaning

Hi, and happy Thursday 🌞 First off, a warm welcome to the new readers who joined us in the past couple of weeks! And speaking of those couple of weeks, you may have noticed that this newsletter skipped a beat. Not because it was planned, but because life—or rather, work—was all-consuming for a while. A big project, a tight deadline, and many last-minute iterations. I’m sure you’ve been there, too.

It’s usually in those moments that I ask myself: why am I doing this? and is that why worth working nights and weekends?

When I launched my company two years ago, I had a clear purpose: to help mission-driven organisations communicate their impact through engaging data stories. Positive social impact has been at the core of my favourite projects since then, and the reason I happily sat down in front of a computer even on the sunniest days. But I’ve recently uncovered a new angle to this mission.

A realisation came to me while reading Manuel Lima’s new book—The New Designer. In a world where data is meant to be the “new oil”, I’m mostly excited to work on projects where having data in the first place is a game changer. That’s why it was worth spending three weekends in a row on a project for the UN’s International Organisation for Migration. A project that highlights the journeys and struggles of migrants and refugees, and that can potentially influence policy in their favour thanks to new and reliable data.

To rephrase a section from the book, designing the invisible is the new addition to my why.

But let’s come down to earth for a minute from these philosophical musings. Not every project I embark on falls under this mission. But I love having a North Star. Yours is probably different, and perhaps more pragmatic. Maybe you’re in a phase of your career in which you’re looking to develop your own skills before you think deeper about impact and ethics. That’s necessary, too. Or maybe you find meaning in developing your team’s well-being or simplifying decision-making for your colleagues or clients.

Whatever it is, I’d love to hear it! What gets you through the tough moments at work?

One last note. At the panel I hosted this month during the S-H-O-W conference, we received a fascinating question from the audience: is data storytelling a means or an end? Most people agreed that it was a means. But if it is simply a means, what is the end then?

I’ll let you simmer on that.

See you next week for a much less philosophical edition of The Plot. 🙏 Spoiler alert: we’ll be exploring effective data communication tips from the book Making Numbers Count.

—Evelina

P.S. If you’re in Paris next week, I hope to see you at this fabulous dataviz exhibition curated by the talented Marthe Viallet.

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Weekly gems 🤩

• The new designer. The latest book by Manuel Lima that I mentioned above. A perfect read for when you’re asking yourself existential questions about your work.

• Data as vulnerable facts: designing emotional visualizations. A touching talk by Alessia Mussio at this year’s ISVIS conference.

• The beauty of data to change the world. An impactful and inspiring talk by Karim Douïeb at TEDxBrussels. For now, the talk is only available in French, but hopefully, English subtitles will come soon so that you all can watch it!

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