My top five newsletters for data communication
The publications I read to nourish my brain and get inspired; and why I think you should check them out as well.
It’s 9am in Paris. The sun is already shining and people are getting ready for work. I’ve poured myself a cup of coffee and, still in pyjamas, I open up my inbox on the phone. No, I’m not about to read my business emails. Not yet. Instead, I navigate to the folder that contains a dozen newsletters I receive every week. I click on one of them and slowly get lost in the world of data, design and communication.
This is what my morning routine looks like a few times a week. Reading regular content from professionals across a mix of fields keeps me informed, inspired and even entertained. That’s why in today’s edition of The Plot I’ll talk about my five favourite newsletters — hopefully they’ll inspire you too!
1. quantum of sollazzo
Quantum of sollazzo is a data newsletter by Giuseppe Sollazzo. What I love most about it is that the newsletter is always chock full of links and references to the latest data design and journalism pieces. By the time I open the email, I will have typically seen at least some of the projects it showcases. But there are always at least a couple I wouldn’t have stumbled upon by myself. If you’re looking to keep up with the latest work in the field, I strongly recommend you read quantum of sollazzo.
Subscribe to quantum of sollazzo
2. Notes from the equator
Notes from the equator is published by the team at Kontinentalist, a data storytelling agency based in Singapore. I believe the team takes turns to write the newsletter, so that each time the readers are presented with a new perspective. It typically starts with some reflections on an important matter — for example, infrastructure, trade and money flows. Then, the writers dive deeper into the topic by introducing a featured data story and sharing all the delicious details on how they developed and designed it. If you’re looking for inspiration from outside of the Western world, this newsletter is for you!
Subscribe to notes from the equator
3. FILWD
FILWD, which stands for Fell In Love With Data, is a letter by Enrico Bertini. Contrary to what we typically call a “newsletter”, Enrico sends out reflections on the data visualisation field inspired by his teachings at the New York and Northeastern universities. He raises questions such as: Is it OK to guide the reader in a visualisation? What would a theory of data visualisation look like? What mental models do we use in data visualisation? Reading FILWD will encourage you to think more deeply about data visualisation and its research.
Subscribe to FILWD
4. Dense Discovery
Dense Discovery is a design and productivity newsletter by Kai Brach that always gets my creative juices flowing. It begins with a quick reflection from the author, and is followed by book, app and art recommendations, an interview and even a GIF. I love reading Dense Discovery for it’s always full of gems I’ve never heard of and is beautifully written. If you only read one newsletter to spark your creativity, DD should be it!
Subscribe to Dense Discovery
5. World builders storytelling newsletter
World Builders is a publication on storytelling by Nathan Baugh that explores the tactics used by the best storytellers in the world. I discovered it only very recently on Twitter via this post and immediately fell in love (they got me at “Harry Potter”, if I’m very honest). The newsletter is full of examples, tips and tricks for effective storytelling in any domain or context. If you work with data, you can certainly benefit from it. It has inspired me to talk more about storytelling in future editions of The Plot, so stay tuned!
Subscribe to World Builders
What are your favourite newsletters that I haven’t mentioned? Let us know in the comments!
As always, thanks for reading The Plot.
See you in a few weeks,
Evelina
Thanks!! I didn't know any of them!