John Grimwade (Cond Nast Traveler magazine)

Profile 1

The Infographics Gentleman

John Grimwade is graphics director of Cond Nast Traveler magazine (based in New York) and has his own information graphics business (www. johngrimwade.com). He has produced infographics for more than 30 major magazines and several books. Before moving to the United States, he worked for 14 years in newspapers in London (including six years as head of graphics at The Times). He co-hosts the annual Malofiej Show Dont Tell infographics workshop in Pamplona, Spain, and teaches information graphics at the School of Visual Arts in Manhattan. The first time I crossed paths with John Grimwades work was when I was about to finish my B.A. in Journalism, in the summer of 1997. I had been offered an internship in the information graphics desk of La Voz de Galicia, the biggest regional newspaper in northwestern Spain. As my knowledge of the discipline was minimal, Manuela Mario and Xoan Gonzlez (father of Xaqun G.V. [Gonzlez Veira], who you will meet in Profile 3), who led the department at the time, recommended that I take a look at some Malofiej publications. Malofiej1 is the International
1 Visit http://www.malofiej20.com.

Excerpted from The Functional Art: An introduction to information graphics and visualization by Alberto Cairo. Copyright 2012. Used with permission of Pearson Education, Inc. and New Riders.

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Infographics Summit, organized every year by the Spanish chapter of the Society for News Design. The event includes the most important competition in this field, which receives submissions from newspapers and magazines from all over the world. The winners are showcased in a series of large-format books. While browsing several of these books, one graphic caught my eye. It was titled The Transatlantic Superhighway, and it explained the busy flow of flights over the Northern Atlantic (Figure 10.1). I was enthralled by its elegance and deceptive simplicity. My colleagues told me that the piecewhich had won a Silver Medal at Malofiejhad been designed by a certain British maestro named John Grimwade. Along with Nigel Holmes, Grimwade is the best in this business, they added with a tone of reverence. Years later, John and I became friends. He is a true gentleman, one of those professionals who are always willing to help rookies (as I was when I met him) with inexhaustible patience. He has also been a constant source of inspiration for me and for many others in this industry. In the current era of big data, complex programming, and information overload, his visual stylestripped down, precise, and gracefulis a reminder that good design is not about mastering technology, but about facilitating clear communication and the understanding of relevant issues. QQ Is it true that the way you produce graphics has not changed much in the 40 years that you have worked as an information graphics designer? John Grimwade It is. I started doing information graphics many years before computers entered newsrooms. When they did, many colleagues said it was a huge change, but not for me. Maybe our methods of work have shifted a bit but the core principles are exactly the same. QQ What are those core principles? JG Our main goal should be to tell a story clearly by achieving order and having some sort of narrative through each graphic. Any project should start by analyzing what your story is about and then finding the best way to tell it by splitting it up into easily digestible chunks, without losing depth. When I design a graphic, I try to establish a hierarchy, too. In the planning stage, one of the first things I do is to identify the main components of the story and define how they are going to be sequenced on the page or on screen.

Excerpted from The Functional Art: An introduction to information graphics and visualization by Alberto Cairo. Copyright 2012. Used with permission of Pearson Education, Inc. and New Riders.

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The TheTransatlantic TransatlanticSuperhighway Superhighway

EVERY EVERY DAY, DAY, ABOUT ABOUT 900 900 AIRCRAFT AIRCRAFT FLY FLY INSIDE INSIDE THE THE NORTH NORTH ATLANTIC ATLANTIC ORGANIZED ORGANIZED TRACK TRACK SYSTEM SYSTEM
60 m 60 m iles iles

s s milemile 80 80

2,02,0 00 00 feetfeet 2,02,0 00 00 feetfeet

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Figure 10.1 The Trans atlantic Superhighway. Cond Nast Traveler, 1996, by John Grimwade, who explains the graphics: This is an explanation of the system that controls flights over the Northern Atlantic. A reporter had a map of airtraffic control [see Figure 10.2], but it was difficult to read. I wanted to understand the system more thoroughly, so I made contact with the head of Oceanic Control in Gander, Newfoundland. Amazingly, there were no visualizations available of the system as a dimensional dia gram. So I thought, why not make one? Rough versions went back and forth until we were both happy with the graphic.

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ORGANIZED ORGANIZED TRACK TRACK SYSTEM SYSTEM

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ENVELOPE ENVELOPE 2 SAFETY 2 SAFETY

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Aircraft Aircraft must must keep keep minimum minimum distances distances from from one one another another in the in the track track system, system, while while maintaining maintaining constant constant altitude altitude and and speed. speed.

IN LINE IN LINE 1 GETTING 1 GETTING

Taking Taking intointo account account airlines airlines preferred preferred routes, routes, oceanic oceanic controllers controllers at Gander, at Gander, Newfoundland, Newfoundland, organize organize aircraft aircraft approaching approaching from from different different directions directions intointo position position for the for the Atlantic Atlantic crossing. crossing. ThisThis flight flight is is entering entering the the system system on track on track V V at 35,000 at 35,000 feet. feet.
Gra Gpr h a ip ch si c bsy b y

232 232

GRAPHICS by JOHN GRIMWADE GRAPHICS by JOHN GRIMWAD

John John Grimwade Grimwad

Excerpted from The Functional Art: An introduction to information graphics and visualization by Alberto Cairo. Copyright 2012. Used with permission of Pearson Education, Inc. and New Riders.

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The The Concorde Concorde fliesflies between between 50,000 50,000 and and 60,000 60,000 feet, feet, far above far above the the main main traffic traffic flow. flow.

POINT POINT 4 HALFWAY 4 HALFWAY

At 30W, At 30W, responsibility responsibility for the for the flight flight is transferred is transferred from from Gander Gander to Prestwick to Prestwick Oceanic Oceanic Air Traffic Air Traffic Control Control in Scotland. in Scotland.

3603 60 M M ILES ILES

Some Some flight flight levels levels are are reserved reserved for aircraft for aircraft flying flying in the in the direction direction opposite opposite the the peak peak flow. flow.

CHECK CHECK 3 POSITION 3 POSITION

Aircraft Aircraft in oceanic in oceanic airspace airspace are are out out of of radar radar contact contact for about for about fourfour hours. hours. Position Position reports reports are are made made by radio by radio at at every every 10 degrees 10 degrees of longitude, of longitude, and and the the information information is used is used to update to update displays displays at the at the oceanic oceanic control control centers. centers.

Aircraft Aircraft crossing crossing the the main main traffic traffic flowflow (for (for example, example, Madrid Madrid to Los to Los Angeles) Angeles) are are routed routed above above or below or below the the track track system. system.

UNITED UNITED KINGDOM KINGDOM

SHANWICK SHANWICK OCEANIC OCEANIC CONTROL CONTROL AREA AREA

ICELAND ICELAND

Prestwick Prestwick

Shannon Shannon
IRELAND IRELAND

GREENLAND GREENLAND

E W ST E BO S T U B N O D U ( N D D A (D Y) A Y )

GANDER GANDER OCEANIC OCEANIC CONTROL CONTROL AREA AREA A B A B C D C D E E T T U U V V W W X X

CANADA CANADA Gander Gander

NEW NF EO W U FN OD UL N A D N LD AND

de DE

E J T E S T T S R T E N R A O E M N RT A O H M R

A T A LA T N LA T N IC T O IC C O EA C N E A N

S EA TB ST OU B ND O U (N N D IG (N HT IG ) H T)

EAST EAST INTO INTO THE THE NIGHT NIGHT

As aAs result a result of passenger of passenger demand, demand, time time zone zone differences, differences, and and airport airport noise noise restrictions, restrictions, North North Atlantic Atlantic air traffic air traffic has has two two peak peak flows: flows: eastbound, eastbound, leaving leaving North North America America in the in the evening, evening, and and westbound, westbound, leaving leaving Europe Europe in the in the morning. morning. Every Every 12 hours 12 hours a new a new track track system system is prepared, is prepared, to allow to allow as many as many aircraft aircraft as possible as possible to follow to follow the the most most economical economical flight flight paths. paths. Because Because of of changing changing weather weather conditions, conditions, the the track track positions positions are are rarely rarely identical. identical.
233 233

Excerpted from The Functional Art: An introduction to information graphics and visualization by Alberto Cairo. Copyright 2012. Used with permission of Pearson Education, Inc. and New Riders.

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Figure 10.2 One of the source materials for the The Transatlantic Superhighway. An air-traffic control map.

QQ That sounds like Journalism 101 to me. When you write a story, the best thing to start with is a structure for your writing. JG Thats because it is! The only difference between a traditional journalist and us is the language. Journalists use words; we use pictures, charts, graphs, maps, diagrams, and illustrations. I think one of the reasons why some people of my generation were very successful is because we were designers, but we got embedded in journalistic environments. We worked with reporters and editors. That taught us that we should strive for clarity because we are an interface between a chaotic world of information and the user who wants to understand something. If we cant bring users clarity, I think we have kind of failed, actually. When I see a graphic I am interested in, I try to read it critically, and one question I ask over and over again is Whats the point? Whats the story? Thats what you have to do when you work on a project. Its not enough to do good research

Excerpted from The Functional Art: An introduction to information graphics and visualization by Alberto Cairo. Copyright 2012. Used with permission of Pearson Education, Inc. and New Riders.

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Figure 10.3 One of the sketches for The Transatlantic Superhighway infographic, shown in Figure 10.1.

and then present your information to your readers. You have to edit that information. We, infographics designers, must work as reporters but, above all, as editors. QQ Is that why you have expressed reservations about the emerging field of data visualization? Many infographics designers in newspapers and magazines seem to be embracing it with enthusiasm, but you have said that sometimes it feels that visualization designers seem to just throw data at their users, without worrying about presenting coherent stories. JG Embracing a new technique or a new technology is great. Data visualization can be really powerful and useful. I can see a lot of potential in it. Nonetheless, I also feel that many visualization designers try to transform the user into an editor. They create these amazing interactive tools with tons of bubbles, lines, bars, filters, and scrubber bars, and expect readers to figure the story out by themselves, and draw conclusions from the data. Thats not an approach to information graphics I like. Not all readers are data analysts!

Excerpted from The Functional Art: An introduction to information graphics and visualization by Alberto Cairo. Copyright 2012. Used with permission of Pearson Education, Inc. and New Riders.

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Maybe I am old-school, but I dont believe I am alone in that concern. Think of Hans Rosling2 and the way he interacts with his wonderful bubble visualizations. He doesnt just show stuff; he explains the main points, focusing the readers attention on the most interesting parts of the information. After that, if readers want to navigate deeper into other possible stories, they can do it. But first, they are exposed to a traditional, linear narrative that lays out the basic facts. QQ Is it possible to find a synthesis between what information graphics designers have been doing for the past 30 or 40 years and what data visualizers are trying to achieve nowadays? JG I am convinced that we will see that in the future. The New York Times3 is exploring that path at this point. For instance, in many of their interactive graphics, they present complex sets of data, and they let you go really deep into the figures and their connections. But beforehand, they give you some context, some pointers as to what you can do with those data. If you dont do this, if you dont include this layer of information, which the designers call the annotation layer, you will end up with a visualization that may look really beautiful and intricate, but that will leave readers wondering, What has this thing really told me? What is this useful for? Its like a visualization I saw the other day that plotted the flow of taxis in New York City, as well as their positions at every time of the day and night. It looked really cool but, after a minute, I asked myself: What is this about? What am I supposed to see here? Is it really that surprising that the flow of taxis is really heavy between La Guardia and JFK, or that there are fewer taxis during the night than during the day? Thats not a very revealing insight, is it? Or take some gorgeous recent maps that show people tweeting all over Europe in the languages of the countries they live in. All right, thats really interesting [said tongue-in-cheek]: The Germans are tweeting in German! The map certainly looks beautiful with all those little color dots shining here and there, but its not that enlightening. It doesnt convey much, and thats a problem. You need to orient readers into the story before they can navigate your graphics on their own. QQ Lets talk a bit about your own design process. How do you get started? JG When we do a story for Cond Nast Traveler magazine, I try to be involved in it as early as possible. Sometimes it happens that reporters dont realize they
2 See Profile 8: Hans Rosling. 3 See Profile 3: Steve Duenes and Xaqun G.V.

Excerpted from The Functional Art: An introduction to information graphics and visualization by Alberto Cairo. Copyright 2012. Used with permission of Pearson Education, Inc. and New Riders.

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will need infographics in their pieces until they get back from trips, so I prefer to meet with them before they depart. It helps me get a clear idea of what shape the story is going to take, of its focus, and it helps reporters understand how the copy and the visual elements on the pages are going to complement each other. I bring paper and pencils to those meetings. While we talk, I keep scribbling. I do very rough sketches and take notes about the key elements. Its in these meetings when I decide what we need to show with the graphic so its content doesnt overlap too much with what the copy will tell or the photographs will show. QQ It seems that you put a lot of work in the planning stage of your projects, judging by the detailed sketches and roughs you produce. (See Figure 10.3 and Figure 10.5.) JG They are part of my thinking process. After the preliminary meetings are over, I go to my studio and work out the structure of the graphic in a rough form. I find that in pencil I can just do a rough version, arrange the elements as I wish, and throw away whatever I feel is not related to the points I want to get across. Theres virtually nothing invested in those sketches. If you try to do something like that in a computer, you will somehow feel committed to your first ideas. Sketching out using design software requires a lot of effort. Later, when you go over your plans with editors, everything may need to change for some reason, maybe because the focus of the story has switched. If you are enamored with your own computer graphics, those that took so much time to develop, you may feel resistant to change them down the road. In other words: at first, dont just draw a box in Adobe Illustrator and start working inside it. Thats a very bad way to start: You make a lot of art decisions and then trap yourself into them. I constantly see graphics that have been done like that. A big image or illustration was put in the middle first and then the designer tried to make all the other elements in the composition work around it, instead of coming up with a solid structure that would help tell the story you need to tell. This doesnt happen when you work with pen and paper before you proceed to the artwork phase. I try to encourage my students at the School of Visual Arts to draw as many sketches as possible, due to this attachment factor that everybody experiences every now and then. Sometimes they feel intimidated by hand drawing, but I tell them that they dont need to be Leonardo da Vinci. What they need to come up with is not art; they dont need to worry about aesthetics at this point, but about the structure. In many cases, just a bunch of very simple, rough, and badly drawn sketches made with cheap pencils or crayons will suffice to help you understand

Excerpted from The Functional Art: An introduction to information graphics and visualization by Alberto Cairo. Copyright 2012. Used with permission of Pearson Education, Inc. and New Riders.

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COPY EDITOR PHOTO EDITOR

GRAND CENTRAL REVSHIPPED 7/27

GRAND CENTRAL REVSHIPPED 7/27

COPY EDITOR

PHOTO EDITOR

THIS WAY

WA L K
Your guide to navigating the new Grand Central

Sky Ceiling

ore than just a gateway to a great city, Grand Central Terminal has been reborn as a destination in its own right, replete with upscale shopping, restaurants, and, soon, even a green market. Dont let the commuter crush deter you: Begin your tour at 1 the entrance on 42nd Street at Park Avenue, checking your train time on the 13-foot-tall, giltedged clock beneath Coutans sculpture group Transportation. Proceed down the entrance ramp, whose tilt is designed to propel you, heart pounding, to 2 the Main Waiting Room, temporarily home to vendors of every stripe but soon to host functions and public exhibitions. Directly ahead, over a short bridge with freshly quarried balustrades, lies the terminals pice de rsistance, 3 the Main Concoursedubbed the best big room in America by the architectural press. Its ceiling, at 122 feet, is higher than the nave of Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris. At the center of the concourse sits 4 the information booth with its four-sided brass clock, kept perpetually in sync with the atomic clock at the U.S. Naval Observatory in Washington, D.C. Overhead is 5 the 2,500-star Sky Ceiling, whose autumn-night constellations were originally painted backward and never corrected. Daylight brightens the concourse from 6 four-story windows at either end. Concealed between the windows inner and outer panes is a series of skywalks, or glass-floored corridors, designed to access a skyscraper that was never built; tours sponsored by the Grand Central Partnership permit access (212-818-1777). Head for the Lower Concourse via the 7 newly excavated Oyster Bar ramps, open for the first time since 1927 and illuminated by 8 five gold-and-nickel-plated chandeliers, with 144 lightbulbs each (an identical set graces the terminals north balcony). Pause here for a new view of the Sky Ceiling through the concourses massive piers. At the base of the ramps, the 9 vaulted tile ceiling allows you to face the wall in any corner and whisper to someone standing in the opposite corner. Reward your exertions at 10 the Oyster Bar restaurant, whose classic oyster stews and pan roasts are themselves deserving of landmark statusor at one of some 20 new restaurants on the 11 Lower Concourse. Return to the Main Concourse level via the West Staircase.

Patch left uncleaned

Tennis courts

6
Skywalks

42ND STREET

Chandeliers

Chandeliers Campbell Apartment One of three planned balcony restaurants Escalators to MetLife Building

Oyster Bar ramp

7 1
Entrance
Bridge over ramps

Ticket windows

West Balcony

4
Information booth
Half-acre Tennessee marble floor

West Staircase Upper train platforms

Ramp

Main Waiting Room

Main Concourse
New East Staircase

East Balcony

To Lexington Passage

To Grand Central Market and Lexington Avenue entrance

To Graybar Passage

Oyster Bar

10

9
Vaulted ceiling
Oyster Bar ramp

Ramp

11
New restaurants and bars

Lower Concourse

Lower train platforms

John Grimwade

G R A P H I C S

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Figure 10.4 Grand Central Terminal, 1998. Cond Nast Traveler, by John Grimwade. This infographic is part of a feature that reported the completion of the Grand Central Terminal restoration. At the time, I was walking through the building every day on my way to work, so the reference was right in front of me. I used the simple approach of taking a cross-section and manually projecting it backward. John Tomanio, who worked with me at Cond Nast Traveler, solved my problems in getting the ceiling exactly right. He photographed it looking straight up, and then projected the image onto the inside of a cylinder using a 3-D program.

CNP

Excerpted from The Functional Art: An introduction to information graphics and visualization by Alberto Cairo. Copyright 2012. Used with permission of Pearson Education, Inc. and New Riders.

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Figure 10.5 Sketches for the Grand Central Terminal infographic.

Excerpted from The Functional Art: An introduction to information graphics and visualization by Alberto Cairo. Copyright 2012. Used with permission of Pearson Education, Inc. and New Riders.

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how to organize a story, how to create a good sequence of steps, and a good hierarchy in your layout. QQ Speaking of students, you are well known for your openness to give advice to beginners and help them develop their own styles. What would you recommend to someone who is planning to pursue a career in information graphics and visualization? What should that person study? JG Thats very difficult question. I guess the challenge is that you are asking me to think backward. I learned to design infographics by working in a newsroom. Decades ago, I landed in a news publication and learned the craft on the job. I would say, however, that the first skill you need to master is to look at graphics with a critical eye. Read newspapers, magazines, and textbooks; visit websites that showcase infographics and visualizations; and analyze if they help you understand important matters. If they dont, they are not good. The next thing would be to reflect on the changes that would make those presentations tell clearer messages. And, if you have the time, you can maybe even make those changes. You also have to ponder if you have the passion to enter this field. Infographics is not the easiest task. It might look like it is but it sure as hell isnt. You need years of self-teaching and trial-and-error to master the techniques and tools. If you dont feel the drive to be absolutely meticulous about research and coming to grips with the story, you just cant produce a good information graphic. If you think you are going to skim across the top and treat it like some kind of art job, its very unlikely that you are going to be much of a success. I dont know how to find or fuel that kind of passion, though.

Figure 10.6 One of the discarded illustrations made for the Seven Ages of the 747 project.

Excerpted from The Functional Art: An introduction to information graphics and visualization by Alberto Cairo. Copyright 2012. Used with permission of Pearson Education, Inc. and New Riders.

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QQ I would say this passion you talk about reminds me of the passion good educators nourish. Its the need to be curious, to learn, and to tell others about what you have learned. Journalists feel that kind of passion as well. JG Its really a journalistic passion, yes. In fact, some of the best people I have worked with used to be traditional journalists until they realized the power of visual storytelling. When you think about it, infographics and visualization are really amazing tools for telling stories when used correctly, arent they?

Figure 10.7 A spreadsheet and early sketches and layouts for the Medal Exchange infographic.

Excerpted from The Functional Art: An introduction to information graphics and visualization by Alberto Cairo. Copyright 2012. Used with permission of Pearson Education, Inc. and New Riders.

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Figure 10.8 Five Ages of the 747. Cond Nast Traveler, 2011, by John Grimwade. Projects often take big shifts along the way. I was originally thinking of a fly-past of 747s to show the history, but every angle we tried did not clearly show the key features of the new 747 aircraft that had been announced. The new model is much longer than the previous ones, and it has dramatically upswept wings. So I moved to a more conventional plan-like display.

Excerpted from The Functional Art: An introduction to information graphics and visualization by Alberto Cairo. Copyright 2012. Used with permission of Pearson Education, Inc. and New Riders.

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Excerpted from The Functional Art: An introduction to information graphics and visualization by Alberto Cairo. Copyright 2012. Used with permission of Pearson Education, Inc. and New Riders.

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ethioPia
Medals: 7 G.D.P.: $8 billion Podium Index: 87.5

key
G.D.P. of less than $100 billion G.D.P. of $100 billion to $1 trillion G.D.P. of more than $1 trillion

GeorGia
Medals: 4 G.D.P.: $5 billion Podium Index: 80 Podium index =
Number of medals G.D.P. in billions x 100

belaruS
Medals: 15 G.D.P.: $23 billion Podium Index: 65.2

bulGaria
Medals: 12 G.D.P.: $24 billion Podium Index: 50

ukraine
Medals: 23 G.D.P.: $65 billion Podium Index: 35.4

Poland
Medals: 10 G.D.P.: $242 billion Podium Index: 4.1

romania
Medals: 19 G.D.P.: $73 billion Podium Index: 26

auStralia
Medals: 49 G.D.P.: $631 billion Podium Index: 7.8

Figure 10.9 Medal Exchange. Cond Nast Portfolio, 2008, by John Grimwade: This is an interesting approach to covering the Olympics in a business magazine just before the Beijing games. Were all used to the conventional medals table, but what happens if the Athens medals total is divided by the GDP of the country? Then we see who did the most with the least resources. Ethiopia is the winner. The U.S. and Japan are way down the list.

ruSSia
Medals: 92 G.D.P.: $582 billion Podium Index: 15.8

new Zealand
Medals: 5 G.D.P.: $100 billion Podium Index: 5.0

hunGary
Medals: 17 G.D.P.: $100 billion Podium Index: 17

Slovakia
Medals: 6 G.D.P.: $41 billion Podium Index: 14.6

GreeCe
Medals: 16 G.D.P.: $203 billion Podium Index: 7.9

thailand
Medals: 8 G.D.P.: $163 billion Podium Index: 4.9

netherlandS
Medals: 22 G.D.P.: $577 billion Podium Index: 3.8
5 8 Cond Nast Po r t f o l i o . A u g u s t . 0 8

China
Medals: 63 G.D.P.: $1.7 trillion Podium Index: 3.7

Excerpted from The Functional Art: An introduction to information graphics and visualization by Alberto Cairo. Copyright 2012. Used with permission of Pearson Education, Inc. and New Riders.

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d e my s t i f i e r

Medal Exchange
Sure, the worlds economic powerhouses dominate the Olympics. Or do they?
. . .

by Jessica Liebman
Do wealthier countries take home more Olympic medals? Conventional wisdom suggests that they would. Its no secret that having the financial resources to invest in human potential leads to success: The U.S. is the richest country in the world and has won more Olympic medals than any other nation. But if you introduce some elementary math and divide a countrys medal tally by its gross domestic product, the numbers rearrange themselves dramatically. Ethiopias trackand-field victories lift the poverty-stricken state to the top of the pile, while economic powerhouses like Japan, France, and the U.S. finish near the bottom. Heres a look at our surprising results, based on medal counts from the 2004 Summer Games in Athens and G.D.P. data from the same year.

turkey
Medals: 10 G.D.P.: $302 billion Podium Index: 3.3

Sweden
Medals: 7 G.D.P.: $346 billion Podium Index: 2.0

FranCe
Medals: 33 G.D.P.: $2 trillion Podium Index: 1.7

iran
Medals: 6 G.D.P.: $163 billion Podium Index: 3.7

Germany
Medals: 49 G.D.P.: $2.7 trillion Podium Index: 1.8

braZil
Medals: 10 G.D.P.: $605 billion Podium Index: 1.7

united StateS
Medals: 102 G.D.P.: $11.7 trillion Podium Index: 0.9

auStria
Medals: 7 G.D.P.: $290 billion Podium Index: 2.4

SPain
Medals: 19 G.D.P.: $991 billion Podium Index: 1.9

britain
Medals: 30 G.D.P.: $2.1 trillion Podium Index: 1.4

jaPan
Medals: 37 G.D.P.: $4.6 trillion Podium Index: 0.8

norway
Medals: 6 G.D.P.: $250 billion Podium Index: 2.4

italy
Medals: 32 G.D.P.: $1.7 trillion Podium Index: 1.9

Canada
Medals: 12 G.D.P.: $980 billion Podium Index: 1.2

i l l u s t r At i o N b y b ryA N C h r i s t i e d e s i g N

Excerpted from The Functional Art: An introduction to information graphics and visualization by Alberto Cairo. Copyright 2012. Used with permission of Pearson Education, Inc. and New Riders.

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Excerpted from The Functional Art: An introduction to information graphics and visualization by Alberto Cairo. Copyright 2012. Used with permission of Pearson Education, Inc. and New Riders.

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ings ings jostling jostling for for space space liklik e the e the tow to ers wers of of San San Gimignano Gimignano . The . The principal principal di di er ence erence wa wa s s tha tha t the t the skyscra skyscra pers pers of of Wall Wall Str Str eet eet felt felt mor mor e e liklik e cele e cele bra bra tions tions than than forti forti ca tions cations , since , since they they wewe re re allall topped topped byby ela ela bora bora te te cro cr wns owns orna orna te te exclama exclama tion tion points points in in the the sky sktha y tha t t made made it clear it clear tha tha t their t their crea crtors eators had had struck struck it it rich rich and and wewe re not re not afraid afraid to to sho sho w it. w it. Ther Ther ew eas was not not a gr a ea grtea deal t deal to to dodo in in LoLo wewe r r Manha Manha ttan ttan other other than than wo wo rk. rk Ther . Ther e we e we re re places places to ea totea lunch t lunch but balmost ut almost nono wher wher e to e ha to ve have dinner dinner ; ther ; ther e we e we re a refe aw fechea w chea p stor p stor es,es but , but anyanyone one who who wanted wanted to to shop shop for for anything anything worthworthwhile while had had to to gogo upto upto wn. wn. And And it w itent went without without saying saying tha tha t cultur t cultur ew eas was not not to to be be found found south south of of Canal Canal Str Str eet. eet. True True , ther , ther ew e as was Trinity Trinity Chur Chur ch, ch, Richar Richar d Upjohn d Upjohn s sumptuous s sumptuous 1846 1846 spir spir e at e at the the head head of of Wall Wall Str Str eet, eet, but but the the real real cathedral cathedral of of dodo wnto wnto wn wn was was the the Ne Ne ww YoYo rk rk Stock Stock ExEx change change , a,b a lock block awaw ay.ay W .a W tching atching the the bustle bustle onon the the gar gar gantuan gantuan trading trading oor oor was wthe as the biggest biggest thrill thrill this this part part of of town town had had to to oo er ,er, and and it did it did little little to to oo set set the the feeling feeling tha tha t the t the neighborhood neighborhood consisted consisted almost almost enti enti rely rely of of narr narr ow ow strstr eets eets from from which which rose rose dispr dispr oportionoportionatel ay tel tall y tall skyscra skyscra pers pers occupied occupied byby people people wh wh o o did did things things with with mone mone y. Such y. Such was was my my sense sense of of dodo wnto wnto wn, wn, anyw anyw ayw ayw hich hich ma ma y ey xplain explain wh wh y y I did I did not not become become a a nancial nancial journalist. journalist. But But even even back back then, then, LoLo wer wManha er Manha ttan ttan had had alralr ead ead y begun y begun to to change change . The . The dull dull homo homo genegeneityity of of the the place place was wdri as dri ving ving a lot a lot of of nancial nancial in-institutions stitutions and and law la w rms rms to to the the pleasanter pleasanter and and mor mor e ve aried varied turf turf of of Midto Midto wn. wn. It w Itas wmor as mor e fun e fun to to be be upto upto wn wn in in those those days da .ys And, . And, if y if ou you came came from from the the sub sub urbs urbs , do ,d wnto ownto wn wn was was woefull woefull y iny incon con venient: venient: a train a train ride ride into into the the city city follo follo wewe d d byby a long a long sub sub wawa y ride y ride south south from from Grand Grand CenCentral tral Sta Sta tion, tion, not not the the sort sort of of comm comm ute ute to to gladgladden den the the heart heart of of a bank a bank er er : : from GrGr eenwich, eenwich, Connecti Connecti - - - from cut. Lo Lo wer wer Manha Manha ttan ttan wawa s s cut. - - wher wher e Ne e Ne w Yo w Yo rk rk had had begun, begun, and and it had it had it all it all over over upto upto wn wn Figure 10.10 The Manhattan so far far as as history history wa wa s cons con- Project, so cerned. cerned. (After (After all, all, this this wa wa s s Cond Nast Traveler , 2002, by John Grimwade.

One year after the September 11 attacks, we ran a feature reminding our readers that the downtown area of Manhattan still had a lot to offer. It has stylized buildings, where I tried to capture the essence of the build ing rather than aerial-photograph accuracy, and a clear street grid. This is very much my graphic approach to making maps: Remove the unnecessary detail, and focus on the story. In 2003, I reworked the map into a different format for a handout at the Society of Publication Designers conference. (See Figure 10.11 to see the second map.)

Excerpted from The Functional Art: An introduction to information graphics and visualization by Alberto Cairo. Copyright 2012. Used with permission of Pearson Education, Inc. and New Riders.

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the functional art

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Figure 10.11 A redesign of The Manhattan Project for the Society of Publication Designers conference, in 2003.
Excerpted from The Functional Art: An introduction to information graphics and visualization by Alberto Cairo. Copyright 2012. Used with permission of Pearson Education, Inc. and New Riders.

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