Photo by radovan on Unsplash

I had so much fun with the first microbrew data visualization in 2016 that I decided to do another one. this time using an article from the Brewer's Association called, "Today's Craft Beer Lovers: Millennials, Women, and Hispanics" as inspiration.  

I wanted to convert tables like this that I found in the article:

Photo by Patrick Fore on Unsplash

We originally published this post a few years ago.  Our website got hacked and we're rebuilding.  So the data is a few years old, but this data viz - and its development process - is still relevant. 

I'm always looking around for data visualizations that can capture the essence of complicated issues and distill them visually into easily understood concepts, and I find that the Huffington Post data team does a really good job of this.  

So when I came across the data viz below (sadly I can't find the original article but I'll keep looking and update this post with the link when I find it) I was inspired by the simplicity of the United States map.  Wow.  Instead of needing mad drawing skills I could position a bunch of squares together to represent geographic entities. That seemed easy enough. 

So now that you’ve been lured here by our intriguing title, we’ll fill you in on the secret. This post is actually about icons.  Specifically, it’s about why to consider using them in your presentations and if you do - you’ll be an iconic presenter. See what we did there?  Tricky, huh?  ​

For our purposes, icons are defined as simple, flat two-dimensional illustrations often comprised of basic shapes.  Take a look at your computer or smartphone screen, you’ll see icons.  Now you’ll probably see them everywhere. (You can thank us later for drawing them to your attention.) Next week, Jamie’s blog post will break down the actual process of creating icons using the basic shapes that are preloaded in most slide design software.  It’s really nice.  I’ve seen a preview.  I’m pretty lucky that way. ​

Ok, now it’s your turn.  Seriously, send me your list.   ​

I have very few prized possessions, but one of them is a set of Princess Diana collectable plates from the Bradford Exchange.  ​

I’m really into conspiracy theories.  It’s endlessly entertaining to think about the reasons why a group of people might collude to make something happen or cover something up.  Did Oswald act alone? How does Target know to send me a coupon for shampoo just as my shampoo is running low? Does the Illuminati really exist and is Jay-Z in it? (My daughter says no way on the Illuminati thing, but we both think something squirrely is going on with Target). ​

The thing about a road trip is that there is always a destination.  There is always a Point B.  You may not know the intersection of the town you’re headed for, and you may not know the route you’re taking to get there, but you do know where you’re going. ​

I try to live my life without regrets but there are several things I wish I’d known when I was younger. ​