Resources

The Data Visualisation Catalogue (datavizcatalogue.com) is an online reference that presents a wide variety of chart types and visual forms, organized by function or data type, to help users choose the right visualization method.

ColorBrewer (colorbrewer2.org) is a web tool for selecting color schemes tailored for maps and data visualizations, offering palettes that are sequential, diverging, or qualitative — and filtered for print, colorblind-safe, and display suitability.

Adobe’s Color (color.adobe.com/create) is an online tool for creating, exploring, and sharing color palettes, including complementary, analogous, and custom harmony rules, with community-shared themes and accessibility checks.

Coolors.co is an intuitive online color scheme generator that lets you quickly produce, tweak, and export cohesive palettes — perfect for designers and artists looking for fast inspiration.

Chroma.js is a lightweight JavaScript library for color manipulation and interpolation, supporting conversions across color spaces (RGB, HSL, Lab, LCH, etc.), color scales, blending, and integration with ColorBrewer palettes.

ArcGIS StoryMaps (storymaps.arcgis.com) is a platform for creating interactive, narrative-driven “map stories” that blend maps, multimedia, text, and layouts into immersive visual storytelling.

Inkscape (inkscape.org) is a free, open-source vector graphics editor often seen as an alternative to Adobe Illustrator, offering powerful tools for creating and editing scalable vector artwork.

Colorblindly is a Chrome extension that simulates various types of color blindness on any website, helping designers ensure their work is accessible and visually effective for all users.

Coblis – Color Blindness Simulator (color-blindness.com) lets you upload an image and view it through different types of color vision deficiencies, making it easier to understand and design for colorblind accessibility.

Pilestone Blind Vision Simulator (pilestone.com) is an online tool that allows you to see how images appear under different types of color blindness, helping designers and educators create more accessible visuals.

Storytelling with Data by Cole Nussbaumer Knaflic is a bestselling book that teaches how to communicate effectively with data by combining clear visuals, thoughtful design, and compelling narrative techniques. It emphasizes simplicity, audience focus, and using storytelling to make data-driven insights memorable and persuasive.

Storytelling with Data: Let’s Practice! by Cole Nussbaumer Knaflic is a hands-on companion to her first book, offering practical exercises and real-world examples to help readers strengthen their data visualization and storytelling skills. It’s designed as a workbook to apply concepts through practice and experimentation.

Alberto Cairo is a leading scholar and practitioner in data visualization, and on albertocairo.com he showcases his books, blog writing, and resources. Key works include The Functional Art (2013), The Truthful Art (2016), How Charts Lie (2019), and The Art of Insight (2023). He also writes essays and articles on chart ethics, visual literacy, and design theory.