2026 EDITION
NEW TO
DATA VIZ?
Start here.
A BEGINNER’S FIELD GUIDE
Data visualization brings together analysis, design, storytelling, and technology to help people understand and communicate data. Whether you are a student, hobbyist, analyst, designer, journalist, or someone exploring a new career path, the Data Visualization Society team have curated helpful resources to get you started and to support you as you grow.
- What should I learn first?
- Where can I find data to work with?
- How do I practice and improve my skills?
- How do I build a portfolio of projects?
- How do I connect with mentors and opportunities?
Here you will find curated resources to help you learn the fundamentals of data visualization, explore tools, work on practice projects, receive feedback, and connect with a broader community of people who care about communicating data clearly and creatively.
Wherever you are starting from, we hope this guide helps you build confidence, develop your skills, and find your place in the data visualization community.
Learn
FOUNDATIONS & BEST PRACTICES
Build your understanding of visualization principles, chart design, color, and typography before picking up any tool.
VISUALIZATION PRINCIPLES
Guide
Datawrapper: Dos and Don’ts
Practical, opinionated guides on making charts that communicate clearly.
Library
Data Viz Project
A comprehensive catalogue of chart types with use cases and examples.
Guide
From Data to Viz
Decision tree for choosing the right chart type for your data.
Library
Data Viz Catalogue
Searchable library of visualization types with descriptions and examples.
Guide
Chart types guide — Datawrapper
When to use which chart: a clear, visual walkthrough of chart selection.
STORYTELLING & ETHICS
Book companion
Storytelling with Data (downloads)
Free companion resources from Cole Nussbaumer Knaflic’s foundational book.
Article
Annotation techniques — SWD
How annotations guide the reader through a chart — with examples.
Article
Ethical data visualization — Nightingale
Why ethics matters in visualization and how to tell the human story responsibly.
CHART DESIGN & STYLE RULES
Guide
Core dataviz style guide — Nightingale
Practical style conventions for axes, labels, grids, and chart anatomy.
COLOR & ACCESSIBILITY
Tool
Viz Palette — Susie Lu
Evaluates color palettes for accessibility and perceptual distinctiveness.
Tool
Coolors
Fast color palette generator — useful for building harmonious chart palettes.
Tool
Adobe Color Wheel
Interactive color wheel with harmony rules and accessibility checker.
Guide
Datawrapper Color Guide
Three-part series on color in data viz — principles, palettes, and accessibility.
Guide
Color in data viz — Datawrapper
In-depth guide on color theory applied specifically to charts and dashboards.
Guide
Create good color palettes — Datawrapper
Step-by-step process for building palettes that work across chart types.
TYPOGRAPHY
Guide
Fonts for data visualization — Datawrapper
How to choose typefaces that improve legibility in charts and dashboards.
Article
Choosing fonts — Nightingale
Editorial perspective on typography choices for data viz projects.
Tools
EXPLORE THE TOOLKIT
No single tool is right for every project. Start with no-code options to understand visualization concepts, then add programming skills when you’re ready.
Datawrapper
No-code
Beginner-friendly charts and maps. Used by major newsrooms worldwide.
Free/Paid
Tableau Public
No-code
Free version of Tableau — widely used in business and journalism.
Free
Looker Studio
No-code
Google’s free dashboard tool. Connects to Sheets and BigQuery.
Free
Python
Programming
General-purpose language with matplotlib, seaborn, and plotly for data viz.
Free
D3.js
Interactive
The gold-standard JavaScript library for custom browser-rendered graphics.
Free
Observable
Interactive
Notebook environment for interactive data visualization and web graphics.
Free
Vega-Lite
Interactive
Grammar-based visualization specification. Great for declarative chart building.
Free
Illustrator
Design
Industry-standard vector tool for polishing and annotating charts.
Free/Paid
Inkscape
Design
Free, open-source alternative to Illustrator for vector chart editing.
Free
Figma
Design
Collaborative interface design — great for dashboard mockups and layout.
Free/Paid
Data
FINDING DATA TO WORK WITH
Practice requires real data. These open sources cover government, international, and community datasets across every topic.
NYC Open Data
City government datasets across transport, housing, crime, and health.
DVS Annual Survey
The DVS state of the industry survey — great for data viz-themed projects.
Where to Find Datasets
Oscar Baruffa’s curated list of data sources for R practitioners and beyond.
Practice
CHALLENGES & INSPIRATION
The fastest way to improve is to make things. These weekly and monthly challenges give you data, community, and deadlines.
PRACTICE CHALLENGES
Makeover Monday
Weekly challenge to redesign an existing chart. Great for beginners.
Workout Wednesday
Weekly technical challenges for Tableau and Power BI practitioners.
SWD Challenge
Monthly storytelling and design challenge from the Storytelling with Data community.
#30DayChartChallenge
April challenge: a new chart every day across themed prompts. Massive community.
INSPIRATION
Information is Beautiful
Award-winning showcase of the world’s best data visualization work.
Nightingale — DVS journal
Articles, interviews, and analysis on data viz practice and culture.
VizHeads
Community gallery of data viz work — scroll for ideas across styles and tools.
The Pudding
Long-form visual essays on culture, sport, and society. Exemplary storytelling.
Tableau Public — Viz of the Day
Daily featured visualization from the Tableau Public community.
Outlier Conference
DVS’s annual conference — watch talks and see the community’s latest work.
Connect
FEEDBACK & COMMUNITY
Data viz is a social practice. Getting critique, sharing work, and meeting peers will accelerate your growth more than any tutorial.
FEEDBACK
DVS program
DVS Slack: Critique
Submit your work for structured feedback from experienced DVS members.
Podcast
SWD Podcast feedback
Submit charts for discussion on the Storytelling with Data podcast.
COMMUNITY
Community
DVS Slack community
Join thousands of data viz practitioners — channels for every skill level and interest.
Events
DVS Events (Eventbrite)
Browse and register for upcoming DVS events, workshops, and webinars.
Community
Women in Data
Community and resources specifically supporting women in data roles.
Community
SWD Community
Forum, challenges, and resources from the Storytelling with Data team.
Community
FlowingData Membership
Nathan Yau’s tutorials, examples, and community for R and data viz.
Grow
EDUCATION, MENTORSHIP & CAREERS
When you’re ready to invest in longer-term growth, these pathways offer deeper education, structured mentorship, and career resources.
Education
Honing your skills — Nightingale
Thoughtful guide to developing as a data viz practitioner over time.
Education
Open Visualization Academy
Free, structured curriculum for learning data visualization from the ground up.
Mentorship
DVS Mentorship Program
Connect with an experienced practitioner for structured one-to-one mentorship.
Careers
DVS Jobs Board
Data viz-specific job listings across industry, newsrooms, and agencies.
Careers
Career Paths in Data Viz — Nightingale
Overview of the different roles and routes into a professional data viz career.
Careers
Starting Out in Data Viz Today — Nightingale
Practical advice for breaking into the field from practitioners who did it.