David McCandless

David McCandless – Life, Career, and Visual Journalism

Explore the life, work, and philosophy of David McCandless — British >Information Is Beautiful. Discover his approach to data visualization and storytelling through statistics and infographics.

Introduction

David McCandless (born 1971) is a British writer, data journalist, and information designer.

Through his blog Information Is Beautiful and his books Information Is Beautiful (2009), Knowledge Is Beautiful (2014), and Beautiful News (2023), McCandless has helped popularize data visualization and infographic journalism.

In this article, we’ll explore his background, creative philosophy, major works, influence, and key lessons from his approach.

Early Life & Education

Little is publicly documented about McCandless’s early life and upbringing beyond his educational affiliation. According to sources, he attended Westfield College.

His early writing career began in niche and passionate domains (such as video games), which gave him both technical and creative grounding before transitioning to broader journalistic work.

Career & Major Works

From Gaming Journalism to Data Design

McCandless first worked writing for video-game and computer magazines such as Your Sinclair, PC Zone, and PC Format in the late 1980s and through the 1990s. This period allowed him to hone skills in handling technical content, interpreting numbers, and communicating to a technically-minded audience.

Later, he wrote for The Guardian, Wired, and other publications, contributing to data journalism and visual stories.

Information Is Beautiful & Visual Journalism

McCandless founded the visual blog Information Is Beautiful, which became a platform to explore how data can be better communicated via visualization.

His 2009 book Information Is Beautiful (titled A Visual Miscellaneum in the U.S.) collects and expands on those visualizations—combining data, design, and narrative to uncover patterns, anomalies, and stories hidden in raw numbers.

He followed this with Knowledge Is Beautiful (2014), which digs deeper into landscapes of knowledge and ideas using visual forms. Beautiful News (2023) focuses on uplifting trends and positive developments in data.

His visual work has been exhibited in major institutions, including the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York, the Wellcome Trust gallery in London, and Tate Britain.

McCandless’s infographics and designs have appeared in over forty publications globally (e.g. The Guardian, Wired, Die Zeit).

Visual Philosophy & Approach

McCandless’s work stands at the intersection of journalism, design, and data. Some key aspects of his philosophy:

• Story in data: For him, the narrative or insight is hidden in how datasets relate, not just in individual statistics. His designs often bring together multiple datasets to let them “ping and prod” one another.

• Simplicity & clarity: He aims to reduce clutter and let visual metaphors or layout choices clarify relationships and trends.

• Aesthetic & meaning: McCandless treats infographics not merely as functional tools, but as pieces of visual art—where color, shape, and space carry meaning.

• Iterative and exploratory design: His process often involves exploring many visual forms before settling on one that balances aesthetics and readability.

• Positive and surprising angles: He finds value in not just negative or alarming data stories, but also in uncovering positive trends or paradoxes. Beautiful News is emblematic of this approach.

He once phrased a guiding idea: data is not just new oil, but the new soil—meaning that it's a fertile ground from which insights can grow, if properly cultivated.

Legacy and Influence

David McCandless has contributed significantly to:

• Data journalism as a genre: His work helped popularize the idea that journalism doesn’t have to be text-first—visuals can lead or co-equal with narrative.

• Education & public literacy: His accessible visualizations help non-experts engage with complex topics (climate, health, economy).

• Visual design standards: Many designers, journalists, and technologists cite Information Is Beautiful as a benchmark for clarity, creativity, and integrity in infographic work.

• Institutional recognition: The inclusion of his work in MoMA and Tate shows how infographics and information design have gained acceptance as artful, meaningful media.

• Inspiring cross-disciplinary work: McCandless bridges designers, journalists, data scientists, and general audiences—blurring silos.

Though data visualization as a technique had existed before, McCandless’s approach showed how it could be integrated into storytelling and journalism at scale, earning it broader traction in media, education, and communications.

Select Quotes

Here are a few notable remarks and reflections attributed to McCandless:

“I was a freelance journalist, and it was a struggle because I had to pitch all the time, research, and stay on top of subjects.”

On his practice: “My information design work has appeared in over forty publications internationally, including The Guardian, Wired, and Die Zeit.” (from his speaker bio)

Though he’s less known for pithy aphorisms, his visual layouts and data-driven narratives often speak louder than words.

Lessons from David McCandless

1. Data + Design = Insight
   Good visual design is not decoration, but a way to surface meaning.

2. Narrative emerges from connections
   Instead of presenting isolated facts, look for relationships and juxtaposition that provoke insight.

3. Accessibility matters
   The best visualizations allow non-experts to grasp complexity without dumbing it down.

4. Balance is key
   Too much design can overshadow clarity; too much data can overwhelm. McCandless often seeks the sweet spot.

5. Positive framing is powerful
   Finding uplifting trends or surprising counterintuitive insights can engage audiences in new ways.

6. Iterate and refine
   His designs often evolve over many drafts—don’t settle for the first version.

7. Visual storytelling is a multidisciplinary craft
   It draws upon journalism, statistics, graphic design, and narrative sensibility.

Conclusion

David McCandless stands as a bridge between data and story, showing how visual journalism can make sense of the world’s complexity. His work reminds us that meaning often lies in patterns—and that with care and creativity, numbers themselves can tell compelling stories.