51-421 Design Center: Data Visualization

9 units, Carnegie Mellon University

This is a comprehensive data visualization primer. In Data Visualization course students will learn how to parse and visualize data. Starting with multiple introductory exercises on the foundations of data viz, we will then investigate tools, principles and best practice by which computational design driven data visualizations are operating today. Then, students will decide on a data set of their choice necessary complexity given, to either create a data visualization with an emphasis on telling a story, or to generate a meaningful data art piece with an emphasis on engagement and experience. Project outcomes can be expressed through a variety of forms of the students choosing, from print posters, websites to mindbending interactive experiences. These will be documented and presented on the final crit. This course assumes that students are already familiar with elementary programming in any language, such as for loops, if statements, arrays[ and functions. Participants will use Javascript and very likely popular creative coding toolkits like p5.js, Basil.js, Snap.svg, GSAP, D3.js etc. for their projects.

Prerequisites: none listed

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