Euromonitor Datagraphics
Datagraphics began as bespoke graphics commissioned by Euromonitor International’s industry researchers and analysts. Over several years I evolved the product and built a team to support it, as we created over 800 per annum. Initially datagraphics were offered solely within Passport, however, they became an important part of Euromonitor’s external communications and marketing efforts.
Production Team
- Product owner
- Senior designer
- Junior designer
Skills Applied
- Design management
- Information design
- Data visualisation
The vast majority of datagraphics comprised pre-designed components that slotted into pre-designed templates. Internal clients could “pick and choose” their own adventure and build a datagraphic to tell their data’s story, or they could consult with me and my team. Together we would then collaborate and discuss various approaches and together we would collaborate on various concepts before finalising a particular design.
In this example we used a choropleth map of the United States to show the market presence of Kroger’s and then two bar chart components to compare Kroger to Walmart and then Kroger’s best performing brands. Finally two factettes rounded out the profile of Kroger.
Throughout the year, however, we also developed bespoke or custom datagraphics designed from scratch, working with analysts to understand the data, its stories, and the subtleties therein. We limited these to a few per client per year, allowing us to spend the majority of our time creating the templatised datagraphics for core Passport content.
Trainings, Templates, and Manuals, Oh My
Creating over 800 datagraphics per annum required streamlined systems and processes and a support staff. My “datagraphics” team comprised three designers, including myself. I oversaw and directed the product as a whole, and often contributed on the higher-value, bespoke pieces, whilst my team created the majority of the datagraphics under my design direction.
In addition to training our own team, we trained recent and new hires in Euromonitor, most importantly those in research roles, on what datagraphics were and the process by which they were made. My team also hosted semi-annual sessions about the latest updates to the templates and where we spotlighted quality work by co-workers. These also included annual in-person presentations in some of the company’s overseas offices, which allowed for more one-on-one collaborations and development of new datagraphic-derived product opportunities.
Within the team, we met weekly to discuss the good, the bad, and the ugly in the product with a goal of improving our offerings, templates, and systems. Any upgrades or changes in processes and procedures would then be rolled out via the semi-annual training sessions.
To assist our internal clients, we also produced manuals and guidelines. These provided step-by-step instructions of how to file requests, complete templates, and what options were available. Additionally, they offered helpful hints and suggestions of what would make a good datagraphic. And, of course, we made ourselves available to help walk clients through steps in the process or consultations of how datagraphics could tell a story.
Here we have an excerpt from the manual suggesting potential layouts to clients. The letters refer to standardised components from bar charts to scatter plots to maps, which clients could mix and match. The second is an image from our presentation on how to use Basecamp for uploading and downloading files.
Marketing Uses
Datagraphics became one of the most popular pieces of syndicated content within Passport. That success prompted a collaboration between Design and Marketing to update templates and production process to create versions of datagraphics specifically for marketing pieces and social media, at the time primarily Facebook.
One piece that drove significant engagement was this map of global populations under the age of 30. Maps in a broader sense were usually among the most popular content for shares, comments, and likes. This piece originated as syndicated content for the Populations and Homes vertical. Subsequently the piece was chosen for marketing purposes and we produced this version, which notably includes Euromonitor’s corporate logo.
The map lived on Facebook, but we also made a version for use in PowerPoint. Those could be used by marketing, sales, and research teams when discussing the latest data and findings in Population and Homes.
A Small Selection of Datagraphics
