We were honoured to be invited to provide an interactive data-exhibition for the recently opened, Rem Koolhaas-designed Qatar National Library.

Simultaneously a public, academic and research library, QNL is a beautiful, light-drenched arena dedicated to knowledge and information from all cultures and all ages.

We created ten interactive data-visualizations to run on a series of 3-metre touchscreen totems, two-sided, one face in English, the other Arabic.

The exhibition is a visual, interactive swim through many rich topics: the history of civilisation, Middle-Eastern science, social media & reading habits, plus our fabled Snake Oil Supplements graphics and updates of Timeline of the Far Future and the Billion Dollar O Gram.

One big learning: data-visualizations look great in Arabic! The calligraphic type adds elegance and curvature to the starker data shapes.

We found that huge touchscreens introduce all kinds of design and user-experience issues for interactive visualizations. Shaping bi-lingual data content to engage library audiences of all ages – and heights – was also challenging. We’ll reveal our process in a later post.

You’ll be seeing more exhibitions and installations from us in the future.

Until then, if you’re ever in Doha, don’t miss the incredible building, the million or so books, and the rather beautiful colonnade of data displays.

Spotify edges closer to a float on the stock market with a valuation of between $6-$20 billion. Who will most likely be receiving a slice of the cash windfall?

Our best estimates and guesses – visualized.

No surprises that the big four record-companies may own as much as 16% of Spotify, meaning a potential payout of up to $650 million.

Which they will no doubt immediately share with all the musicians and artists who have made Spotify such a desirable platform, right?

Infogestion. Ampulsivity. Dingeing. Is tech creating new states of consciousness & behaviours? Recognise any?

Vote for any you recognise and we’ll return with an analysis of our findings.

» Click our ‘charticle’ obsessively

An interactive list of logical fallacies & rhetorical devices with everyday examples. Now in nine languages. Floss that brain. Never be duped again!

» See the graphic

Aluminium or Aluminum? “Gas” or “Petrol”? Should a photo of a giant spider really be placed in the entry for ‘arachnophobia’? Explore some of the longest, lamest edit wars on Wikipedia in this interactive infographic.

» See the graphic

Compiled from multiple data breaches. Our analysis reveals that peoples’ choices of password fall into 10 categories. Where does yours fit?

» explore the visualization

Do women & men prefer to support different charitable causes? This analysis of celebrity endorsements reveals an interesting pattern.

» See the graphic

The consensus from 120 top 10 lists via Metacritic

» See the graphic
» Spotify playlist | Open Spotify