Announcing the First Annual International Chart Day
Today, Tumblr and the Society for News Design, in collaboration with the office of Congressman Mark Takano (CA-41) announced the first annual “International Chart Day,” to take place on April 26th.
Charts and other variations of information graphics have been around for hundreds of years, and are an important tool for making complex information easier to understand. The growing debate over “fake news” is only going to increase the importance of the chart in dispelling untruths and countering intentional misinformation, and in creating a more informed society.
On April 26, chart lovers will unite to celebrate the first-ever “International Chart Day,” an opportunity for the infographic-creating community to engage the public by sharing their favorite examples, further explain the history and value of charts, and share insights into how to create high-quality, visually engaging, informative visualizations.
International Chart Day is an opportunity for fans of data graphics all over the world to celebrate the art form while sharing some of their favorite examples. As a teacher for more than 20 years, I saw how visual learners in my classroom were better able to connect, group, and organize ideas that were attached to images. As an elected official, I see how a well-designed chart can help strengthen an argument, add context to a story, or even win a policy debate. And in 2018, charts and chart-makers have an even more important role as part of the fight against fake and misleading news.
- Congressman Mark Takano (CA-41)
Every community on Tumblr makes charts about the things they love—alignment charts, four-quadrant matrices, lines, bars, pies—everything. International Chart Day is such a great opportunity to celebrate the way everyone from fandoms to news editors use charts to visualize their interests.
- Victoria McCullough, Social Impact Lead at Tumblr
Information graphics are critical to understanding how life works, how our society and world function. The Society for News Design was founded 40 years ago to celebrate and advance this cause, to advocate on behalf of the reader for excellence. Mass media is relatively new, but infographics are not -- 20,000 years ago humans were painting them on cave walls in southern France -- their importance continues to grow. We're proud to see this realization spur the creation of International Chart Day.
- Stephen Komives, Executive Director at Society for News Design
International Chart Day Activities:
- Congressman Mark Takano (CA-41) will introduce a resolution declaring April 26th as “International Chart Day,” and deliver a speech on the house floor about the importance and history of charts. You can see the resolution on www.internationalchartday.com.
- Tumblr will curate charts from across the network on everything from fandoms to news.
- A day-long conference on Capitol Hill featuring the Huffington Post, the New York Times, the Washington Post, the “I Love Charts,” Tumblr, as well as infographic historians and professors, who discuss and celebrate charts. Panels will cover the history and future of charts, how infographics will help combat fake news, and a live build of an infographic in front of an audience.
- An art display on Capitol Hill showcasing some of the best congressionally produced charts to ever show up on CSPAN – curated by the blog Floor Charts.
- A call for Think tanks, media outlets, elected officials and the general public to participate by sharing their favorite charts.
For more information please visit www.internationalchartday.com.