Information is Beautiful
informationisbeautiful.net · Personal blog · on HN since 2009
David McCandless's Information is Beautiful publishes data visualizations and infographics on topics such as data breaches, supplements, and musicians' earnings.
What HN saysHN commenters point to it as a go-to site for data visualization and discuss its charts on tech diversity and musician earnings.
258HN people shared it
138linked it in comments
144stories submitted
1.1Kstory points
3 months agolast shared
2009people per year2026
Most-shared posts
- 1Million Lines of Code - Infographic26 people · 136 points · first shared 2013 · 19 comments on HN
- 2How little musicians earn online26 people · 111 points · first shared 2010 · 49 comments on HN
- 3Snake-oil supplements?18 people · 57 points · first shared 2010 · 18 comments on HN
- 4Data Visualization Blog14 people · 50 points · first shared 2009 · 4 comments on HN
- 5The world's biggest data breaches visualised13 people · 21 points · first shared 2013 · discussion on HN
- 6Snake Oil? Scientific evidence for popular health supplements11 people · 9 points · first shared 2010 · discussion on HN
- 7Who's Suing Whom in the Telecom Trade? [diagram]9 people · 53 points · first shared 2010 · 9 comments on HN
- 8Snake oil scientific evidence for nutritional supplements vizsweet9 people · first shared 2017
- 9‘Based on a True Story’ (2016-2019)7 people · 58 points · first shared 2016 · 22 comments on HN
- 10We don't have enough nukes (Data visualization)6 people · 50 points · first shared 2009 · 63 comments on HN
- 11Iconography of Rhetological Fallacies6 people · 10 points · first shared 2012 · 1 comments on HN
- 12Colours in cultures5 people · first shared 2010
- 13The Hierarchy Of Digital Distractions4 people · 6 points · first shared 2009 · discussion on HN
- 14The maverick scientists whose heretical ideas were proven correct; eventually4 people · 3 points · first shared 2017 · discussion on HN
- 15How much do music artists earn online?4 people · 2 points · first shared 2015 · discussion on HN
What HN people wrote when they linked it
j-g-faustus · 2010-04-14
The Tufte books are brilliant. For dynamic charts, his first book (The Visual Display of Quantitative Information) is the most relevant, it covers the theory - how to tell a good representation from a bad one - and the basics.
Readings in Information Visualization ( http://www.amazon.co.uk/Readings-Information-Visualization-Interactive… ) is a collection of papers covering a wide range of techniques for a wide range of tasks.
Apart from that, it's mostly a matter of picking up interesting ideas wherever you find them. flowingdata.com is nice, same with http://www.informationisbeautiful.net/
ricardobeat · 2025-10-12
If only it was that simple. Record labels own the whole pipeline and you're unlikely to make it if you don't submit to signing away your rights and the majority of your royalties [1]. Even the best selling artist on the entire planet at one point (Taylor Swift) had to put up a fight to regain control of her records [2].
Even if they could pull their music from the platform, it's like shooting yourself in the foot. You lose most of the exposure that will lead to actual revenue: physical albums and show tickets.
[1] https://informationisbeautiful.net/2010/how-much-do-music-artists-earn…
[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taylor_Swift_masters_dispute
gameman144 · 2022-03-03
So looking at the numbers, it seems that Asians are over-represented across most tech companies, and most/all other groups are underrepresented (https://www.informationisbeautiful.net/visualizations/diversity-in-tec…
I'm curious, though, why that would make you think that racial discrimination is happening? It could just as easily mean that racial discrimination is not happening and that Asian candidates are equally over-represented in the underlying qualifications (e.g. university degrees, prior experience -- both of which are indeed the case).
Also, at a level removed from tech, what criteria do you use to determine whether some system which does not equally represent the general population is discriminatory or not? It seems like the numbers alone here aren't sufficient, but I reckon you've probably given this a lot of thought, so I'd love to hear your mental model there.
dafelst · 2022-01-10
It feels like a less comprehensive look at the Japanese concept of "Ikigai", at least the version that has been popularized in the west. The "prestige" and "what the world needs" sections could probably be substituted, though the concept of prestige feels more self centered to me at least.
Here is an example graphic describing this interpretation of Ikigai and its components:
https://www.informationisbeautiful.net/visualizations/ikigai-japanese-…
webmaven · 2021-11-15
Perhaps the Information is Beautiful site?:
https://informationisbeautiful.net
There is also the Data is Beautiful reddit:
https://www.reddit.com/r/dataisbeautiful/
arcticbull · 2020-11-11
I highly recommend checking into any supplements you consider taking to see if there's supporting data. This visualization is great, and I think I found out about it here, incidentally [1]. As you'll find there, there's little evidence magnesium supplementation does anything for general wellness. Vitamin D and Calcium for bone health, sure, there's good evidence for that.
[1] http://www.informationisbeautiful.net/play/snake-oil-supplements/
TomK32 · 2020-06-09
Cyan, violet, even blue/green aren't the same in every culture/language and sometimes even missing altogether.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Distinction_of_blue_and_green_in_various…
It's also worth knowing how our sense for colours did evolve https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basic_Color_Terms:_Their_Universality_an…
And on top of that the colours can differ in symbolism
https://informationisbeautiful.net/visualizations/colours-in-cultures/
exclusiv · 2020-06-02
I do 5000 IU per day. NIH recommends 600 IU for most people [1]. The Institute of Medicine says 4k IU as the safe upper level of daily intake.
Vitamin D does wonders for my skin. Not once did a dermatologist suggest I could be deficient. I figured it out on my own.
Here is a good resource for research on vitamins and minerals and their applications:
https://www.informationisbeautiful.net/visualizations/snake-oil-scient…
[1] https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminD-Consumer/
[2] https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/how-much-vitamin-d-is-too-much#se…
nwah1 · 2018-02-20
Thank you. And if you compare the recommendations to supplement sales, it is probably much more aligned than the headline would suggest. Sales of vitamin D, B12, folic acid, etc would total in the billions of dollars, and thus make up a large percent of the industry.
But this guide isn't comprehensive at all, and doesn't go into the evidence for the multitude of vitamins, whereas other researchers have tried to synthesize more of that data. [1]
[1] https://informationisbeautiful.net/visualizations/snake-oil-scientific…
(I wouldn't say it is exhaustive by any means, but this is the correct framing of the debate)
meheleventyone · 2017-05-04
Yup, I'm not sure it was amazingly popular with either. The Amazon appstore has a bit of an uphill battle in the regard in general AFAIK.
In regard to your other points I also happened across this today:
http://www.informationisbeautiful.net/visualizations/spotify-apple-mus…
Interesting how quickly these subscription services are losing money and how low the rate of return to the artist is.
nostromo · 2016-03-05
I really liked these two charts to explore what foods and supplements are worth considering:
http://www.informationisbeautiful.net/visualizations/snake-oil-supplem…
http://www.informationisbeautiful.net/visualizations/snake-oil-superfo…
hliyan · 2015-06-01
Yes. See this infographic: http://www.informationisbeautiful.net/2009/how-i-learnt-to-stop-worryi…
"We only actually have 0.83% of what’s required to completely wipe out civilisation."
But we could cause enough radioactive fallout to make a lot of people sick.
SimplyUseless · 2015-04-21
Full credit for the infographics to http://www.informationisbeautiful.net
Beautiful Infographics is something everyone needs to allow information to be ingested and be sharable across social media.
amirmc · 2014-07-03
Aside: I found the following visualisation fun and somewhat interesting (on supplements and the ailments they might be good for). It's changed a lot over the years and it links off to the underlying spreadsheet.
http://www.informationisbeautiful.net/visualizations/snake-oil-supplem…
visakanv · 2014-01-31
melling · 2013-11-07
I think that you completely missed my point. I understand that India makes the most films. What I'm saying is that they should diversify into the American (or global) market and make another couple billion a year.
Animation is probably the logical place. It's not the quantity of films, but the quality.
Bollywood does makes some great movies, of course: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3_Idiots
Here's what Hollywood makes:
http://www.informationisbeautiful.net/2012/how-much-does-hollywood-ear…
It looks like they get around $10 billion US and $25-$30 billion internationally.
So, in the big scheme of things, a billion dollars is less than the Avengers made at the box office.
FeatureRush · 2013-08-02
> annihilating the world several times over with nuclear weapons.
No, not really, see
http://www.informationisbeautiful.net/2009/how-i-learnt-to-stop-worryi…
http://www.johnstonsarchive.net/nuclear/nuclearwar1.html
ColinDabritz · 2013-07-20
I find this interactive chart helpful:
http://www.informationisbeautiful.net/play/snake-oil-supplements/
Particularly, it breaks each supplement down by effect, for example, it lists Antioxidants far negative for 'mortality' (per the article), but positively for 'infertility in men'. It also cites sources.
Perhaps, judging by the article, they should have a 'harmful' ranking as well.
By this chart, Vitamin D makes sense for 'general health' (I have gotten it recommended for immune system issues like allergies), and Omega 3 for 'heart disease' seem like winners. I didn't see Iodine on there.
The question of 'what supplement' seems incomplete without 'for what purpose'.
DanielRibeiro · 2013-03-18
Another great visualization of logical fallacies: http://www.informationisbeautiful.net/visualizations/rhetological-fall…
ejstronge · 2012-12-17
Not as much a blog as a repository of beautiful data visualizations, occasionally coupled to the story behind the visualizations' creation:
http://www.informationisbeautiful.net/
thirdsun · 2012-10-06
And that's the problem: You, as a listener, think you're doing the noble thing by using spotify instead of pirating, but it really doesn't matter if those two are the only options you'd consider.
Of course you're on the legal site of music consumption now, but don't fool yourself into thinking that artists should be well off thanks to you.
Well known by now, but have a look at this infographic again: http://www.informationisbeautiful.net/2010/how-much-do-music-artists-e…
I admit I'm a rdio subscriber and artist, but rdio, for me, just serves as a tastemaker, pre-listening source and mobile collection without limited space - everything I like, I buy elsewhere in lossless formats. Sadly, I guess that's a rather rare use of streaming services as people will often see them as a replacement to buying things they enjoy.
spindritf · 2012-08-23
> it would NOT be acceptable to create a website that isn't readable with a screen-reader
Let's imagine a website with... infographics like http://www.informationisbeautiful.net/ If it was a commercial website, should the government intervene? Maybe make them buy or make a special font to create their chartslike https://www.fontfont.com/how-to-use-ff-chartwell instead of using images? No? How is it different from a special lift to the pool?
Codhisattva · 2012-06-20
And a great simple info graphic about royalties http://www.informationisbeautiful.net/2010/how-much-do-music-artists-e…
lnp · 2012-03-07
Speculations, see for example:
http://www.informationisbeautiful.net/2009/how-i-learnt-to-stop-worryi…
http://www.johnstonsarchive.net/nuclear/nuclearwar1.html
It may be possible if you ask "given this arsenal, how do I destroy humanity?" but that is not how wars work.
albedoa · 2011-04-12
I think it is correct for you to specifically solicit infographic designers. Some astounding artists just don't know how to gracefully represent data in an aesthetically appealing way.
Check out http://www.informationisbeautiful.net for some wonderful examples and hopefully some leads.
jawns · 2010-12-27
Here are three data visualization blogs:
Information Aesthetics (http://infosthetics.com)
Information is Beautiful (http://www.informationisbeautiful.net)
VisualComplexity.com
nodata · 2010-11-12
Can you back this up please? The science says Omega3 is not worth it:
http://www.informationisbeautiful.net/play/snake-oil-supplements/
frossie · 2010-09-10
I haven't done this, but I know if I did I would ask this guy: http://informationisbeautiful.net/
No idea whether he does small contract work or whether it is affordably priced, but I like his work.
emanuer · 2010-08-20
After a little research according to http://www.informationisbeautiful.net/visualizations/colours-in-cultur…
Also most people's favorite color is blue http://www.joehallock.com/edu/COM498/preferences.html
In Western Culture blue is associated with: cold | freedom | happiness | intelligence | loyalty | rational | unhappiness
In Japan blue is associated with: cold | life | loyalty | money | peace | rational
I wonder, does that have any implications on what color to choose when I design my website?
Completely unrelated: Women are attracted to men in red http://www.brainmysteries.com/research/Women_attracted_to_men_in_red_r…
Examining that would make a great post for the guys at http://blog.okcupid.com
scotty79 · 2010-07-16
Try St. John's Wort.
This http://www.informationisbeautiful.net/play/snake-oil-supplements/ indicates that it's provably effective against mild depression.
I had a suicidal ideation when I was young but I realized that no matter how worthless I feel dying is the most dumbest, useless, worthless thing I can do. The ultimate loss. Ultimate fail. And no one would care so theres no epic in this. Also it would hurt only my mom who is the person I am most reluctant to hurt.
Plus even if I don't see any future for myself I am extremely curious what will future bring to the world.
Of course maybe I didn't actually learned anything and it's just my mind chemistry changing due to growing up.