Adobe Illustrator as a tool for creating visualisations

his bonus tutorial focusses on Adobe Illustrator as a tool for creating visualisations.

Tools:

• Adobe Illustrator 
• DataWrapper 
• Many Eyes 
• R 

Example (1:20)

Download: llustratorExample.ai (1:34)

1) How to create a graph (1:58)

• Start with analysing your data. 
  Data of two countries over several years.
• Placing an asterix (*) before the years tells Adobe Illustrator to interpret these as labels rather than numbers. 
  Select ‘Type Tool’ to allow you to add text.
• Click on the data set, or the ‘Type Tool’ and select and copy the data.
• Right click, or left click and hold, on the ‘Graph Tool’ and select ‘Line Graph Tool.’ 
  Right click, or left click and hold, on any tool to see the different options.
• Select the area where you want the graph to be, and let go to open a spreadsheet popup window.
• Select the top left cell and paste the data you copied before.
• Click on ‘Apply’ and the graph will be created.
• This set-up remains interactive as long as the spreadsheet window is open. 
  After changing the data, click ‘Apply’  and the update will be applied to the graph.

When you are done with the data, close the spreadsheet window and you can start styling the graphic.

If you need to bring the spreadsheet window back, you can click on ‘Selection Tool’ and select your graph.

• Go to ‘Object’, then to ‘Graph’ and click on ‘Data…’

2) Styling a graphic (5:22)

• Go to ‘Object’, then to ‘Graph’ and click on ‘Type’.
• The ‘Graph Type’ window will allow you to change the kind of graphic.
• Other possible actions include the appearance of the grid via ‘Value Axis’ and ‘Category Axis’.
• Deselecting the graph will show you what your graph looks like.

2a) Change the colour of the gridlines (7:45)

• Click on the ‘Direct Selection Tool’ and hold the option key.
• Click twice on any horizontal gridline to select all the horizontal lines.
• Click on the colour pallet on the right.
• If it is not visible go to ‘Window’ and click on ‘Color’.
• Click on ‘Stroke’ and change the percentage to make the colour as needed.
• You can do the same for the vertical gridlines.
• The leftmost vertical gridline is independent of the others and needs to be changed separately.

2b) Change the colour of the data lines (9:34)

• Select a segment of the data line in the same way as the gridlines.
• To switch from Black and White to colour, go to the colour pallet.
• In the colour pallet click on ‘Options’ (upper right corner) and select ‘CMYK’.
• Adjust the percentages in the colour mixer to get the colour you want.
• Select the other data line and colour that with the same method using different percentages.

2c) Change the data points (11:35)

• Select a point of data in the same way as the gridlines.
• Colour the ‘Stroke’ to the preferred colour as before.
• Click on ‘Fill’ and adjust the colour in the same way.
• Repeat this on the data points on the other line.

2d) Change the labels (13:08)

• Click on the ‘Type Tool’ and adjust the text labels as needed.
• Click on ‘Direct Selection Tool’ and drag the labels to corresponding data line.

2e) Other options include changing the size and font of different aspects of the graph (13:57)

• Click on ‘Direct Selection Tool’ and drag to select the entire graph.
• Click on ‘Window’, then go to ‘Type’ and click on ‘Character’ to display the character pallet.
• You can now choose any font, style, size, etc. for your labels.

Adobe Illustrator is great for static or print graphics, but not for interactive graphics.

You have learned (15:26)

• That data visualisation is not dependent on having great knowledge of software tools.
• It is dependent on rationally and visually thinking on presenting your data.
• Display your data in a way that conveys meaning and insight into your data.