Michelle Rial’s New Book Dreams of Being on Your Coffee Table
A discussion on data, charts, life, and women in data visualization
Michelle Rial is a San Francisco–based information designer who readily admits she has a slight obsession with charts. Her works of art have been featured in publications such as Buzzfeed, USA Today, Fast Company, Vox, Glamour, The New Yorker, designboom, and many more.
Jason Forrest and I had the great pleasure of talking with Michelle about her recent book “Am I Overthinking This?” which came out last month from Chronicle Books. In our interview, she offered insight into her process and shared her thoughts about the under-representation of women in data visualization.
Jason Forrest: Why don’t you start by just telling us a little about yourself?
Michelle Rial: I’ve been interested in data visualization for a long time. I tried to break into the field a few times, but have mostly been looking in from the outside. In the meantime, I’ve experimented with careers in advertising, graphic design, and photography, which have all helped me creatively, but something I’ve always loved is conceptual work. A few years ago I started this side project making non-data charts out of objects. I ended up being lucky enough to make a book out of those, which has led to…
