Below, the “in” colors for women from 2002-2010. (Click for larger image.)

David McCandless is an information designer. I like design, and for that matter, I really like information too (a friend regularly tells me I should put all my random factoids in a book. I think she means “instead of telling them to me all the time.”), so it’s no surprise I think the idea of an information designer is INCREDIBLE!! He basically takes information and makes it digestible through a visual form that is not just your typical pie chart.

Today, he created this graphic in response to the news that Google has stated that it will now refuse to censor google.cn in accordance with China’s censorship rules. In red are phrases that are blocked, and in black, websites that are blocked. (Again, click for legible image.)

Some are expected, like “political dissent,” others, like perezhilton.com, are a surprise!

Below, a comparison of “billions.” This was in response to constantly hearing incomprehensible multi-billion dollar figures in the news. See billions spent by US govt on the Iraq war compared to billions it would take to feed and educate every child in the world for a year, for example.

Environmental impact of pets vs cars… surprising!!

I think he’s brilliant. Being able to comprehend information and translate it into something visual and easily understood and also make it aesthetically pleasing is quite a skill.

Ps… I bet he’s a fan of Frank Stella’s 60s and 70s work, don’t you? Below, Frank Stella’s “Harran II,” 1967.

And above, “Sunset Beach,” 1967.

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