Infoporn series

WIRED UK explores how science and technology are shaping the world, spanning design, culture, business, politics and emerging ideas.

In 2014, during the early days of StudioDotInfo, we were commissioned by WIRED to create a series of infographics and data visualisations for its Infoporn feature.

The work covered a diverse range of subjects, from visualising 30 years of global weather data to mapping future technologies and exploring whether social media activity could help predict the next breakout music artist.

A series of data visualisations revealing weather patterns across cities around the world.

Each visualisation combines 30 years of historical data, showing daily minimum and maximum temperatures as coloured bars alongside average daily precipitation represented by circles.

We used code to accurately plot the underlying datasets before refining the composition, typography and visual details in Adobe Creative Suite.

A visual timeline mapping some of the key technology and science developments expected over the following half-century.

Starting with the present day at the centre, the graphic expands outwards through increasingly speculative probable and possible innovations. Colour distinguishes technology sectors and makes the dense collection of predictions easier to navigate.

An infographic exploring whether social media activity could be used to identify the next breakout music artist.

The visualisations examine the relationship between artists’ social activity and their performance on the Billboard 200, revealing a correlation between growing online momentum and chart success.

The piece visualised insights derived from the predictive algorithms of music analytics company Next Big Sound, translating a complex dataset into an accessible editorial story.