member spotlight: Simon Rowe
This article is part of our Member Spotlight program where we aim to shine a spotlight on SWD community members who are contributing outstanding work. These are people who contribute in ways that foster an even more connected and diverse learning environment. Our goal is to help you get to know your fellow community members a little better and learn from one another.
This month, we’re shining our spotlight on Simon Rowe, who has been a frequent contributor to the SWD community—even before we officially had a community. If you are familiar with the SWD challenge, then you’ve likely come across some of Simon’s work. He first participated in early 2018 and is on a current 17-month streak (22 in total)! For a snapshot of his work, check out all of Simon’s challenge creations below.
Simon began building his portfolio back in March of 2018, after attending a SWD workshop in his hometown of London. He claims this is where he caught the data viz bug. Since the workshop, Simon built a diverse data visualization portfolio across multiple topics and chart types including bars, radial charts, small multiples, maps, slopegraphs, and more. He was also inspired to create a Tableau public account and dive into the public world of data visualization on Twitter. Fun fact: the very first viz he shared publicly was for the 2018 basic bars challenge; see his submission below.
That first submission motivated Simon to get more active in the public data visualization space, an experience that he describes on his website, Data Viz Journey:
I had the chance to talk with Simon about various topics related to vizzing in public—here are some takeaways from our chat.
There is an art to engagement. Simon talked about how he's learned that there is a bit of an art to posting a visual online. To maintain strong engagement, you should consider not only how often you post but also when you post. Timing is an important factor! Those curious to learn more, can ask Simon directly in the community.
There are downsides to vizzing in public. There are many benefits to creating visuals for fun and sharing them via social media—the freedom to pick your topics, the chance to get a lot of feedback, the satisfaction of seeing your work affect an audience, and so on—but it isn't always a 100% positive experience. There are so many community challenges that it can feel overwhelming to stay on top of them all. It’s easy to fall into a trap of quantity over quality. Simon openly shared that this is something he has struggled with: balancing his full-time role in banking, a family, and spending free time creating visualizations that help him learn new skills.
Knowing your why is important. An explanatory communication designed within a business setting often has a clear call to action. This isn't always the case for public communications, where the form is often valued over function. Simon shared how it's critical to understand your audience and the purpose when designing visuals, recognizing that his public work doesn't always translate to business communications.
I really enjoyed our chat, and I can tell Simon has much more to share on these topics.
If you, too, are interested in learning more, you have the opportunity to chat with Simon directly in the community this month. Feel free to ask him about anything, including where he finds inspiration (or time) for the challenges, tips for sharing publicly, and other related topics. I've already congratulated him and asked my question in the community. To see his response and ask your own queries, pop over to the community conversation. Congrats again, Simon, on a well-deserved Member Spotlight!
There are plenty of noteworthy members in the community—too many to spotlight at once. This program is part of our larger efforts to find new ways to share multiple voices and experiences. As you discover great work and ideas in the community, be sure to give appropriate kudos and spread the word!