Enrico Bertini has the latest in his “Data Visualization Beginner’s Toolkit”, and I love his new 3 Golden Rules of Viz Tools, particularly #1.
Rule #1: No tool will turn you into a pro. I think I stressed this point already in the past but it’s worth going over it again. Given the rapid development of visualization technology you might be tempted to adopt the latest technology thinking that it will turn you into a pro. This is not the case. There is no tool that can make you a pro, unless you develop your theoretical and design skills accordingly and organically. A visualization designer is a great designer regardless the tool of choice. It’s basically the same as photography. The last digital reflex may take crisper shots but it won’t turn you into the next Ansel Adams.
With so many tools coming out on the market these days trying to cash in on the popularity of infographics and sexy data vis, it’s important to realize that the real successes don’t come from the Software, but from the Designer.
via The Data Visualization Beginner’s Toolkit #2: Visualization Tools — Fell in Love with Data.
