Charts, diagrams and infographics

I design graphics for blog posts, features and reports. My style is to keep things simple, acknowledge sources and create something informative, on-brand and works well within its content.

In addition to designing graphics, I also research the data behind them. My background in Management Consulting prepared me for digging up sources, hunting through numbers and building spreadsheet models to make sense of it all.

I'm open to commissions, so drop me a line if you'd like a chat.

Independent Research

Occasionally I "fact check" Twitter by finding potentially interesting tweets and verifying or extending the data behind them. As well as keeping my research skills current, they also provide data for portfolio pieces.

Charts

The following charts were created for various blog posts and reports I've worked on. With charts I tend to work on the basis simple is best and sources must be acknowledged.

Non-Profit email marketing results

Prompted by a discussion on the effectiveness of email marketing by charities - and whether their status made them more successful.

Japanese foreign direct investment

A line chart from a post on money flowing into the Japanese economy. It uses a vignette to draw the eye into the centre of the graphic. The raw data is presented on the chart so it can be shared independently of the article (e.g. as part of a social media campaign)

Nissan Leaf market position

A scatter chart placing various Battery Electric Vehicles in their market position. The chart appeared both on a webpage and in a PDF report, hence the simplified appearance. Every model available at the time was included in the scatter, although to keep the design uncluttered only those referenced in the report were highlighted and named.

UK digital advertising spend in 2021

Using data from the IAB, this infographic conveys 4 pieces of information:

• the total spend
• the year-on-year growth compared to 2020
• the proportion spent on different channels
• where the majority of spending was directed.

Insurance broker volume vs value

Reimagined chart that combined two previous charts in a report to show related information on the same diagram. On the left, the volume of business transacted. On the right, commission and premium income.

Turnover vs margin

Another reimagined diagram that merged two previous charts into one. In this case, a donut chart shows the proportion of income attributed to each category. A second dimension - the margin - is represented by whether the segment is expressed above or below a notional "break even" point.

A light mode version of this chart is available.

Coffee shop branding

The original was created as part of an investment pitch for a trio of coffee shops. Instead of the default Word charting, the client wanted something that conveyed their brand. We settled on a motif using the blackboards outside their shops, and each was hand drawn to give it an authentic style.

This is from the PowerPoint file. A version with a white background and reversed colors was used in the Word document.

Economically inactive Britons

Created in February 2020 in response to comments from a Government Minister that confused unemployed and economically inactive people. This style of chart is intended to appear both as a comment within a blog post, and to be shared on Social Media.

Working from home

Created for a blog post on the "working from home" movement arising from the Covid pandemic, this represents the potential for "remote working" within the UK economy. It challenged a rising narrative that "WFH" would be normal for most employees, when in fact a relatively small proportion of the workforce could.

Infographics

You can download these by clicking on the image. The full size version will open in a new window.

Japan's non-regular workforce

Inspired by commentary around the make-up of Japan's workforce, and the problems faced by some sectors as the population declines.

An incredibly basic introduction to short selling

Inspired by the collapse in Sterling in September 2022 and based on notes from my work in Financial Services, this infographic sets out what short selling is in a simple, 4 panel layout.

The morning peak commute

Created for a customer experience project I was working on in the UK railway industry. The infographic echoes historic fonts, colors and shapes from the British Rail era.

How to add data to a block chain

Originally created from a predecessor to this site, the infographic sets out the basic process for adding new transactions to a block chain (such as a cryptocurrency or NFT). It was designed to use some of the 1950s mid-century modern motifs I often play with, which fitted in with the defunct site's look and feel.

The basics of typography

The first version of this was created when I was learning typography in the mid 2010s. It later evolved into a tool I gave to clients when we were discussing type. The current version is available to download under a limited non-commercial use license.

Insurance Broker report

An infographic version of a report into an Insurance Broker's performance. The broker wanted to understand why its profitability in its B2B department was negligible. This infographic summarised key findings and was circulated with the report.

My name is Ross Hori

I'm a freelance writer, designer and photographer. By day I create articles, features and reports. At night I take photos and write fiction. Find out more.

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