As you might know I try to share a little dataviz tips & inspiration on LinkedIn every day. β And this week, one post really struck a chord: β
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The Graph
This map is a choropleth map. It shows the unemployment rate in Belgium.
Originally created by Koen Van den Eeckhout in Tableau, my associate Joseph (co-teacher for our Matplotlib Journey course) recreated it in Python. β Here is a glimpse of his iterative process. We like calling this an "Evolution of a Matplotlib".
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π Check out the code here! And if you want to learn how to build stuff like that in ~30 minutes, everything is explained in matplotlib journey :)
Why It's Awesome
Choropleth + Histogram Comboβ βChoropleth maps use color to encode values, but they need a legend to provide context. β In this case, the histogram is the legend, doubling as a distribution view for the data. This approach also makes it easier to interpret the map at a glance. Such a win!
β Iterative Processβ Dataviz and programming are iterative. β We captured this in a GIF showing every step required to build the map. If you think a dataviz masterpiece emerges fully formed, that's not true! Itβs all about incremental progress! β
Design Detailsβ The design here is on point: a well-chosen color scale, precise alignments, and balanced proportions. β Nailing these aspects is one of the hardest parts of dataviz, and studying great examples is the best way to sharpen your eye. I'll write about this soon! π β
Interactivity
A commenter (Pere Rovira) shared another great example using a similar technique. β It has a neat interactive twist: hovering over a region reveals its value on the legend.
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If you build interactive graphs, this little detail is definitely something to consider.
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