The wizarding world created by J.K. Rowling is full of complex characters, magic, creatures, adventures and more. Equipped with extensive knowledge of Harry Potter Rouse got to work on what would become an 80-page hardcover book that was the result of months of research, planning, and execution in her “Design Project 1” and “Design Project 2” courses. “I initially wanted to do eight large data viz posters, but I had too many ideas and couldn’t choose just eight,” said Olivia Rouse, a graphic designer who graduated from the Northeastern University in May with a Bachelor of Fine Arts. “And I wanted something I could hold onto in the future, so a book felt like the right fit for my portfolio.”
Rouse used as many different types of graphs as possible to show the range of infographics that can be done in data visualization. Adobe Illustrator was used in the process. One infographic resembles a periodic table featuring various characters grouped by colour to differentiate the ghosts, the Purebloods, the Muggles, the Dark Wizards, and more. Her book is titled Accio Data, named after the summoning spell used throughout the Harry Potter series. It was featured in the Art and Design Senior Exhibit at the Northeastern’s Gallery 360.
She says that creating Accio Data has inspired her to pursue similar treatments for Game of Thrones, Bob’s Burgers, and The Simpsons. She says that her Harry Potter project has taught her how to present complex data in a clear and concise way. She emphasises that throughout the project, she learned the importance of using the most applicable type of graphs and charts to display data.
Radhika Boruah