Alyssa Fowers

WOW. This one is new to me—thank you so much for sharing

Yeah, it’s a great example of how much power designers have over a narrative.

I’m actually working on a video course right now on this subject—would it be ok with you if I showed your remake on the recording? (Will be available for free on the open visualization academy)

Some other holidays on March 8! (At least in 2025, the year when the story was published. Some holidays change dates every year, like International Fanny Pack Day, which is on the second Saturday in March.)

A line chart showing 5 years of average monthly Google search traffic for International Women's Day and International Men's Day. International Women's Day peaks in March (the month of the holiday), but International Men's Day is slightly higher in March than in November, when it actually takes place.

Searches for International Women's Day peak in March. Searches for International Men's Day ALSO peak in March... even though Men's Day is in November.

(From this story on non-religious holidays: www.washingtonpost.com/business/int... You can also see for yourself on Google Trends!)

Oh, I see--thank you! The viewer starts with all of the Greek pages, so I didn't realize the facing pages were available. I see them now.

I share these not because I think they are the "best" in any of the categories I name above, but to show that I'm part of the community of people who struggle and try our imperfect best to make loss and suffering feel real through the screen/the page.

Wow--I've never seen this before. Do you happen to know of any translations of the labels in the visuals? I can kind of get the gist of it, but want to make sure I'm interpreting these correctly.

Friends, family, acquaintances: What would have happened to them if Gaza was home? The numbers coming out of Gaza can be hard to comprehend. So let’s apply it to a smaller scale.

and If Gaza Was Home, an attempt at showing the scale of death, displacement, and hunger in Gaza by projecting them onto an American's social network: www.washingtonpost.com/world/intera...

Cut short Remembering one person for each week of the pandemic: what brought them joy and what they wanted to do next. And how that was cut short.

FWIW, these are my two best attempts at the Post, each imperfect in their own way.

Cut Short, about 1 million covid deaths in the US: www.washingtonpost.com/health/inter...

Professional hazard, I think.

Yes, it is difficult. I’m working on a recorded course about the subject and trying to get my thoughts together, in part by looking at loads and loads of examples

Iraq's Bloody Toll is the chart that inspired me to try and find a career in data viz. Basically printed on my brain.

This is the chart that made me decide to get into data visualization. Alberto Cairo put it up on the big screen at a conference keynote and my whole brain rewrote itself.

Data/design folks, what is your favorite visual that focuses on the human cost of violence, tragedies and disasters? The most emotionally impactful visualization? The most visually striking?

Please share! I'd like to get as many examples as possible.

there are also good drawings of birds, courtesy of @emily-m-eng.bsky.social. The bad drawings are my own.

Finished the writeups for my portfolio, with notes on my thinking, concept/process sketches, and behind-the-scenes pictures.

www.alyssafowers.com/portfolio

If you like scavenger hunts, try to find a wedding picture, volumetric scans of bears, a meme, a minor injury, and bad drawings of birds.

Unless you are afraid of seeing dick drawings. Then do not show non horses.

gradient.horse Draw a horse, watch it run!

Draw your horse. Let it run. Hit the question mark and select SHOW NON HORSES. Trust me.

gradient.horse

A screenshot of a Google search for synonyms of the word humanize. The listed synonyms are civilize, improve, better, educate, enlighten, edify, instruct, sophisticate, socialize, refine and polish.

In what universe is this the definition of "humanize," and how can I never ever go there

Donate to Support for Washington Post international employees, organized by Michelle Lee Among the hundreds of journalists laid off by The Washington Post on … Michelle Lee needs your support for Support for Washington Post international employees

So many have given to The Post Guild’s fundraising effort, and we are floored. But we also ask you to consider supporting the fundraiser for our international staff and staff in our bureaus who aren’t Guild eligible. They are absolutely vital to coverage. www.gofundme.com/f/support-fo...

Selfie of Alyssa wearing a gray baseball cap with “that wasn’t very data driven of you” written on it in white text

A little fashion choice for today’s #SaveThePost rally

The only good part is that no one will scold me about my Oxford commas. (I will miss the copy desk DESPERATELY. I've never met a more patient, painstaking and dedicated group in my life.)

I was laid off from the Washington Post today, along with hundreds (!!!) of incredible colleagues. If you need a data journalist, chart designer, or wacky-idea-specialist, give me a shout!

A line chart showing annual budget authority for Immigrations and Customs Enforcement from 2002 to 2024, and then estimated funding from 2025 to 2028. Annual funding jumps from $9.4B in 2024 to $27.5B from 2026 onwards.

How much did the OBBBA increase ICE's annual funding? About 3x, it turns out. And that funding will keep ICE running during a shutdown. Story by @rbeggin.bsky.social and @jacobbogage.bsky.social, h/t Lindsay Koshgarian for data help

www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...