What is a Data Artist?

The world is made up of data. Anything you see on your screen is made from code and plus, codes serve as a digital entity’s skeletal structure. Data is important but have you ever asked yourself why data is important? More importantly, do you know what the words and numbers mean before you submit your monthly report? This is where data scientists come in; they read between the lines and identify problems and offer solutions to the organization to capitalize on, for example. Other uses for data include adopting new business models based on the said data.

However, if you still don’t understand what data scientists do, this is where data artists step in for a more visual take on things.

What is a data artist?

One of the newest and hottest careers sprouting in the west are data artists. They’re the link between business and IT by creating visuals made from data. These graphics help people, most likely key decision makers to better understand information in the form of digestible visualizations. Your mind might bolt to infographics but they do not relay data in real-time. Infographics were one of the first data visualizations but with information constantly on-the-go, infographics should no longer be a priority. Instead, they should be used as a support.

With the help of data scientists, people can better understand the data but let’s be honest; a lot of business people might not understand it. This is where data artists they come in; they help present technical information in the form of interactable charts, graphs, and pictures.

The Upper Hand

Businesses with both data scientists and data artists gain a competitive edge. Data artists can create interactive visuals and help business people answer their “what if” questions. This saves a lot of time and money and decisions are made faster.

What makes someone a data artist?

Becoming one goes beyond just knowing how to make flashy and catchy visuals. These people need to be part artist, part programmer, and part data scientist to correctly interpret data. Plus, people with JavaScript know-hows will definitely gain the upper hand.

What does this mean for Asia? Data scientists are gaining momentum in Southeast Asia one region at a time and it seems like Thailand and Singapore are on board to understand, read, and analyze data to leap ahead of the competition. Nonetheless, it’ll take us a couple of months, maybe a year to fully catch up with the west to better understand how data scientists and data artists operate. Presently, it’s an incredibly niche field that’s currently skyrocketing and helping companies gain a competitive edge. It’s never too late to start taking notice and learning more about it. In fact, in a few years’ time, it’ll certainly become one of the hottest careers to permanently bridge business and IT together seamlessly.