The design of “…but then, what’s in a name?” amplifies the human story behind a stark statistic.
Each graphic element in an individual data portrait represents an aspect of a real person’s life.
The tilted display of ten thousand data portraits conveys the overwhelming magnitude of the subject.
By design, the visualization requires time and thought to decipher, fostering a contemplative mood.
Colors signify aspects of identity—e.g., gender, profession, religion—that the 1938 census tracked.
Through contrasts in scale and enclosure, the exhibit design created a compelling narrative space.
People learned of the results of the fateful census and its tragic consequences for the first time.
