How common is your birthday?
Not all birthdays are created equal… in fact, for most countries in the north temperate zone, more people are born in summer (May – August) than in winter (October – January). This heatmap allows you to check how popular your birth date is. It shows the number of people in Belgium for each specific birthday.
There are some interesting outliers: January 1st and July 1st are extra common, because people with an unknown birth data are commonly assigned these birthdays. The national holidays (May 1, July 21, August 15, November 1 and 11, December 25) are clearly visible as dips in the data. And obviously, February 29th is also not very popular!
We haven’t figured out why more people are born on the 1st, 5th, 10th, 15th, 20th and 25th of each month, but possibly this has some administrative reasons as well…
Read more:
Gridlines are better than axes
Almost always, gridlines are better than axes. Vertical axes are the default option, and they have been around for centuries, so they are very well known. But they also have downsides. My biggest problem with vertical axes is that they’re often so far away from where the action is really happening.
Review: A History of Data Visualization and Graphic Communication
Michael Friendly and Howard Wainer clearly love graphs. But A History of Data Visualization and Graphic Communication isn’t just about graphs — it’s about the stories behind them: the context, the people, the new measurements that made them necessary, and the discoveries they enabled.
Report visuals don’t have to suck
Discover how CREG, Belgium’s electricity regulator, turns complex data into clear and engaging visuals. From smart annotations to small multiples and uncommon chart types, their Monitoring Report shows how thoughtful data visualization makes technical reports easier to read and understand.
Data visualization podcasts 2025
At Baryon, we’re huge fans of podcasts! Data visualization podcasts are a great way to stay up to date on the latest trends and techniques in data visualization.
Tell me why… I don’t like dashboards
I don't like dashboards. Well, most dashboards at least. They're just trying too hard... to do everything, everywhere, all at once. Why is that? And is there a better solution?
Why I love matrix charts
This one is definitely in my top 5 of favourite chart types: a matrix chart! Super flexible, can provide some great insights into the data, and it will fit well into your beautiful report design.
We are really into visual communication!
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