David McCandless is justifiably famous for his work at Information is Beautiful but as his bio on the TED website says, his “genius is not so much in finding jazzy new ways to show data [...] but in finding fresh ways to combine datasets to let them ping and prod each other.”

With free tools such as Many Eyes and Tableau it’s becoming easier and easier to visualise data (though making it look beautiful is another matter).

The real challenge now is in finding and curating data to tell a new, compelling story.

“Great design is serious (not solemn),” says Paula Scher, a New York based partner at design firm Pentagram. She argues that you do your best work when you’re having fun, exploring and not pressured by expectations.

I find the key is finding somewhere in between: creative work needs a combination of space and freedom but also a clear problem to solve.

Need more Paula Scher? Hillman Curtis has a video discussing type as image that’s also worth watching.

For those who missed Wired magazine creative director Scott Dadich’s inspiring presentation at Semi-Permanent Sydney earlier this year, he gave a similar talk to design company IDEO covering everything from photo shoots to commissioning typefaces. There’s more follow-up reading with plenty of pictures at a photo editor and eye blog.