Data Visualization Designer - Freelance

AKQA Media; Atlanta (GA); Hybrid; USD 137,000 - 155,000; Part time

Job summary

AKQA is seeking a Freelance Data Visualization Designer to turn macro-level data into compelling, narrative visuals for a major travel brand. This is a client-facing freelance role from ASAP through October 9, 2026, requiring storytelling, polish, and collaboration with strategists and writers.

Expect ~40 hours/week with Atlanta preference and travel as needed. You will distill large datasets into visuals that communicate insights clearly and beautifully, shaping them into a narrative that

Qualifications

• Ability to distill large datasets into clear visual narratives.
• Create polished charts, graphics and visual systems.
• Present and articulate visualization choices to clients.

Responsibilities

• Take large, macro-level datasets and uncover compelling stories.
• Design clear, engaging visualizations that communicate insights.
• Translate data into accessible narratives.
• Craft charts and visual systems with polish and refinement.
• Collaborate with strategists, writers and designers to align the data story with objectives.
• Present the rationale behind visualization choices to client stakeholders.
• Iterate quickly to explore multiple visual approaches for the strongest expression of the data.

Skills

Macro data storytelling

Data visualization design

Client-facing presentation

Visual storytelling

Collaboration with strategists

Attention to detail

Job description

At AKQA (part of WPP) we believe in the imaginative application of art and science to create beautiful ideas, products and services. With an entrepreneurial and collaborative approach, we design adaptive digital services and applications that capture the imagination, delivering impressive returns for our clients.

Creatives at AKQA apply artistry and craftsmanship to strategic insight to create and bring to life beautiful ideas that move the world. Skilled storytellers and conceptors, they work in a multidisciplinary environment to develop labors of love that delight customers and deliver results for clients. Data Visualization Designers play an essential role in this work, transforming complex information into clear, compelling, and beautiful visual stories that inform and inspire.

We are seeking a Freelance Data Visualization Designer who can take macro-level data and complex systems and find the story within them, crafting striking, beautiful visualizations for one of the world's most recognized travel brands. This is a role for a designer who is first and foremost a storyteller, able to distill large and complex datasets into visuals that are as insightful as they are elegant, and to shape them into a narrative that resonates. This is a client-facing role, so you will need to be comfortable and experienced presenting and collaborating directly with clients. This is a freelance role from ASAP through October 9, 2026.

ROLE REQUIREMENTS

• Take large, complex, macro-level datasets and systems and uncover the most compelling and meaningful stories within them
• Design beautiful, clear data visualizations that communicate insight with clarity and impact
• Translate abstract data into visual narratives that are immediately understandable and genuinely engaging
• Craft charts, graphics, and visual systems with a high degree of polish, precision, and aesthetic refinement
• Collaborate with strategists, writers, and other designers to ensure the data story aligns with the broader narrative and objectives
• Iterate quickly, exploring multiple visual approaches to find the clearest and most powerful expression of the data
• Present and articulate the rationale behind visualization choices directly to client stakeholders

QUALITIES AND CHARACTERISTICS

• A compelling portfolio demonstrating beautiful, high-craft data visualization work
• A natural storyteller with a sharp eye for the insight and angle hidden within complex data and systems
• Strong command of visualization principles, information design, typography, and layout
• Comfortable working with large and complex datasets, and skilled at making them accessible and engaging
• Proven experience working directly with clients, with the confidence and communication skills to present and collaborate in client-facing settings
• Proficiency with relevant design and visualization tools, with the craft to deliver refined, presentation-ready work
• Curious, rigorous, and detail-oriented, with a passion for making data both truthful and beautiful
• Collaborative and open to feedback, motivated by producing work that informs and inspires

Location & Commitment

• Atlanta local preferred to support periodic client visits; remote candidates will be considered if able to travel in for key meetings as needed
• ASAP through October 9, 2026
• 40 hours/week
• Expected weekly compensation: 3,000 to 3,400 USD