Nigel Holmes


Nigel Holmes is a British/American graphic designer, author, and theorist, who focuses on information graphics and information design.

Biography

Graduating from Royal College of Art in London in 1966, Holmes ran his own successful graphic design practice in England. From 1966 to 1977 he worked as a freelance illustrator and graphic designer for clients such as British Broadcasting Corporation, Ford Motor Company, and Island Records. His work appeared in New Scientist, Radio Times, The Observer, Daily Telegraph, and The Times.
In 1977, art director Walter Bernard hired him to work in the map and chart department of Time magazine, where Holmes later became graphics director.
After a sabbatical he started his own company, which has explained things to and for a wide variety of clients, including Apple, Fortune, Nike, The Smithsonian Institution, Sony, United Healthcare, US Airways, and Visa.
In 2011 Stevenson University held a retrospective show of his work titled Picture This - The Explanation Design of Nigel Holmes.
In 2016 an exhibition of his work from 1960 to 2015 was shown at the QVIG Conference in Munich, Germany, and also at the VisCom Gallery, Schoonover Center, Ohio University
In 2026, Holmes's illustrations will feature in What We Ask Google, published by Random House and written by Simon Rogers.

Publications

Partial list.

Books authored by Nigel Holmes

  • Designer's Guide to Creating Charts and Diagrams
  • Designing Pictorial Symbols
  • Pictorial Maps
  • Best in Diagrammatic Graphics
  • Wordless Diagrams
  • Pinhole and the Expedition to the Jungle
  • The Book of Everything: A Visual Guide to Travel and the World
  • Instant Expert: A Visual Guide to the Skills You've Always Wanted
  • Crazy Competitions
  • The Bigger Book of Everything: A Visual Guide to Travel and the World
  • Joyful Infographics: A Friendly, Human Approach to Data
  • ''Let’s Get Infografit: A Graphic Look at Exercise and Health''

    Books with graphics by Nigel Holmes

  • The Holy War, June 67
  • English Landscapes
  • The Making of the English
  • Focus on Health
  • The Ascent of Man
  • Understanding USA
  • Information Anxiety 2
  • Diagnostic Tests for Men
  • Understanding Children
  • Understanding Healthcare
  • The Enlightened Bracketologist: The Final Four of Everything
  • Blue Planet Run: The Race to Provide Safe Drinking Water to the World.
  • The Obama Time Capsule
  • Presimetrics: What the Facts Tell Us About How the Presidents Measure Up On the Issues We Care About
  • Graphic: Inside the Sketchbooks of the World’s Great Graphic Designers
  • Gerd Arntz: Graphic Designer
  • The Human Face of Big Data
  • Information Graphics
  • Raw Data: Infographic Designers' Sketchbooks
  • Understanding the World. The Atlas of Infographics
  • ''The Good Fight''

    About Nigel Holmes

  • ''On Information Design''

    Lectures and teaching

Partial list