UsefulCharts


UsefulCharts is a chartmaking company founded by Canadian educator and designer Matt Baker. The company produces infographic posters both physically and digitally and has an associated storefront in Vancouver and a YouTube channel.

Founder

Matthew James Baker is a Canadian educator and designer who was born in 1975. In a YouTube video, Baker said that he was born into a family who were members of the Worldwide Church of God. He described the church as a cult and has since converted to Progressive Judaism. In 2003, he cofounded Beacon Hill Academy, a non-profit school in Nuwara Eliya, Sri Lanka, where he had previously worked as a teacher. When he moved to Vancouver in 2009, he uploaded around 100 educational charts online covering various topics which earned him money through Google AdSense advertisements on his website. He later began selling physical posters on Amazon.com and was able to rely on income from the UsefulCharts business by 2011.
Baker has a PhD in education, with his dissertation titled "Psychological type and atheism: why some people are more likely than others to give up God."

Business

The company was started by Matthew Baker on February 2, 2018 with the purpose of turning Matt's hobby of making charts into a business.

Store

The storefront of the company is located at Commercial Drive, Vancouver, where physical posters and books by UsefulCharts are sold. Posters can also be purchased online through its website.

YouTube

The company has an associated YouTube channel where Baker narrates over videos presenting educational charts. Baker has said the revenue between physical chart sales and the channel is "about 50/50." In a Global News segment covering UsefulCharts, a video detailing the history of Vancouver was highlighted.It recently reached 2,000,000 subscribers

Notable charts

Charts designed by the company which have received media attention include:
Books released under the UsefulCharts name include:

  • Reception

Biblical scholar Jacob L. Wright commented on Twitter in 2024 that Baker was "an extraordinary pedagogue" while sharing a video by UsefulCharts on the Twelve Tribes of Israel. Mark Wilson, writing for Fast Company, said Evolution of the Alphabet "beautifully illustrated" the history of the alphabet.

Secondary sources