In collaboration with the Swiss Federal Statistical Office for the UN World Data Forum, we faced a fundamental communication challenge: how to make the complex statistical data behind the 17 Sustainable Development Goals accessible and engaging to both experts and the general public.

We developed a new modular diagram system that extends the official branding of the UN with icons and visual language. The overarching concept is, on the one hand, to present all countries in a new type of overview diagram for each topic and, on the other hand, to compare Switzerland's values. The focus is on the objective communication of the 17 SDG goals, the underlying indicators and their target direction.

First published in Bern in 2021 and updated with new data in 2024 for the UN World Data Forum in Medellín, Colombia, SDGraphical has become a very popular source of inspiration for visual statistics. The book's approach shows how thoughtful information design can transform complex global data into engagement with key development issues. The success of this publication laid the foundation for our expanded SDG visualisation ecosystem, including exhibitions and a web application.