Charticulator Visual Community: A New Chapter in Custom Visual Design

Charticulator Visual Community: Tracing Its History and Evolution

A Brief History of Charticulator​

Charticulator, initially developed by Donghao Ren, Bongshin Lee, and Matthew Brehmer, emerged as a groundbreaking tool for bespoke chart designs without requiring programming expertise. While its origins date back to 2017-2018, the project gained traction when integrated into Power BI. For those curious, the original Charticulator can still be explored at donghaoren.org/charticulator

The Evolution of Charticulator​

The journey of Charticulator in Power BI officially began with its first visual published in April 2021. However, my involvement with the project started even earlier, in January 2020. With a background in data visualization and Power BI visuals development since 2017 at Akvelon Inc., I was drawn to the potential of Charticulator to redefine how users approach custom chart creation.

The early days were marked by focused community engagement. One key milestone was introducing the links table feature in the Power BI Visual Extension of Charticulator. This and other enhancements were shaped by invaluable user feedback, including contributions from Nick Snapp, who pushed the tool's boundaries during its formative stages.

Charticulator in Power BI: From Concept to Reality

The idea of "universal" Power BI visuals originated as an internal initiative at Akvelon Inc. We explored different visualization engines, including Plotly.js or Vega (Vega-Lite). Ultimately, Plotly.js was chosen, and Akvelon's team published the integration of Plotly.js into Power BI as a visual.

Over time, Charticulator’s application in Power BI gained momentum. The creativity and ingenuity of the Power BI community—reflected in the innovative visualizations and learning materials they produced—never ceased to amaze me. The contributions of users like Ruth Pozuelo Martinez, who actively tested features and provided ideas for improvement, were instrumental in Charticulator’s growth.

A New Era: Charticulator Visual Community

In December 2023, the original Charticulator visual was retired from the Power BI visuals store. Although the code remains available on GitHub, it has not been actively maintained since 2022. Recognizing the importance of this tool, I took the reins to give Charticulator a fresh lease on life: Charticulator Visual Community.

Under my stewardship, Charticulator has evolved into two distinct visuals:

1. Charticulator Visual (Edit and Display): This is a non-certified version that allows users to edit and display their custom charts within Power BI.

2. Charticulator Display-Only Visual: A certified version tailored for secure and streamlined use in production environments.

Additionally, I launched an online web application that provides users with an accessible platform to create and edit Charticulator templates.

What is new in Charticulator (Community)

Looking Ahead

As Charticulator embarks on this new chapter, the goal remains clear: to empower users to create unique, data-driven visualizations that tell compelling stories. If you have resources, tutorials, or use cases related to Charticulator, I invite you to share them with me. Let’s continue building a vibrant community around this powerful tool.

Special thanks to all who have supported and contributed to Charticulator’s journey. Your creativity and feedback fuel its ongoing evolution.

Best regards,

Ilfat Galiev

Akvelon Inc.