Arlene Birt is a visual storyteller, speaker, educator, and public artist
She creates narrative visual stories (infographics, illustrations, and data visualizations) that communicate complex sustainability information to non-expert audiences.
Birt aims to put data into context and help individuals emotionally connect to seemingly distant environmental concepts. To do this, she holds several roles:
Birt is founder and creative director of Background Stories, an infodesign consultancy that translates complex ideas, systems, and metrics into clear visuals to help people (especially non-experts) understand social and environmental topics. (Working with change-making organizations in the US, EU, and UK.)
As Professor in Creative Entrepreneurship at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design (MCAD) Birt teaches courses on infodesign, data visualization, arts entrepreneurship, and sustainability (since 2008).
As graphics officer for the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Synthesis Report (which launched March 2023), Birt collaborated with 60+ climate scientists from around the world to design graphics to explain the latest climate science in a global report that is adopted by 195 member governments.
Her work with the UN IPCC has been featured in the Washington Post, Financial Times, Le Monde, and numerous other global media. A key visual was named ‘The one UN climate report graphic you need to see’ by Axios.
Her work on sustainability – which rides the line between art and education – has been featured in Creative Review (UK), U.S. News and World Report, BusinessWeek.com, worldchanging.com, SEED Magazine, and at the Barcelona Design Museum. Birt has published chapters in several books, including New Challenges for Data Design, and Sustainable Graphic Design: Tools, Systems and Strategies for Innovative Print Design.
Presenting her work internationally, Arlene has consulted with the UN’s Environment Program, held research fellowships and residencies –including a Fulbright fellowship, and was trained by Al Gore to present our Climate Reality.
Birt is an expert in information visualization and narrative visuals to communicate sustainability and is fascinated by the intersection of behavioral psychology and visual communication.
Birt is also a public artist creating participatory, data-focused public artwork on social and environmental topics.
