Hi, I am
Catherine Ma
馬倩
A data visualization designer, developer, storyteller, EN-CH translator, and VIS-COMM scholar. Being into EVERYTHING about visualizations.
( Page updated at May, 2025. )
ABOUT ME
Design interests & skills
- Interactive storytelling, infographics, data videos
- Adobe Suite, Figma, HTML/CSS/JS, AIGC
Research interests & skills
- News visualization, visualization design and evaluation
- Case study, ethnography, systematic literature review, UX study
Teaching interests
- Visualization history, theory, and design; data journalism practice
Professional Experience
- 03.2024 - Now, Full-stack news visualization designer, South China Morning Post Graphics, Hong Kong, SAR.
- 08.2023 - 01.2024, Manager and chief producer at the Global-Comm Lab, China News Service, Beijing.
- 09.2020 - 05.2023, Data visualization freelancer and English-Chinese interpreter.
- 03.2016 - 06.2019, Graphics reporter and product manager, Xinhua Media Creatives, Xinhua News Agency, Beijing.
Education
- 08.2019-05.2023, Ph.D. in Communication, University of Miami
- 09.2013-01.2016, M.Eng in Industrial Design, Tianjin University
- Studied HCI and information design in Nanyang Technological University and Korea University
- 09.2009-07.2013, B.Eng in Industrial Design, Tianjin University
- Studied Industrial Design in Georgia Institute of Technology
Click here to download my most recent CV
I make creative
Data-Viz stories
in various forms and topics
I explore all kinds of news visualizations. Personally, I would love to explain cultural phenomena, scientific findings, and advanced technology with visuals and narratives. I would love to take any coding challenges, developing interactions and animations for data visualizations. On the premise of truthfulness and originality, I'm also open to any AIGC inspirations or assistance.
How Al learns to create and generate
Designer, illustrator, writer
How Al learns to create and generate
A printed graphic for Young Post SPARK.
Please mind the paws on Light Rail
Designer, writer
Please mind the paws on Light Rail
A printed graphic for SCMP newspaper backpage.
Grumpy cat goes wild
Designer, illustrator, writer
Grumpy cat goes wild
A printed graphic for Young Post SPARK. Digital version: InfoSpark: Meet the little-known Pallas’s cat
Living with Mum: How is the first year of a panda
Designer, illustrator, writer
How is the first year of a panda
A printed graphic for Young Post SPARK, teenager's version of SCMP. The graphic was done with a handrawn cartoon style to catch kids interests. Digital version: InfoSpark: A year in the life of a newborn giant panda
Spatial distribution of the wildcats
Infographic for an academic paper. Designer, illustrator
Spatial distribution of the wildcats.
Visualization of the wildcats' body data, global distribution, and data of relevant publications. The graphics was inserted as the first figure in the following publication: Xie, Bing & Gong, Yinan & Fu, Yanwen & Feng, Limin & Yang, Haitao. (2023). Does the territorial behaviour of the Amur tiger affect the accuracy of occupancy estimation?. 10.1101/2023.01.16.524338.
China Story series: C919 (国产大飞机 C919)
Writer, designer, and interpretor
China Story series: C919 (国产大飞机 C919)
A printed infographic briefly introduces China's C919 aircraft, such as its development timeline, involving countries and menufactures.
China Story series: China Cross-Border Energy Pathway
Writer, designer, and interpretor
China Story series: China Cross-Border Energy Pathway
A printed infographic briefly introduces the development, consumption, and vision of China's cross-border energy pathways.
China Story series: China 5G
Writer, designer, and interpretor
China Story series: China 5G
A printed infographic briefly introduces the concept, status quo, and mission of China's 5G technology.
China Story series: China Metro System
Writer, designer, and interpretor
China Story series: China Metro System
A printed infographic briefly introduces the evolution and capacity of China's metro system.
音曲繁美：流行音乐的百年分化与融合
Project leader, writer, designer. Evolution of ten main popular music genres around the world
音曲繁美：流行音乐的百年分化与融合
The project is originally an interactive page visualizing how ten main popular music genres have been evovling over the last 100 years. The page was withdrawn due to Xinhua's publication policy.
隐藏的运动场：8小时外健身休闲，如何说走就走
Project leader, writer, designer. Distribution of the public recreation places in Beijing.
隐藏的运动场：8小时外健身休闲，如何说走就走
The project is originally a static page visulizing the distribution of the public recreation places in Beijing. The project was withdrawn due to Xinhua's publication policy.
世界大港建成记：洋山港的建设历程
Solo project. How Yangshan Port was built.
世界大港建成记：洋山港的建设历程
A printed infographic illustrating the construction of the Yangshan Port.
马航MH370：等你的1728天
Solo project. A brief summary of the missing plane MH370
马航MH370：等你的1728天
A printed infographic summarizing the missing plane MH370, including the timeline, locations, and plane structure.
原创综艺的春天还有多远
Designer, developer. Production and originality of the reality shows in China
原创综艺的春天还有多远
The project is originally an interactive page exploring the features of China's reality shows and why most of them are not original. The project was withdrawn due to Xinhua's publication policy.
北京一夜：重塑城市夜间生态
Project leadr, designer. Flow of night transportations in Beijing.
北京一夜：重塑城市夜间生态
The project is originally an interactive page visualizing the flow of transportations at night in Beijing, such as peak times and places, and monthly traffic patterns. The project was withdrawn due to Xinhua's publication policy.
中国制造背后，你不知道的事
Solo priject. Evolution of China's industrial design.
中国制造背后，你不知道的事
The project is originally an interactive page visualizing the evolution of the industrial design in China. It explored the features of products winning China's first industrial design awards, Hongxing Design Awards, and tracked how these products were implemented in real scenarios. The project was withdrawn due to Xinhua's publication policy.
I do
Reserach & Writings
about visualization conmmunication
I'm interesting observing how news visualizations are produced in newsrooms and how professionals make production decisions. I believe that knowledge is hidden in news-viz practices, and thus, always want to find it and share it.
I produce useful
Tools and templates, and share VizCommm resources
etc..
My multidisciplinary background makes me a fast, curious, and passionate self-learner. I can always find good sources to learn and tools to streamline my workflow. I also create various templates to speed up my working, such as D3 viz components, micro-interactions, prototypes, slides, etc...
Rainfall in Beijing
The vis block is used in SCMP article: China releases US$77 million relief fund as casualties mount in Beijing floods
Frequency of typhoon warnings in Hong Kong
The visualization shows the Frequency of typhoon warnings in Hong Kong. The vis block is used in SCMP article: Tropical Storm Toraji: Hong Kong issues T8 typhoon warning signal
Japan vs China 30-year bond yield
The visualization shows the daily yield spread on the 30-year bonds of China and Japan, which have closed over a 20-year period. The vis block is used in SCMP article: Macroscope | Why the plunge in China’s bond yields is not bad news
US presidential election 2024: Electoral College results
The visualization shows the electoral College results of US presidential election 2024. It was updated lively on the election day. The vis block is used in SCMP US election live blog: US presidential election 2024: Electoral College results live
US presidential election 2024: Electoral College results
The visualization shows the electoral College results of US presidential election 2024. It was updated lively on the election day. The vis block is used in SCMP US election live blog: US presidential election 2024: Electoral College results live
Yuan - US dollar exchange rate
The visualization shows the price trends over time for how the Chinese currency trades against the US dollar. The vis block is used in SCMP article: China’s yuan to continue to gain against US dollar, but outlook hinges on Fed: analysts
Group stage score of UEFA EURO Cup 2024
The vis block is used in SCMP article: Euro 2024 fixtures, results, tables, how to watch, who will win and all you need to know
Paris Olympics medal tally
When I'm not working,
I do Sketches, piano, Taekwondo, readings
etc..
