My name is Ferdinand Kuchlmayr and I’m passionate about creating insights and telling stories through well-crafted and designed visualizations. In the past few years, I have focused on developing teams and creating workflows helping them get work done.
I was born in Munich in 1991, but am now based in Hamburg. Topics that I enjoy investigating include sustainable mobility like public transport or the railway system and sustainability issues in general. I have a special fable for map-based visualizations, and I like wrangling remote sensing data.
Experience
Currently, I’m working as the visual deputy editor at »Der Spiegel«’s editorial board, the »Editorial Desk«. In this role, I am responsible for the magazine’s data journalism and visual storytelling as well as story design and visual standards.
Previously, I was head of the data and visualizations department for almost three years, which I established and developed during this time. The department now has 25 staff members and creates cutting-edge data-driven analyses and visual stories for SPIEGEL.de and the printed magazine. To achieve that, I built workflows and tools that, regardless of the channel, enabled all team members to jointly create high-quality content and data visualizations for SPIEGEL.de and the printed magazine.
Change management towards a digital-first production at »DER SPIEGEL« has been my daily business for years.
Before I joined »Der Spiegel« in late 2017, I have been working at the »Neue Zürcher Zeitung« and, during my studies, at Siemens.
Technology stack
Managing multidisciplinary teams of developers, designers and journalists requires practical experience and in-depth knowledge of the technologies they use. My technology stack includes:
- Python for data analysis using the pydata stack
- QGIS and geopandas for spatial data analysis
- D3 and Svelte/Javascript
- HTML and CSS
- Graphic design and drafting applications of Adobe’s CC and Figma