Just spent some time with Nigel Holmes--father of the "explanation graphic" whose ideas about sleek information for complex concepts are pretty compelling. This is not simple visualization, though. Suiting my editorial compulsions, he injects a sense of story into his information design. This is light years away from mere bar graphs and circle charts.
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Here's an interview:
http://www.creativerefuge.com/pages/spotlight5.htm
...and his personal web site.
http://www.nigelholmes.com/