Stefan Sagmeister — Finally, Something Good
Grammy-winning designer transforms UN and World Bank data into visual art that makes a compelling case for long-term human progress.
Why we picked this
Sagmeister turns global development data into art — making the case that things are getting better, and that you can see it if you look at the right timescale.
Stefan Sagmeister is a Grammy-winning designer known for provocative, boundary-pushing work. His latest project is different: he’s taken data from the United Nations and World Bank — the kind of numbers that usually live in forgettable reports — and transformed them into captivating visual art.
The thesis is simple and counterintuitive: by almost every measurable indicator, the world is getting better. Life expectancy, literacy, poverty, violence — the long-term trends point in directions most people don’t expect. Sagmeister’s contribution is making that data not just legible but beautiful, turning statistics into objects you want to look at.
At the Long Now Foundation’s Cowell Theater at Fort Mason, this fits perfectly — the Long Now exists to encourage long-term thinking, and Sagmeister’s work is a masterclass in what the world looks like when you zoom out.