Dear Data @ GVSU
Track your week. Vizualize your data. Share your story.
Participate in a campus-wide creative project that turns everyday moments into visual stories. Inspired by the original Dear Data project, this initiative invites students, faculty, and staff to collect personal data for a week, draw it by hand, and share their creations at Student Scholars Day.
What is Dear Data?
In 2015, information designers Giorgia Lupi and Stefanie Posavec set out to get to know each other by exchanging postcards across the Atlantic. Each week, they visualized personal data—from how often they said “thank you” to moments of stress, laughter, or quiet.
What began as a friendship through data became Dear Data, now a book and part of the permanent collection at the Museum of Modern Art.
What is Dear Data @ GVSU?
Dear Data @ GVSU is a creative campus project where you track one part of your daily life for a week and turn it into a hand-drawn postcard. Your postcard becomes part of a collection that shows how different people experience their everyday lives. All postcards will be shared during Student Scholars Day in April 2026.
Why Participate?
Discover something new
You might notice patterns in your daily life that you never paid attention to before. Tracking your week can help you learn something new about yourself.
Slow down and notice more
This project encourages you to pause and take a closer look at everyday moments. It’s a simple way to reflect on your day and be more mindful.
Have fun and be expressive
There’s no right or wrong way to draw your data. Use colors, shapes, and your own style to turn information into a piece of art.
How it Works
Here's a simple way to take part in Dear Data @ GVSU
You can create a postcard by hand or make a digital one. If you want a paper postcard, you can pick one up at the Mary Idema Pew Library or the Steelcase Library. All postcards should be 4x6 inches.
Pick one part of your daily life to track—like your habits, emotions, conversations, or movement. You can choose any topic that interests you, such as “my week in music” or “my week of social media.”
Track your topic for one week. Write down details like how often something happens, when it happens, or where you are. The days don’t have to be in a row.
Turn your notes into a drawing on a 4x6 postcard. Use colors, shapes, or symbols to show the patterns you found. On the back, include a short key that explains what everything means. Try to be creative and think beyond simple bar or pie charts.
Drop off your postcard at the Mary Idema Pew Library or the Steelcase Library. If you made a digital postcard, upload it using the online submission form. You may sign your first name or initials, but please avoid including your full name or personal information.
Timeline
See what's happeing throughout the project
Kickoff
Janurary 2026
Learn about the project, get ideas, and pick up your postcard.
Check-in
Mid-Semester
Share your progress, ask questions, and get help if you need it.
Exhibit
April 2026
See your postcard displayed during Student Scholars Day.