Malaria off the Map

At the famous annual conference of the World Economic Forum, Davos 2018, Bill Gates would make this case to the world.

Behind his words, he wanted a visualization that could transform global data into a message even more potent than the disease it sought to eliminate.

To do this, we combined two standard devices: a world map and a timeline. This enabled us to shuttle the story smoothly between 2015 and 2060, showing the battle against malaria play out across the world in two possible futures.

We wanted the audience to see us literally wipe malaria off the map. Using yellow to denote malaria-affected regions, each time a country became unafflicted, it’s colours would drift off the map to become a malaria-free marker on the timeline.

And we left control in the hands of the storytellers, so the Gates Foundation team could control the multi-part story, rewinding to certain chapters if necessary.

Bill Gates delivered his talk at Davos 2018, using our animated interactive to give heft to the powerful underlying message: ‘Progress is possible, but not inevitable.’