The best data design projects of 2026

The data design category of Fast Company’s Innovation by Design Awards honors projects that harness the power of data to create better experiences for users, whether it’s an algorithm, a visualization, or an interface. This year’s winner, A Data Love Letter to the Subway by Pentagram, is a two-minute animation that turns New York subway data into a lyrical, hand-drawn visual story of the life of all the lines using the 52 screens at Fulton Transit Center. See all of the honorees below. {"blockType":"mv-promo-block","data":{"imageDesktopUrl":"https:\/\/images.fastcompany.com\/image\/upload\/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit\/wp-cms-2\/2026\/09\/2026-IBD_social-share-2-16x9-1.jpg","imageMobileUrl":"https:\/\/images.fastcompany.com\/image\/upload\/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit\/wp-cms-2\/2026\/09\/2026-IBD_social-share-1-1-1x1-1.jpg","eyebrow":"","headline":"Meet the world\u0027s most innovative design companies","dek":"","subhed":"","description":"","ctaText":"See the List","ctaUrl":"https:\/\/www.fastcompany.com\/innovation-by-design\/list?utm_source=fcwebsite\u0026utm_medium=promo_block\u0026utm_campaign=IBD26","theme":{"bg":"#f4f4f4","text":"#2b2d30","eyebrow":"#9aa2aa","subhed":"#ffffff","buttonBg":"#4…