Our economy's scribble

The New York Times recently created an interesting interactive graphic, taking a page from The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development in charting the economic cycle and its major turning points.
The chart, reminiscent of drawings in "Harold and the Purple Crayon", illustrates how volatile our economy can be. Using O.E.C.D. data and charting methods, The New York Times actively illustrates the rollercoaster peaks and dips of the economy from the 1970s to the giant fall of May 2009.
Watching the swinging scribbles of the business cycle over the past 30 years (particularly its recent dive) may not be the most comforting thing in the world, but it is enlightening. Following the cues of O.E.C.D economists to simplify data into something visual and trend-revealing was a smart move on the Times part. Making it into a live-action graph that moves was an even smarter one, taking an otherwise complex and alien-looking graph and turning it into an engaging and insightful piece of multimedia.
View the interactive graphic here.

What do you think of the illustration of the economic cycle? What articles or graphics have you worked on lately that simplified complex data? Comment and let us know!

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CHART CREDIT: The New York Times