About
Joseph Ricafort
Data Visualization Designer & Creative Developer
I build interactive maps, data explorers, scrollytelling experiences, and custom visualization tools — for products, platforms, and teams that need their data to be understood, not just stored.
My work sits at the intersection of data analysis, design, and front-end engineering. I don't fill a single role — I take a messy dataset and turn it into something a human can understand and act on, end to end.
Background
I'm Filipino, currently based in the Philippines, and have spent the last several years working across Singapore and Southeast Asia. My career started in semiconductor test engineering before a UX/UI and data visualization internship in Zurich pivoted me fully into design and interactive work.
From 2019 to 2024, I worked at The Straits Times in Singapore as part of the interactive graphics team — building scrollytelling features, data stories, and interactive maps for one of Southeast Asia's largest English-language newsrooms. That work was shortlisted for the Sigma Awards and won one Gold and four Bronze awards at the Society for News Design 2024.
I've also worked with ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute, producing data visualization and publication design for their Southeast Asia Climate Outlook survey series. And with Interactive Things in Zurich, where I built D3.js network visualizations and interactive data explorations.
In 2026, I built and launched VibeHood — a 3D neighbourhood explorer for Singapore's property market — as a solo product, handling design, data pipeline, and full-stack development.
What I Do
- Interactive data visualizations built with D3.js, React, Svelte, and Observable
- Interactive web maps using MapLibre GL JS, Mapbox, and QGIS
- Scrollytelling features and data-driven web stories
- Custom data dashboards and explorers
- Research report and publication design (print + web)
- Editorial graphics, infographics, and chart design systems
- Data analysis and pipeline work in R
Who I Work With
I work best with tech startups and data products in Singapore and Southeast Asia that need to make complex information legible — whether that's for users, investors, or the public. I'm also open to research institutions, publishers, and international organizations working with data-heavy communication challenges.
Past clients and collaborators include:
- The Straits Times (Singapore)
- ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute (Singapore)
- SUTD Lee Kuan Yew Centre for Innovative Cities (Singapore)
- Stacked Homes (Singapore)
- Interactive Things (Zurich)
- Coalescion (USA)
Selected Recognition
- 4× Bronze — Society for News Design 2024 (Haze explainer)
- Gold — Society for News Design 2023, Elements and Animation (Greenwashing story)
- Sigma Awards 2024 Shortlist (Haze explainer)
- Sigma Awards 2021 Shortlist (175 Years of The Straits Times Headlines)
- 2nd place — UNDP Human Development Data Visualization Challenge 2019
Education
- Masters in Visual Tools to Empower Citizens (MVTEC) — University of Girona, Spain
- Bachelor of Science in Electronics Engineering — Central Philippine University, Philippines
Let's build something worth understanding.
If you're working with complex data and need someone who can take it from raw numbers to a finished, legible experience — I'd like to hear about it.