Relational databases and semantic analysis techniques offer unprecedented access to multifaceted information, but their conceptual complexity does not always fit comfortably into existing GUI models.

For instance, while many archives identify documents by tagging and hyper-linking, the conventional browser model offers few possibilities for exploring the patterns inherent when information is classified in this way. Designers must therefore seek to enrich the user experience of complex data sets through patterns of metadata, graphical visualization, iconography, and interaction, wherever possible allowing users the means to manipulate information according to their own interpretation.

In this paper, we examine the possibility of creating tools for accessing complex data sets which apply conventions of information design and graphical storytelling, and use interfaces which allow for exploration and exposition. Included is a brief overview of some existing visualization tools, why they work, and how they can be applied elsewhere.

As a case study, a rich visual interface is applied to a data set based on current events, which makes use of keywords to define connections between events as they unfold over time. The resulting experience presents a novel perspective on the material which conforms to its underlying meanings. The user may frame information by making positive decisions about how it is displayed, following their own trajectory through interconnected news items.