Infographic Case Study: The Entire Old Testament Explained in One Timeline

Designing this Old Testament Timeline was one of my earliest—and favorite—client infographic projects. Matt, a professional engineer and teacher of biblical studies, came to me with a detailed sketch packed with information. His goal was to simplify the many layers of the Old Testament—people, places, geography, and events—into a single, clear visual. And it all had to fit on an 8.5x11 page! Creating the timeline was a complex puzzle. I used color-coding, varied font sizes, transparency and symbolic icons to pack as much information as possible into the narrow space while keeping it readable and uncluttered.

The result is a tool that shows how the books of the Old Testament fit into the overall narrative. It also helps place them in context, aiding readers during devotional reading. As with any infographic project, I learned so much about the topic in the process. And I loved seeing Matt’s engineering precision applied to an ancient story filled with overlaps and blurred timelines. Combined with my data visualization expertise, I think we created a one-of-a-kind tool for anyone needing clarity about this part of the Bible!

The Old Testament Timeline is now available for download in various formats on Matt’s site. Or just watch the informational video, where he brings the single graphic to life with animations, illustrations and photography.