UsefulCharts
UsefulCharts is a Canadian educational chartmaking company founded by educator and designer Matt Baker.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
UsefulCharts is a Canadian educational media and publishing brand founded by educator and designer Matthew James Baker. The company specializes in turning complex historical, cultural, linguistic, religious, and educational subjects into large-format visual charts, books, digital resources, and narrated explanatory videos. Its work is designed for people who want to understand relationships, timelines, classifications, and historical development through visual organization rather than through conventional prose alone. The brand grew out of Baker's personal interest in designing educational charts. After moving to Vancouver in 2009, he placed roughly one hundred charts online and generated early income through advertising on his website. He subsequently began selling physical posters through Amazon and other online channels. According to descriptions of the business, sales of physical charts and revenue from the associated YouTube channel eventually became roughly comparable sources of income. UsefulCharts was formally established as a business on February 2, 2018, converting Baker's chartmaking hobby into a dedicated commercial operation. UsefulCharts' catalog covers subjects including world history, dynastic and royal succession, religious history, biblical studies, writing systems, alphabets, language-related topics, and other visual reference subjects. Among the charts that have attracted outside attention are Evolution of the Alphabet, which traces the development of the twenty-six English alphabet glyphs, and Writing Systems of the World, which compares the scripts used by different languages and societies. The charts generally combine timelines, branching diagrams, labels, and concise explanatory text to make historical or structural relationships easier to inspect at a glance. The brand also publishes books. Its publications include The Atheist Personality, Baker's work on the relationship between psychological type and religious belief; Timeline of World History, co-authored with John Andrews and released by Thunder Bay Press; and Timeline of the British Monarchy and Timeline of the Bible, both published by Simon & Schuster imprints. These books extend the company's visual-reference approach beyond posters and online graphics. UsefulCharts operates an associated storefront on Commercial Drive in Vancouver, where physical posters and books are sold, while its website provides an online sales channel. Its YouTube channel is an important part of the brand's public identity: Baker narrates videos built around charts and uses visual explanations to present historical and educational subjects. A Global News feature highlighted a UsefulCharts video about Vancouver, and the channel has been reported as reaching approximately two million subscribers. The brand has also received positive attention from commentators outside the company, including biblical scholar Jacob L. Wright and Fast Company writer Mark Wilson, who praised the clarity or visual quality of selected materials. UsefulCharts is best understood as a creator-led educational brand rather than a mass-market stationery or conventional publishing company. Its distinctive positioning lies in combining infographic design, independent educational publishing, direct-to-consumer commerce, and creator-led video education. The business remains closely associated with Baker, whose background as an educator and designer shapes both the subject selection and the explanatory style of the brand.
History
UsefulCharts developed from the independent chartmaking work of Canadian educator and designer Matthew James Baker. Baker's professional background includes teaching and educational work. In 2003, he co-founded Beacon Hill Academy, a nonprofit school in Nuwara Eliya, Sri Lanka, where he had previously worked as a teacher. After relocating to Vancouver in 2009, he began uploading educational charts to the internet. The early collection reportedly included approximately one hundred charts covering a broad range of subjects. Advertising revenue from the website provided an initial income stream, while the visual materials also established the design language that later became central to the UsefulCharts brand. Baker eventually began offering physical versions of the charts through online marketplaces, including Amazon. By 2011, revenue from the chart business was sufficient for him to rely on it as a principal occupation. The company was formally started on February 2, 2018, with the purpose of turning Baker's long-running chartmaking hobby into a structured business. The formal launch did not represent a complete break from the earlier activity; rather, it consolidated an existing body of online content, poster sales, and educational design into a recognizable brand. The business combines physical retail, ecommerce, publishing, and online video. UsefulCharts maintains a storefront on Commercial Drive in Vancouver selling posters and books, while its website serves customers who purchase physical products online. The company's YouTube channel extends the charts into narrated lessons. Baker presents visual materials while explaining historical, religious, linguistic, and cultural topics, making the channel both a marketing platform and a standalone educational outlet. The business has described physical product sales and YouTube revenue as contributing approximately equally, although no independently verified financial breakdown is provided here. UsefulCharts' subject matter has expanded across multiple forms of visual reference. Its notable chart projects include a visual history of the English alphabet and a comparative overview of writing systems. The brand also produces timelines and genealogical or succession-oriented charts, including material about world history, the British monarchy, and the Bible. This approach allows the company to serve audiences interested in self-directed learning, classroom or home reference materials, history, religion, language, and general education. Publishing partnerships broadened the company's reach. Baker published The Atheist Personality in 2016, and later co-authored Timeline of World History with John Andrews, published by Thunder Bay Press in 2020. Baker subsequently published Timeline of the British Monarchy and Timeline of the Bible through Simon & Schuster in 2023 and 2024 respectively. These titles demonstrate a progression from independently produced charts toward commercially distributed books while retaining the brand's emphasis on visual chronology and compact explanation. The company has attracted recognition from commentators interested in education and visual communication. Biblical scholar Jacob L. Wright praised Baker's pedagogical ability in connection with a UsefulCharts video about the Twelve Tribes of Israel. Fast Company writer Mark Wilson described the alphabet-evolution chart as an effective and attractive visualization of the subject. A Global News feature brought further attention to the company's Vancouver-related historical content. The YouTube channel has reportedly grown to approximately two million subscribers, making UsefulCharts a significant creator-led educational channel even though the company remains closely identified with its founder.
- 2024
Timeline of the Bible released
[1]Baker published Timeline of the Bible through Simon & Schuster.
- 2023
Timeline of the British Monarchy released
[1]Baker published Timeline of the British Monarchy through Simon & Schuster.
- 2020
Timeline of World History released
[1]Baker and John Andrews published Timeline of World History through Thunder Bay Press.
- 2018
UsefulCharts formally established
[1]Baker formally started UsefulCharts on February 2, creating a dedicated business around his chartmaking work.
- 2016
The Atheist Personality published
[1]Baker published The Atheist Personality: Why Some People Are More Likely to Give Up God under the UsefulCharts name.
- 2011
Physical poster sales become commercially sustainable
[1]Baker's online poster sales had developed sufficiently for him to rely on income from the chart business.
- 2009
Baker begins publishing charts online from Vancouver
[1]After moving to Vancouver, Baker uploaded a large collection of educational charts online and began generating advertising income from the website.
- 2003
Beacon Hill Academy co-founded
[1]Matt Baker co-founded the nonprofit Beacon Hill Academy in Nuwara Eliya, Sri Lanka, building on his experience as an educator.
Products and positioning
A creator-led educational reference brand that uses carefully designed charts, timelines, books, and narrated videos to make complex historical, linguistic, religious, and cultural information visually accessible.
Educational chart
Evolution of the Alphabet
A visual history tracing the development of the twenty-six glyphs used in the English alphabet. The chart presents alphabetic forms as an evolving historical system and has been noted for making a complex subject accessible through illustration and concise labeling.
Educational chart
Writing Systems of the World
A comparative chart focused on writing systems associated with different languages and cultures. It exemplifies UsefulCharts' use of visual classification to show relationships among scripts and to provide a compact reference for learners.
Educational book · 2020
Timeline of World History
A book-length chronological reference co-authored by Matt Baker and John Andrews. Published by Thunder Bay Press, it extends the UsefulCharts timeline format into a commercially distributed overview of major periods and developments in world history.
Educational book · 2023
Timeline of the British Monarchy
A visual historical reference focused on the succession and development of the British monarchy. The book applies UsefulCharts' timeline-oriented presentation to royal history and was published by Simon & Schuster.
Religious history book · 2024
Timeline of the Bible
A visual timeline examining the chronology and historical setting of biblical material. Published by Simon & Schuster, it represents the brand's continuing focus on religious history and structured visual explanation.
Educational book · 2016
The Atheist Personality
Matt Baker's book examining why some people are more likely than others to abandon belief in God. The work relates to Baker's doctoral research in education and was released under the UsefulCharts name.
Sources2 sources
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