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Something I've learned over the past few years creating data viz and I've certainly been guilty of: just because you can doesn't mean that you should. And just because you ~can definitely doesn't mean that you should. Two things need to be communicated: The story & so what?
For me, creating viz is all about layers. Not metaphoric layers, literally just shapes and shades on top of one another to make something coherent and to show what I want to show. Think about every element you want to include and why.
You want to make something that looks professional, tells a story, and is aesthetically pleasing? Look at viz that is professional, tells a story, and is aesthetically pleasing. And I mean really look at it.
How did the creator use colour, scale, shape, text, and space to create an impression? How is it layered, how is transparency used, how was the message conveyed so easily and effectively? What shade of blue is that? What font is that? Why san serif etc..
Not only that, but look at bad examples of data viz. What makes it so bad? Not the kind to call out anyone, but as an exaggerated example of what comes across my TL every day, take a look at this. All this says is look at me I have loads of data and I'm lazy. Why though? 
I’ll also add here that I don’t consider what I make particularly good, but I’m at a stage now where I’m making conscious decisions about how I’m making viz and learning every day and anyone who wants to do this beyond a hobby should do the same
