Information on aesthetics and data graphical displays is included. data variation, and sources of deception are discussed.
Time-series, relational graphics, data maps, multivariate designs, as well as detection of graphical deception: design variation vs. Also offered is information on the design of the high-resolution displays, small multiples, editing and improving graphics, and the data-ink ratio. It includes 250 illustrations of the best (and a few of the worst) statistical graphics, with detailed analysis of how to display data for precise, effective, quick analysis. The variety of graphs makes the book very easy to read by dynamic switching form theory to applied examples very easily.This book deals with the theory and practice in the design of data graphics and makes the point that the most effective way to describe, explore, and summarize a set of numbers is to look at pictures of those numbers, through the use of statistical graphics, charts, and tables. Overall an enjoyable read in which you’ll find some interesting concepts in an attempt to establish a structured process for the creation of efficient Data Graphics. Tufte hopes that following these sets of principles data graphics will serve their purpose of representing complex information with clarity but also hopes that this process will bring innovative ways to present information.ĭespite of being a book about theoretic concepts and principles Tufte manages to keep it interesting and dynamic by presenting the reader with lots of really interesting graphs, some really poorly created and some brilliantly drawn, as examples.Īs a final note however, Tufte states how these principles should not be applied rigidly and they should be used as a guideline and that it is better to violate any principle than to place graceless or inelegant marks on a paper. Perhaps the most interesting of these principles is the Data-Ink-Ratio which can be expressed in the following formula. He then continues presenting a set of principles that constitute the core of the Theory of Graphic Design: For example, the representation of numbers, as physically measured on the surface of the graphic itself, should be directly proportional to the numerical quantities represented. Graphic Integrity refers to a series of principles that need to be followed in order to not show the data out of context. Graphical Excellence consists of complex ideas communicated with clarity, precision, and efficiency. Tufte starts by presenting the concepts of Graphical Excellence and Graphical Integrity.
In order to achieve this, Tufte offers the reader a set of concepts and principles to follow in order to design data graphics that represent complex information in the most effective way. As he puts it, he wanted Statistical Graphics to be “intellectually respectable and not just about pie charts and ruling pens”. In order to do that he believes the field of Data Graphics needs a certain level professionalization.
Well-designed data graphics are the simplest and most powerful way to explain data. Often the most effective way to represent, study, and summarize data is by looking at pictures of the data. The main reason why I decided to go for this book is because I thought I would help me make my visualizations about the actual data and not about the tricks, tool and aesthetics that can be applied to the visualization.Įdward Tufte states a very clear idea in this book: The main purpose of Data Graphics is to be able to represent complex information in a very simple way. Tufte’s ” The Visual Display of Quantitative Information”. For this week’s Book Review I decided to read Edward R.
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