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The Visual Display of Quantitative Information
by Edward R. Tufte
- Read by: Scott
- Date read: 2009-09-10
This radar plot is meant to give a graphical representation of the book in question. For a better idea of what each spoke means, see the table below. Also, keep in mind that higher numbers are not necessarily better. Depending on your taste, a 0 may be just as appealing as a 10 (or a 5, etc) in a particular category. (Click to close)
| Category | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maturity | 18+ | 17 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 8 |
| Violence | Excessive Violence | Violent acts (no blood-gore) | No Violence | ||||||||
| Action | Constant Action | Even mix of action-drama | No Action | ||||||||
| Epic | Lord of the Rings Epic | Large scope, less detailed | Limited scope | ||||||||
| World | Completely unique | Half real/half unique | Set in our world | ||||||||
| Realism | Focus outside the realm of accepted science | Focus evenly split between explainable-unexplainable | Nothing unexplainable - not the focus | ||||||||
| Modernity | Present Day (or beyond) | 1980-1999 | 1960-1979 | 1930-1959 | 1870-1929 | 1800-1869 | 1700-1799 | 1400-1699 | 200-1399 | (1000)-199 | Ancient |
| Humor | Laugh out loud throughout | Funny (but not primary focus) | Intentionally not funny |
Part I Graphical Practice
The first part is broken up into three chapters:
1 Graphical Excellence, in which Tufte provides examples of excellent graphics, and details on why they are excellent.
2 Graphical Integrity, which discusses graphics that lie.
3 Sources of Graphical Integrity and Sophistication.
Part II Theory of Data Graphics
This part goes into the more detailed theory of actually creating good Data Graphics. I will list the chapter titles:
4 Data-Ink and Graphical Redesign
5 Chartjunk: Vibrations, Grids, and Ducks
6 Data-Ink Maximization and Graphical Design
7 Multifunctioning Graphical Elements
8 Data Density and Small Multiples
9 Aesthetics and Technique in Data Graphical Design
Epilogue: Designs for the Display of Information
It would be easy to look at the title of this book, and the subject material, and to brush it off as a dry, niche subject that would only be of interest to statistician and data graphics designers. This assumption cannot be more wrong. In the three days I spent reading Visual Display I was more entertained, fascinated, and educated than I have been by any book in some time. It was, literally, a page turner. While it may not be the very best book I’ve read all year, it is easily in my top 5, regardless of subject or genre.
One thought I had as I read this was that every single subject material deserves a treatment as informative, clear, and accessible as data graphics gets from Visual Display. Now, this may be because I’m no longer in school, but I would not hesitate reading a book on any subject, no matter how foreign and dull the subject material might seem, if it were presented this wonderfully. Again, I’m sure it seems ridiculous to read this considering the book is about data graphics, but it’s true. From the examples of data graphics that, quite literally, saved lives (a mapping of cholera victims in London vs. the water pump they drank out of) to the horrible lies that some data graphics showed, the entire work is simply fascinating.
The sections on the actual theory were just as interesting, even if you only make small graphics for a few coworkers (or a website about books). All of the aspects of the theory that Tufte presents are clear, and applicable to any graphic that is being created. In fact, after reading this you will probably see that the graphics on this very website will change. After all, they are full of chartjunk (mostly unnecessary coloring, borders, and grids) and, in many cases, they present the same data multiple ways. Already I have ideas of how I can present more data, with less ink, and in a more informative manner. Needless to say, I was not only entertained by it, but I learned quite a bit as well.
In conclusion, I strongly recommend anyone who has ever seen or made a data graphic of any sort to pick up this book, check it out from the library, or borrow it from a friend. I promise, the only boring thing about it is the title.
“Furthermore, of all the methods for analyzing and communicating statistical information, well-designed data graphics are usually the simplest and at the same time the most powerful” (9).
16 - Scientific writing style
Yes
Read ID (use for comment below): 30
