Darker cells mean a higher score for this topic on that metric.
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Quick answers
When should I pick Arrows & connectors?
When the story is: sequence, cause, download/click targets, map flow.
When should I avoid Arrows & connectors?
Skip it in cases like: every object has an arrow — then none of them mean anything.
Who invented or popularised it?
Heraldic piles and map north arrows; modern CTA chevrons from 20th-c. print ads
What does it encode?
a shaft plus a head that assigns sequence or cause
Is it OK in ads?
Yes if one claim is visible at a glance in Meta, Google and retail print; otherwise link to a full figure.
Will a teacher accept it?
Yes for lab reports and poster boards if axes, units and a source line are present.
Arrows & connectors encodes values as a shaft plus a head that assigns sequence or cause. Heraldic piles and map north arrows; modern CTA chevrons from 20th-c. print ads.
In reports, ads and assignments it fits sequence, cause, download/click targets, map flow. Skip it when every object has an arrow — then none of them mean anything.
Principles
- Encoding — The core mark of Arrows & connectors is a shaft plus a head that assigns sequence or cause.
- History — Heraldic piles and map north arrows; modern CTA chevrons from 20th-c. print ads
- Fit — sequence, cause, download/click targets, map flow
- Shared baseline — The eye compares length and position more accurately than area.
- Audience — PowerPoint, Excel or Google Sheets and Meta, Google and retail print share the same geometry.
Misconceptions
- Pretty equals true — Decoration rarely persuades; it slows reading.
- 3-D helps — Perspective distortion wrecks comparison. Keep it flat.
- More series is richer — Do not stack stories. One Arrows & connectors, one claim.
- Default palette is fine — Rainbow defaults fail color-blind viewers and grey print. Change Excel or Google Sheets defaults.
Why it matters
- Work — Work: sequence, cause, download/click targets, map flow. Readable in four minutes in PowerPoint.
- Ads — Ads: one number and one shape speak first in Meta, Google and retail print.
- School — School: for lab reports and poster boards, pick the form that answers the rubric.
- Craft — Craft: honour a shaft plus a head that assigns sequence or cause and decoration falls away.
Arrows & connectors: honour a shaft plus a head that assigns sequence or cause, and switch when every object has an arrow — then none of them mean anything.