Darker cells mean a higher score for this topic on that metric.
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Quick answers
When should I pick Data-ink?
When the story is: auditing slides, dashboards and science figures.
When should I avoid Data-ink?
Skip it in cases like: a poster that must shout from three metres — ads may keep some junk on purpose.
Who invented or popularised it?
Edward Tufte, The Visual Display of Quantitative Information, 1983
What does it encode?
the share of ink that represents data versus decoration
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.
Data-ink encodes values as the share of ink that represents data versus decoration. Edward Tufte, The Visual Display of Quantitative Information, 1983.
In reports, ads and assignments it fits auditing slides, dashboards and science figures. Skip it when a poster that must shout from three metres — ads may keep some junk on purpose.
Mistakes
- Failure modes 1 — a poster that must shout from three metres — ads may keep some junk on purpose
- Failure modes 2 — 3-D pies and perspective bars
- Failure modes 3 — Dual axes that fake a correlation
- Failure modes 4 — Truncated axes that shout a small delta
- Failure modes 5 — Legend only, no direct labels
- Failure modes 6 — Missing source, unit or period
Fixes
- Fixes 1 — Return to auditing slides, dashboards and science figures.
- Fixes 2 — Flat, one axis, direct labels.
- Fixes 3 — Color-blind-safe palette plus pattern.
- Fixes 4 — Rewrite the title as a claim and add a source line.
Data-ink: honour the share of ink that represents data versus decoration, and switch when a poster that must shout from three metres — ads may keep some junk on purpose.