Bar chart in 1786: Encoding 뿯½ Encoding

When the story is: comparing a handful of categories at one time. Skip it in cases like: too many categories, 3-D extrusion, or dual-axis tricks. William Playfair, Commercial and Political Atlas, 1786 Yes if one claim is visible at a glance in Meta, Google and retail print; otherwise link to a full figure.

Yes for lab reports and poster boards if axes, units and a source line are present. Excel or Google Sheets or PowerPoint; export SVG/PDF. Do not rely on hue alone. Label directly and check greyscale. Bar chart: honour length of rectangles on one baseline, and switch when too many categories, 3-D extrusion, or dual-axis tricks.

The core mark of Bar chart is length of rectangles on one baseline. comparing a handful of categories at one time The eye compares length and position more accurately than area. PowerPoint, Excel or Google Sheets and Meta, Google and retail print share the same geometry. Decoration rarely persuades; it slows reading.