Line chart in : Pretty equals true
Line chart decides what is being compared in under “Pretty equals true.” The figure that must stay on the axis is 1786. Drawing it larger does not create a unit. Look first for a cut axis and a missing key. A legend is weaker than a direct label. Write beside the mark when you can.
When the story is: trends, seasonality and a few series over time. Skip it in cases like: unordered categories, or more than about four overlapping series. William Playfair, 1786 — later refined for meteorology and markets position of a polyline through ordered time 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. Line chart: honour position of a polyline through ordered time, and switch when unordered categories, or more than about four overlapping series.
The core mark of Line chart is position of a polyline through ordered time. trends, seasonality and a few series over 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.
Read Line chart as , “Pretty equals true,” and 1786. A bar with no unit is not those three.1786
Figures to keep
- Year of the chart
- 1786
- Axis figure
- 1786
- Chart
- Line chart
- How to read it
- Pretty equals true
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