Sankey flow stories in : Pretty equals true

In reports, ads and assignments it fits budget allocation, conversion paths, material or energy flows. Skip it when the audience only needs a start-vs-end waterfall. This page gathers anatomy, fit, craft, failure modes and work / ads / school recipes for Sankey flow stories. When should I pick Sankey flow stories?

When the story is: budget allocation, conversion paths, material or energy flows. When should I avoid Sankey flow stories? Skip it in cases like: the audience only needs a start-vs-end waterfall. Matthew Henry Phineas Riall Sankey (1898); modern d3-sankey layouts link width proportional to flow between nodes

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.