Data-ink in : More series is richer
Data-ink decides what is being compared in under “More series is richer.” The figure that must stay on the axis is 1983. Drawing it larger does not create a unit. Look first for a cut axis and a missing key. Use Data-ink when the story is auditing slides, dashboards and science figures.
Every pixel should earn its keep — Tufte’s test for reports, and a warning against cute ads. 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.
This page gathers anatomy, fit, craft, failure modes and work / ads / school recipes for Data-ink. When the story is: auditing slides, dashboards and science figures. Skip it in cases like: a poster that must shout from three metres — ads may keep some junk on purpose. Edward Tufte, The Visual Display of Quantitative Information, 1983
the share of ink that represents data versus decoration 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.
Read Data-ink as , “More series is richer,” and 1983. A bar with no unit is not those three.1983
Figures to keep
- Year of the chart
- 1983
- Axis figure
- 1983
- Chart
- Data-ink
- How to read it
- More series is richer
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