MEPX
Chapter 7 of 10All chapters
  1. 1What a chart is for
  2. 2How people read charts
  3. 3Choosing a chart
  4. 4Axes and scales
  5. 5Colour
  6. 6Removing clutter
  7. 7Titles and annotation
  8. 8Showing distributions
  9. 9Time series
  10. 10Tools and workflow

Chapter 7 of 10

Titles and annotation

Telling the reader what matters.

An active title

State the finding: revenue fell after the price change. A descriptive title naming the axes makes the reader do work you have already done.

  • Annotate the specific point that matters, directly on the chart.
  • Note data source, date range and any exclusions.

Context

A number means little alone. A benchmark, a previous period or a target gives the reader something to compare against, which is what makes a chart informative.