Chapter 6 of 10All chapters
Chapter 6 of 10
Removing clutter
Everything on the page competes.
Data-ink
Every gridline, border, shadow and legend takes attention from the data. Remove anything that does not help the reader answer the question.
- Label lines directly instead of using a legend where possible.
- Heavy gridlines compete with the data they are meant to support.
Chart junk
3D effects, decorative images and gradients distort perception as well as distract. A flat, plain chart is almost always more accurate to read.