MEPX
Chapter 1 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 1 of 10

What a chart is for

Answering one question.

Start with the question

Is this a comparison, a trend, a distribution, a relationship or a composition? The question determines the chart, and a chart without a question becomes decoration.

  • Exploration charts are for you; explanation charts are for an audience.
  • If a sentence would be clearer, write the sentence.

One point per chart

A chart carrying three messages usually delivers none. Splitting into two clear charts almost always beats one clever combined one.