“The ability to communicate clearly through effective charts and graphs is as indispensable a skill as good writing.” So says, Dona Wong, author of The Wall Street Journal Guide to Information Graphics: The Dos and Don'ts of Presenting Data, Facts, and Figures. Only released a month ago, and already touted as the ‘Strunk & White of graphics’, this book focuses on how to convey your message in a data-driven world, using effective charting techniques.
This book appeared on my desk about two weeks ago (a gift from my boss), and I have to say, I have never read a more practical, well-layed out, easy-to-understand book on business charting. Her guidelines are both perceptive and clear, not buried under six feet of abstractions.
The meat of the book, which comprises chapter 2, contrasts effective and poor graphics on side-by-side pages. This useful design complements her key points, and while many books give rules, few go beyond the simply stating the rule, and further show us why the rule makes sense. Some examples include when and how to set scales to make meaningful comparisons, rules for bar order and the exceptions to those rules, when to plot absolute values versus percentage changes, when horizontal charts are best used, etc.
There is also a strong chapter on color and lines – what colors to use in combination, palettes, color order, line style and thickness, number of lines on a chart, and the use of labels with data points.
Wong’s methods are not as much geared toward creating an aesthetically pleasing chart (although they do), but focus on the ability to convey the intended message well and with clarity. She is a no-nonsense writer and a no-nonsense thinker. The book in and of itself does what it teaches - communicates without excess while delivering a message effectively. Dona Wong, a Tufte protégé , has created an essential reference work for everyone from the average PowerPoint user to the sophisticated business and strategic professional.
Interestingly, there is no discussion of what tools were used to use to make the graphics or how the graphics in this book were rendered. I have a suggestion…
