Category: graphs
3 Steps to Turn a Graph into a Story
What does it mean to tell stories with graphs? That’s a complicated question and one I plan to answer fully in my new book, called “Storytelling with Graphs”, due out this summer. Storytelling with graphs means many things. At a minimum, it means finding the meaning in the data and why it’s relevant to the [...]
Why Tufte is Flat-Out Wrong about Pie Charts
Some critics have come crashing down hard on pie charts. Edward Tufte says “the only worse design than a pie chart is several of them.” Stephen Few says “save the pies for dessert“. Cole Nussbaumer says “Death to pie charts.” Well, they are all wrong. Pie charts deserve your respect. And I’ll tell you why. [...]
Graphs Tell the Story of the 2012 US Election
Who will win the 2012 presidential election? I was a bit confused by all the different polls being reported – some saying Romney was gaining momentum, others arguing Obama had the edge. So I decided to create a simple set of graphs that clearly tells the story of the 2012 US presidential election. 1. Romney [...]
What’s Wrong With This Infographic?
I spend a lot of time these days studying infographics. Part of the research for my new book “Storytelling with Graphs”. But I keep running across atrocities like this – nice design, terrible understanding of data. Do you see the problem? Study the picture, then scroll down for my analysis. My comments 1. First, [...]
Romney Wins First Debate. Should Obama Worry?
The votes are in and 67% agree Mitt Romney won the first presidential debate. Should president Obama be worried? Absolutely not. Since 1960, the candidates have engaged in televised debates in ten election years. One year was a toss-up but in 5 of the remaining 9 years, the person who “won” the first debate actually [...]
