Edward Tufte: Truth and beauty in information
Stanford Magazine has a detailed essay on Edward Tufte’s pioneering work in the area of information communication:
- Bad graphics mangle the truth or lie outright, Tufte says, by a myriad of design flaws. Lousy graphics omit context, bury critical information, cherry-pick data to advance a cause and heap on “chartjunk’’—a Tufteism (and there are many) for the smiley faces, irrelevant numbers and other doodads that distract us from grasping evidence, thinking about it and drawing smart conclusions.
- Tufte’s design principles: Show comparisons. Show causality. Show data in their full complexity. Document and display your sources. Above all, respect the intelligence of your audience and tell the truth.
For more, check out his site; here’s his critique of Powerpoint.
Related Posts: