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0 pointsghaff6y ago0 comments

Furthermore, there are different styles for different purposes.

The famous graphic about Napoleon's army which is very associated with Tufte is an example of a graphic that crams a lot of data into an illustration that rewards careful study. It's actually not a graphic that especially makes data about something obvious at a quick glance.

Sometimes an illustration that best serves as a background for a knowledgeable person spending 30 minutes explaining it is a good approach. Other times you want to capture the contrast between a few numbers in a compelling way.

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ticmasta6y ago· 1 in thread

I have and admire this graphic and I think it highlights a few top-level things you mention like the right representation for the right audience. It takes some time and concentration to understand the Napoleon graphic vs. a simpler presentation where a few key points jumping out at you with ease, but that it manages to encode so many dimensions into a 2-d format is where it is unique. Tufte generally pushes information density over other, equally as valid, goals.

ghaffOP6y ago

I also like to point to this graphic that was originally used in a New York Times article about the failings of Powerpoint:

http://sdwise.com/2013/07/hey-new-york-times-a-causal-loop-d...

But, as the linked article discusses, this is actually a really good diagram if you have someone up there explaining it in extreme detail. But it looks like a mockable graphic to the casual observer.

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