Week 7, MM1B03, McMaster University
Information
Mapping
From Edward Tufte, Beautiful Evidence
“Mapped Pictures: Images as Evidence and Explanation”

Edward Tufte
Edward Tufte's writing is
important the fields of
information design and visual
literacy, which deal with the
visual communication of
information. He is Professor
Emeritus of statistics,
information design, interface
design and political economy
at Yale University.
Edward Tufte, Beautiful Evidence

Credible Evidence
This observation upset
the notion that all
celestial bodies must
revolve around the
Earth. Galileo published
a full description in
Sidereus Nuncius in
March 1610.
Because of Galileo’s detailed annotations his
drawings became credible quantitative
evidence about satellite motion.

According to Tufte, many scientific images are
published simply as amazing celebratory
photographs without scale or relevant comparisons.

Mapped Pictures
• Combine representational graphics with
scales, diagrams, overlays, numbers,
words, or images.
• An explanatory image, (like an interface
design or navigation flow chart) is
information that has been “mapped out.”

David Hockney, Nicol’s
Canyon, 1980.
See page 164-5.

For showing evidence,
the map metaphor
suggests that labels
belong on images, that
external grids help to
scale images and that
data are more credible
when contextualized.
Stars are located on a
measured and labeled
2-D grid, yielding a dual
context of universal sky
grid and neighbourhood
stars. Brightness is
indicated by star-sizes.
John Bayer, Uranometria, 1603. Leo the Lion. (Engraving, Alexander Mair.)

See page 170-171
John Bayer, Uranometria, 1603. Leo the Lion. (Engraving, Alexander Mair.)

Diagramatic map-tracings
• With diagramatic map tracings such as Loran’s
treatment of Cezanne’s Still Life with Fruit
Basket.
• In these mappings, we see the now-revealed
skewed cubist tables depicted from various
points of view.

Diagramatic map-tracings
See page 174-175
Erle Loran, Cezanne’s
Paul Cezanne, Still Life. 1890
Composition. 1943.

See page 172.
Not stars, but slaves
J. Hawkesworth, Vigilante Slave Ship. Published for the Religious Society of
Friends, London, 1823.

Analytical Design
Probably the best statistical graphic ever drawn,
this map by Charles Joseph Minard portrays the
losses suffered by Napoleon's army in the Russian
campaign of 1812. Beginning at the Polish-Russian
border, the thick band shows the size of the army
at each position. The path of Napoleon's retreat
from Moscow in the bitterly cold winter is
depicted by the dark lower band, which is tied to
temperature and time scales. — Edward Tufte

From: http://www.edwardtufte.com/tufte/posters

Tufte’s Principles
For well-mapped analytic design, make sure you show:
1. Comparisons, Contrast, Differences.
2. Causality and systematic structure.
3. Multivariate data, that is more than 1 or 2 variables.
4. Integration of words, numbers, images, diagrams.
5. Documentation of data sources, authors, sponsors, etc.
6. Quality and integrity of content.

Motion graphics
• See page 182 - 183
• How do these still-land examples translate into
movie-land images?
• How are the vertical arrangements like “layers” in
photoshop and the horizontal reading like “frames”
in animation or motion graphics?
• How does this connect with an experience through
time like navigating a web site?

Local and cosmopolitan view
• See page 190 - 191, example of Ikenobo-
Kadokaikan.
• Playing against a strong photographic
perspective, this map locates Kyoto’s School
of Floral Art and describes routes from the
train station to the flower arranging school,
alon g with 20 perspective sketches of
buildings.

Summary
• Well designed and thoughtfully mapped
pictures combine the direct visual evidence of
images with the power of diagrams: Image’s
representational, local, specific realistic,
unique, detailed qualities; Diagram’s
contextualizing, abstacting focusing
explanatory qualities.

Summary
• Mappings often represent an explanatory
theory applied to the visual evidence.
Therefore the standards of what constitutes a
credible account also apply to mappings.
• Mapping help tell why the design matters.