This document provides tips for creating beautiful and effective data visualizations. It emphasizes that visualizations should (1) have interesting and relevant information presented with accuracy and consistency, and (2) have an appealing design that is easy to use. The most effective visualizations have interesting data presented in a well-designed and easy to use format, while visualizations that lack any of these qualities will be useless or boring. The tips conclude by recommending that visualizations keep data organized, accessible, and displayed at a level that can be quickly understood.

1. How to crunch data into beautiful graphics Vitor Domingos – vd@nextpower.pt – March 2011

10. Information needs to be interesting (meaningful & relevant) and have integrity (accuracy, consistency). Design needs to have form (beauty & structure) and function (it has to work and be easy to use)

11. integrity + form = eye candy interestingness + function = experiment

12. interesting subject, solid information, looks great, but is hard to use = useless amazing data, well designed, very easy to read but isn’t that interesting = boring

31. Simple. Clean. Elegant

32. Make the data distinct from the graph.

33. Make the data distinct from other data

34. Keep data organized and clear.

35. Use common sense.

36. Make sure your graph makes sense.

37. Make sure your data is accessible.

38. Display the most important information at a level that people can quickly comprehend.