Tom MacWright
tmcw
go griffins?
a few things i have learned about charts and maps
people
nothing
gunshots
people
runs
keystrokes
/
pretty charts are all about
1) spending dimensions wisely
2) banning pitfalls
3) art school basics
4) know your data
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spending dimensions wisely
the best thing you can read about visualization is Semiology of Graphics by Jacques Bertin
Bertin defines charts.
d3, ggplot, matplotlib are all derived from this book
visual encoding of data in terms of dimensions
Dimensions: X, Y, order, color, pattern, symbol
bar charts: x=category, y=value
choropleth map: order=region, color=value
You get 3
If you run out, use small multiples: multiple charts that represent each category or time period.
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banning pitfalls
rainbow color schemes
pie charts
chartmaps
before after
rainbows colorbrewer
single-color ramps
pies bars
chart maps small multiples
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art school basics
1
write what you're trying to do
not what the chart is of, but the desired conclusion
2
when in doubt, work in greyscale
3
get peer-reviews
if not friends, then stats.stackexchange.com
or edwardtufte.com/bboard
know your data
everyone's kind of a dilettante
but the basics:
know every language, or ask a native speaker
(don't flip your rtl)
know how the data was collected
know what the units mean
know if it's absolutes or ratios
fin