CS102, Fall 2000, Day 4, Thursday,October 26

Chapter 4: Charts (Graphs)  The next most important stuff, after Ch. 2:  Summarizing data pictorially.

• The fundamentals are really important: how to choose a range, what chart type you need, all the language connected with the chart elements, and how to manipulate them.  Unfortunately,  a large part of the chapter is devoted to creating what, in the business, is called
• chartjunk, visual effects that do not contribute to the message and in fact may detract from it.
• p.4.19, : if you must use patterns to make a black/white/gray printed chart legible, try to keep the patterns in the same family; as you choose your clothes; so the eye is not distracted by warring patterns.  Better solution than theirs: One "screen" chart with solid colors, a copy for "printing" with gray patterns.
• p. 4.24, 3-D pie.  The portions of the pie are supposed to represent visually what proportion each segment has of the whole.  A 3-D on its side doesn't do this anymore.
• p. 4.28 Texture fill:  Visual distraction from the message.
• p. 4.31 Pictures in the bar chart.  Microsoft's programmers have too much time on their hands.  Yuck.
• BE SURE your chart represents the data you have, and tells your reader (you) what you want it to.  Make a rough version by hand beforehand so you know how it should look. If the result isn't right, try again.  There are pitfalls here.