Chart dos and don’ts

This webpage from the European Environmental Agency outlines 23 dos and don't for creating charts for presentations. Each one provides advice on the best way to improve the visualisation with clear examples to support it. 

Contents

  • Do use the full axis and avoid distortion
  • Use consistent intervals on axis (be transparent on data gaps)
  • Remove any visual clutter (increase data-ink ratio, Tufte’s principle)
  • Use a clear language and avoid acronyms
  • Tell the "why" and "how"
  • Highlight what’s important, tell one story
  • Sort your data for easier comparisons
  • Use direct labeling wherever possible, avoiding indirect look-up
  • Rotate bar chart when category names are too long
  • Do not use legend when you have only one data category
  • Do use proper aspect ratio to minimize dramatic slopes effects
  • Do adjust for inflation in long-time series
  • Do ask others for opinions
  • Don't use 3D or blow apart effects
    • Bad chart examples
  • Avoid pie charts and donuts
  • Avoid stacked charts, difficult for comparing data
  • Don't confuse correlation with causation
  • Don’t use maps for everything that has spatial dimension
    • Video - When to *not* use maps
  • Don't use more than (about) six colors.
  • Don’t forget 7%-10% of your male audience (color deficiency)
  • Choose the chart type wisely

Sources

European Environmental Agency (2014). Chart dos and don’ts. Retrieved from: http://www.eea.europa.eu/data-and-maps/daviz/learn-more/chart-dos-and-donts