There are lots of wrong ways to add visual interest to charts. McKinsey shows us the right way.
Read moreAtomic Habits and the "chart so stupid it looks like it's ripped from a multilevel marketing pitch"
James Clear has sold 15 million copies of a book that apparently contains nothing but made-up charts and graphs.
Read moreWhy McKinsey Loves Square Pie Charts
We think square pie charts are amazing. McKinsey & Company agrees.
Read moreCheck and double-check and triple-check your data
One day soon you’ll be glad you did.
Read moreThe Good Data Masterclass
Want lots of detail on best practices for creating, depicting, and explaining data? Look no further.
Read moreThe Sun's data-free "data visualization" Erodes Confidence In Charts and Graphs
You can’t make a data visualization with actual data. Or at least, you shouldn’t. The Sun shows us why not.
Read moreAnother Reason To Make Square Pie Charts, And To Consider Visual Weight
Research shows that square pie charts work great and that visual weight really matters.
Read moreThe Worst Pie Chart Ever (Courtesy of Infogram)
Last week, data graphics tool Infogram tricked one of my clients into making the worst pie chart I’ve ever seen.
Read moreThe Beauty of Square Pie Charts
Companies commit awful sins when they create round pie charts. Square pie charts offer several advantages.
Read moreHow Florence Nightingale Lied with Data
Florence Nightingale wasn’t just a nurse; she was a data geek who used charts as a weapon.
Read moreHow to Fix Sprinklr's Charts
Sprinklr thoroughly violated the Golden Rule of Charts and Graphs — then asked The Good Data Project for advice.
Read moreGartner’s Heat Map Isn’t So Hot
The research firm mislabeled its own data table — and then made a 2-point difference appear bigger than a 15-point difference.
Read moreSalesforce Accidentally Teaches Us About Visual Weight
Done well, creative graphics can bring ideas to life. Done poorly, creative graphics can make it impossible for readers to understand the facts.
Read moreData Labels Make Your Readers Smarter and Save Them Time
Adding labels to your data isn’t just a meaningless rule; it’s essential to a chart’s very purpose.
Read moreHow Facebook Violates the Golden Rule
Few companies make better data graphics than Facebook. But few companies violate the golden rule more often.
Read moreStop Using Decimal Places in Your Charts and Graphs
If you want to include decimals in your charts and graphs, make sure you have a good reason. Because most of the time they just get in the way.
Read moreThe Best Covid Charts Online
You can find a lot of bad data graphics about Covid-19. Fortunately, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation has made some very good ones.
Read moreSprinklr Inadvertently Demonstrates the Importance of Data Labels
Software vendor Sprinklr went public in June, and is now valued at $4.5 billion. But the company recently published a pile of data charts without labels, and those aren’t worth a dime.
Read moreThe Golden Rule of Charts and Graphs
When I help clients build data graphics I give the same advice over and over. I've come to think of it as the Golden Rule of Charts and Graphs:
Display all the data you need to tell an honest story, and no more.
Read moreIntroducing the Good Data Project
I can’t think of anything more important than data. Good data tells stories that illuminate the world around us. Bad data confuses and obscures.
Unfortunately there’s a lot more bad data in the world than good.
Read more