Description
Book SynopsisThis book details essential strategies to create more effective data visualizations. Jonathan Schwabish walks readers through the steps of creating better graphs and how to move beyond simple line, bar, and pie charts.
Trade ReviewAn excellent primer for anyone who wants to display quantitative information clearly and powerfully. -- Robert B. Reich, Chancellor’s Professor of Public Policy, University of California at Berkeley, and former U.S. secretary of labor
This is an immensely practical guide to more effective communication through data visualization. From basic principles, to an extensive taxonomy of visualization types, to developing a style guide, this will be an invaluable and accessible read for anyone who needs to turn data into information. -- Mara Averick, RStudio
Too often, good data falls prey to bad or lazy visualizations. At last, an indispensable guide for presenting your work intelligibly and compellingly. -- DJ Patil, former U.S. chief data scientist
For many of us, it’s tough to understand data without visuals. But visualizing data is hard! This book is the authoritative guide. It’s terrific—and spectacularly useful. -- Cass R. Sunstein, Harvard Law School, and author of
Too Much InformationA stellar variety and number of visualizations are included in these pages, an enjoyable-to-read encyclopedia of graphs. Jonathan Schwabish provides practical considerations for when to use which visual and thoughtful design guidelines in this excellent resource for those who work and communicate with data. You’ll be inspired and—as promised—learn better data visualization! -- Cole Nussbaumer Knaflic, author of
Storytelling with Data: A Data Visualization Guide for Business ProfessionalsNavigating the myriad chart types available today can be a daunting experience. This book provides you with not only a guiding light but also an important foundation in the burgeoning field of data visualization. You will want to keep its set of principles and guidelines right next to you in your next project. -- Manuel Lima, author of
The Book of Circles: Visualizing Spheres of KnowledgeBetter Data Visualizations carefully teaches the reader when to use which type of visualization and why. This engaging book takes you from the basics to the entire breadth of today’s visualization methods. There are hundreds of clear, elegant, and varied visualizations to give you ideas for your own work. -- Max Roser, founder and director, Our World in Data
Better Data Visualizations is a practical guide to a large catalogue of chart types. No other book introduces the reader to specific chart types with such detail and finesse. It is an excellent resource for students, analysts, and researchers alike. -- Alberto Cairo, author of
How Charts Lie: Getting Smarter About Visual InformationNot only is the book well designed from fonts to white space, it’s also well written and enjoyable to read. * Technical Communication *
Table of ContentsIntroduction
Part I: Principles of Data Visualization1. Visual Processing and Perceptual Rankings
2. Five Guidelines for Better Data Visualizations
3. Form and Function
Part II: Chart Types4. Comparing Categories
5. Time
6. Distribution
7. Geospatial
8. Relationship
9. Part-to-Whole
10. Qualitative
11. Tables
Part III: Designing and Redesigning Your Visual12. Developing a Data Visualization Style Guide
13. Redesigns
Conclusion
Appendix 1. Data Visualization Tools
Appendix 2. Further Reading and Resources
Acknowledgments
References
Index
