The worldwide web is a wonderful place. I am constantly amazed by the simple yet very effective stuff we can learn by just reading. Today I want to share with you two very great pieces of advice:
- Seth Godin’s 4 Simple Principles for making effective graphs:
Seth Godin is probably one of the most remarkable, successful storytellers out there. And when he tells you how to make effective graphs, you can pretty much trust him. He says (1) Don’t let popular spreadsheets be in charge of the way you look, (2) Tell a story (3) Follow some simple rules (4) Break some other rules. We at PHD totally agree and spread these very principles everyday. He also says,Don’t use 3-D charts unless you have a license. You can animate, but only if you have a note from your doctor.
Priceless Advice… 🙂
- Juice Analytics’ Think Like a Designer when you are making dashboards
Juice is one of my favorite blogs. In this very concise yet important article they list down 7 dashboard design principles: (1) Unity/Harmony (2) Proximity / Hierarchy (3) Clear Space (4) Balance (5) Contrast (6) Proportion (7) Simplicity
Do you notice something interesting? Both links resonate same ideas, same principles and hold same values that can make you a great presenter / storyteller / individual.
Additional material for reading: 14 basic skills for chart makers, Make dashboards using excel
Have a good weekend everyone 🙂
2 Responses to “2 Great Pieces of Advice for Chart Makers, Dashboard Designers and Story Tellers Everywhere”
Chandoo, you say "when he [Seth Godin] tells you how to make effective graphs, you can pretty much trust him". Allow me to disagree... Yes, he is a remarkable marketer, and I think he's changing his mind regarding the use of charts, specially after his previous post ("Godin’s Silly Rules for Great Graphs", says Few...)
This is a much better post, but I'm not ready to trust him yet (charting-wise)... Let's wait a little more, shall we?
@Jorge: I agree with you. I have read Seth's earlier writing on "no bar charts" and I think his new post suggests that he has learned more in the mean time. I wasnt completely sure whether to use the sentence "when he [Seth Godin] tells you how to make effective graphs, you can pretty much trust him", but went ahead with it as I respect his ideas alot.