Graphics Reference
In-Depth Information
statistics about weather or some government
issues are easier to grasp in graphic form than
when expressed verbally or in numbers because
graphics such as maps, charts, graphs, music
and dance notations serve as explanatory tool for
these data sets.
Data maps may contain much more data than
we can arrange in a table. When a volume of data
is big, for example taken from 3,056 counties in
the United States data should be reported on data
maps, which allows presenting and examining
them in many ways: by region, by gender, and
then making conclusions about the reasons of the
events under study. Graphic presentation shows or
makes clear how something works or explains the
relationship between the parts of a whole (Tufte,
1983). The thematic maps combine maps with
statistics, for example, maps showing reports of
age-adjusted death coming from diseases (Tufte,
1983, p. 16-19) or the count of the galaxies, which
places millions of bits of information on a single
page before our eyes (Tufte, 1983, p. 26-27).
According to Edward Tufte (1983), graphical
displays should:
tion to communicate visually what the alphabetic
and character-based languages convey verbally.
According to Manuel Lima (2011, p. 159), “vi-
sual elements and variations consider color, text,
imagery, size, shape, contrast, transparency, posi-
tion, orientation, layout, and configuration.” Data
maps can be enriched with shadings and colors.
The use of color supports understanding of data
graphics. Various elements of graphics can interact
creating patterns and textures. With colors, we
can show relationships, explain, add emphasis,
use color-coding, and organize a graph. However,
color looks different when placed in different sur-
roundings (Tufte 1990, p. 92-3). The second color
creates a new layer of information in a graphic.
Joseph Albers (2010/1963) described the effect
of color interaction as 1 + 1 = 3 or more. The use
of several colors can be helpful in high-density
maps. Tufte explains that the fundamental uses of
color in information design are: to label (color as
noun, used to discern things - Tufte 1983, p. 90),
to measure (color as quantity, light-to-dark grada-
tion - Tufte 1983, p. 91), to represent or imitate
reality (color as representation), and to enliven
or decorate (color as beauty) (Tufte 1983, p.81).
• Show the data;
• Induce thinking about the substance, not
the techniques;
• Avoid distortion of the content;
• Present many numbers in a small space;
• Make large data sets logically connected;
•
Interface
Communication between users and computers
involves, as a necessary part, a concept of an
interface, an interconnection between human
beings and computer systems, devices and
programs; it may be going in one or two direc-
tions. The concept of an interface may relate
to theoretical problems and also to the message
exchange systems between users and a product. It
happens by creating and sharing over the Internet
the multimedia-enabled, integrated documents
with images, sounds, and text. For example, a
sign providing useful information, a table of
Encourage the eye to compare different
pieces of data;
•
Reveal levels of detail, from overview to
the fine structure;
•
Serve clear purposes: description, explora-
tion, tabulation, or decoration; and
•
Be closely integrated with statistical or
verbal descriptions of a data set.
Visual language, which overlaps the art, sci-
ence, and technology, uses hierarchy and composi-
