Telling Stories with Data - Data Points: Visualization That Means Something - page 20

Consider Your Audience
Finally, always consider your audience and the purpose of your graphics.
For example, a chart designed for a slide presentation should be simple.
You can include a bunch of details, but only the people sitting up front will
see them. On the other hand, if you design a poster that's meant to be stud-
ied and examined, you can include a lot more details.
Are you working on a business report? Then don't try to create the most
beautiful piece of data art the world has ever seen. Instead, create a clear
and straight-to-the-point graphic. Are you using graphics in analyses?
Then the graphic is just for you, and you probably don't need to spend a lot
of time on aesthetics and annotation. Is your graphic meant for publication
to a mass audience? Don't get too complicated, and explain any challeng-
ing concepts.
Wrapping up
In short, start with a question, investigate your data with a critical eye, and
figure out the purpose of your graphics and who they're for. This will help
you design a clear graphic that's worth people's time—no matter what
kind of graphic it is.
You learn how to do this in the following chapters. You learn how to handle
and visualize data. You learn how to design graphics from start to finish.
You then apply what you learn to your own data. Figure out what story you
want to tell and design accordingly.