Layering and Seperation

In this chapter, Tufte introduced methods of using different colors, line weights, control of proportions to stress on significant information and filter ones that contributes nothing but distraction to the readers. For me these are good inputs because information charts,graphics and diagrams are inherently flat media, good designers should know how to add more dimensions to convey different levels of prominences.Unfortunately, most of the charts and tables we’re using today are designed in rigid formats that we are too used to but fails in improving readability.

Various ideas,figure and ground, interaction effects, 1 + 1 = 3 or more, layering and separation were talked about here. What impressed me most is the rethinking about the conventionally positive notion of 1+1=3 and regarded it as “a rare perfect failure” in reducing unnecessary noise and visual distraction.It appears to me that Tufte is seeking for minimum design of visual elements and rejecting to anything redundant for information conduction. However, diffrent people may have different opinions about what is redundant, in other words, the definiton of chartjunk still need to be further defined.

Color and Information

Tufte started this chapter by praising the example of Swiss mountain map and illustrated the rules from the Eduard Imhof as the base for discussion. Contrast examples were used to demonstrate the bad results if these rules are violated. He also went through some technical terms of how colors are described in computational system.

As a trained architecture design student, we have always been really cautious about using colors, not only out of the concern about the visual hamony of differrent colors,but also out of fear of damaging data clearence. That’s why I am interested in what Tufte’s opinion and approch of dealing with colors. An example in this chapter that I found really interesting is Oliver Byrne’s 1847 edition of Euclid’s Geometry The novel way of using colors to represent geometric objects gives the readers an intuitional graspe of what is happening, which makes the commonly tedious proving process easy and joyful.

Generally speaking, colors are more subtle and tricky compared to monochromatic lines and shapes because it’s so closely related to human perception, and it contributes more easily to 1+1=3 effect.

The Chartjunk Debate

In this article, Few highlighted the long lasting debate on chartjunk between two camps of scholars–plain graph supporters represented by Tufte and visual embelishment embracers represented by Holmes–and tried to reconcile the opposing situation between the two sides by re-examining an existing research on the effect of visual embelishment on comprehension and memorability of charts.

Few criticized on several shortcomings of the original research including the failure to differentiating various types of embelishment and insufficient samples. He stressed that the graphics used for testing in the research were too specifically tied to Holmes‘ style of well-designed embelishment, rendering the conclusion unconvincing. His arguments appears compelling to me, but he doesn’t give more precise demonstrations neither about what constitutes global visual embelishment graphics in spite of a few examples.

He also criticized on the loose definition of chartjunk defined by Tuftes and posed his own definition. Generally speaking, Few advocates to proper employment of graphic embelishment in terms of better engaging readers’ attention and memory to a degree of not distracting or mispresenting from the information.

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