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Where Tufte (and others like him) is concerned, I try to remember the maxim Do not follow in the footsteps of the sages. Seek what they sought. Slavishly repro

Where Tufte (and others like him) is concerned, I try to remember the maxim Do not follow in the footsteps of the sages. Seek what they sought. Slavishly reproducing his methodology ignores everything we've learned since then. On the other hand, for those new to the field, reading about his work and understanding what he was trying to accomplish with the tools available at the time can open our eyes to new ways of thinking. (As an aside, this same maxim has also helped me with things like programming tools. We don't need to use Lisp or Smalltalk for everything, but we can learn a lot from these languages, and especially from what their creators and proponents were trying to achieve with them.)

ghaff 7y ago
Furthermore, there are different styles for different purposes. The famous graphic about Napoleon's army which is very associated with Tufte is an example of a graphic that crams a lot of data into an illustration that rewards careful study. It's actually not a graphic that especially makes data about something obvious at a quick glance. Sometimes an illustration that best serves as a background for a knowledgeable person spending 30 minutes explaining it is a good approach. Other times you want to capture the contrast between a few numbers in a compelling way.
- ticmasta 7y ago
  I have and admire this graphic and I think it highlights a few top-level things you mention like the right representation for the right audience. It takes some time and concentration to understand the Napoleon graphic vs. a simpler presentation where a few key points jumping out at you with ease, but that it manages to encode so many dimensions into a 2-d format is where it is unique. Tufte generally pushes information density over other, equally as valid, goals.
  - ghaff 7y ago
    I also like to point to this graphic that was originally used in a New York Times article about the failings of Powerpoint: http://sdwise.com/2013/07/hey-new-york-times-a-causal-loop-diagram-is-not-a-powerpoint-fail/ http://sdwise.com/2013/07/hey-new-york-times-a-causal-loop-d... But, as the linked article discusses, this is actually a really good diagram if you have someone up there explaining it in extreme detail. But it looks like a mockable graphic to the casual observer.

ghaff 7y ago

Furthermore, there are different styles for different purposes. The famous graphic about Napoleon's army which is very associated with Tufte is an example of a graphic that crams a lot of data into an illustration that rewards careful study. It's actually not a graphic that especially makes data about something obvious at a quick glance. Sometimes an illustration that best serves as a background for a knowledgeable person spending 30 minutes explaining it is a good approach. Other times you want to capture the contrast between a few numbers in a compelling way.

ticmasta 7y ago
I have and admire this graphic and I think it highlights a few top-level things you mention like the right representation for the right audience. It takes some time and concentration to understand the Napoleon graphic vs. a simpler presentation where a few key points jumping out at you with ease, but that it manages to encode so many dimensions into a 2-d format is where it is unique. Tufte generally pushes information density over other, equally as valid, goals.
- ghaff 7y ago
  I also like to point to this graphic that was originally used in a New York Times article about the failings of Powerpoint: http://sdwise.com/2013/07/hey-new-york-times-a-causal-loop-diagram-is-not-a-powerpoint-fail/ http://sdwise.com/2013/07/hey-new-york-times-a-causal-loop-d... But, as the linked article discusses, this is actually a really good diagram if you have someone up there explaining it in extreme detail. But it looks like a mockable graphic to the casual observer.