"By [diagrams] it is possible to present at a glance all the facts which could be obtained from figures as to the increase, fluctuations, and relative importance of prices, quantities, and values of different classes of goods and trade with various countries; while the sharp irregularities of the curves give emphasis to the disturbing causes which produce any striking change." (Arthur L Bowley, "A Short Account of England's Foreign Trade in the Nineteenth Century, its Economic and Social Results", 1905)
"First, color has identity value. In other words, it serves to distinguish one thing from another. In many cases it does this much better and much quicker than black and white coding by different types of shading or lines. […] Second, color has suggestion value. […] Red is usually taken to mean a danger signal or an unfavorable condition. But since it is one of the most visible of colors it is excellent for adding emphasis, regardless of connotation. […] Green has no such unfavorable implication, and is usually appropriate for suggesting a "green light" condition. […] Similarly, every color carries its own connotations; and although they seldom make a vital difference one way or the other, it seems logical to try to make them work for you rather than against you." (Kenneth W Haemer, "Color in Chart Presentation", The American Statistician Vol. 4 (2) , 1950)
"Correct emphasis is basic to effective graphic presentation. Intensity of color is the simplest method of obtaining emphasis. For most reproduction purposes black ink on a white page is most generally used. Screens, dots and lines can, of course, be effectively used to give a gradation of tone from light grey to solid black. When original charts are the subjects of display presentation, use of colors is limited only by the subject and the emphasis desired." (Anna C Rogers, "Graphic Charts Handbook", 1961)
"Simplicity, accuracy. appropriate size, proper proportion, correct emphasis, and skilled execution - these are the factors that produce the effective chart. To achieve simplicity your chart must be designed with a definite audience in mind, show only essential information. Technical terms should be absent as far as possible. And in case of doubt it is wiser to oversimplify than to make matters unduly complex. Be careful to avoid distortion or misrepresentation. Accuracy in graphics is more a matter of portraying a clear reliable picture than reiterating exact values. Selecting the right scales and employing authoritative titles and legends are as important as precision plotting. The right size of a chart depends on its probable use, its importance, and the amount of detail involved." (Anna C Rogers, "Graphic Charts Handbook", 1961)
"Without adequate planning. it is seldom possible to achieve either proper emphasis of each component element within the chart or a presentation that is pleasing in its entirely. Too often charts are developed around a single detail without sufficient regard for the work as a whole. Good chart design requires consideration of these four major factors: (1) size, (2) proportion, (3) position and margins, and (4) composition." (Anna C Rogers, "Graphic Charts Handbook", 1961)
"[...] exploratory data analysis is an attitude, a state of flexibility, a willingness to look for those things that we believe are not there, as well as for those we believe might be there. Except for its emphasis on graphs, its tools are secondary to its purpose." (John W Tukey, [comment] 1979)
"There are several uses for which the line graph is particularly relevant. One is for a series of data covering a long period of time. Another is for comparing several series on the same graph. A third is for emphasizing the movement of data rather than the amount of the data. It also can be used with two scales on the vertical axis, one on the right and another on the left, allowing different series to use different scales, and it can be used to present trends and forecasts." (Anker V Andersen, "Graphing Financial Information: How accountants can use graphs to communicate", 1983)
"As a general rule, plotted points and graph lines should be given more 'weight' than the axes. In this way the 'meat' will be easily distinguishable from the 'bones'. Furthermore, an illustration composed of lines of unequal weights is always more attractive than one in which all the lines are of uniform thickness. It may not always be possible to emphasise the data in this way however. In a scattergram, for example, the more plotted points there are, the smaller they may need to be and this will give them a lighter appearance. Similarly, the more curves there are on a graph, the thinner the lines may need to be. In both cases, the axes may look better if they are drawn with a somewhat bolder line so that they are easily distinguishable from the data." (Linda Reynolds & Doig Simmonds, "Presentation of Data in Science" 4th Ed, 1984)
"In order to be easily understood, a display of information must have a logical structure which is appropriate for the user's knowledge and needs, and this structure must be clearly represented visually. In order to indicate structure, it is necessary to be able to emphasize, divide and relate items of information. Visual emphasis can be used to indicate a hierarchical relationship between items of information, as in the case of systems of headings and subheadings for example. Visual separation of items can be used to indicate that they are different in kind or are unrelated functionally, and similarly a visual relationship between items will imply that they are of a similar kind or bear some functional relation to one another. This kind of visual 'coding' helps the reader to appreciate the extent and nature of the relationship between items of information, and to adopt an appropriate scanning strategy." (Linda Reynolds & Doig Simmonds, "Presentation of Data in Science" 4th Ed, 1984)
"[...] error bars are more effectively portrayed on dot charts than on bar charts. […] On the bar chart the upper values of the intervals stand out well, but the lower values are visually deemphasized and are not as well perceived as a result of being embedded in the bars. This deemphasis does not occur on the dot chart." (William S. Cleveland, "Graphical Methods for Data Presentation: Full Scale Breaks, Dot Charts, and Multibased Logging", The American Statistician Vol. 38 (4) 1984)
"The plotted points on a graph should always be made to stand out well. They are, after all, the most important feature of a graph, since any lines linking them are nearly always a matter of conjecture. These lines should stop just short of the plotted points so that the latter are emphasised by the space surrounding them. Where a point happens to fall on an axis line, the axis should be broken for a short distance on either side of the point."
"An axis is the ruler that establishes regular intervals for measuring information. Because it is such a widely accepted convention, it is often taken for granted and its importance overlooked. Axes may emphasize, diminish, distort, simplify, or clutter the information. They must be used carefully and accurately." (Mary H Briscoe, "Preparing Scientific Illustrations: A guide to better posters, presentations, and publications" 2nd ed., 1995)
"Area graphs are generally not used to convey specific values. Instead, they are most frequently used to show trends and relationships, to identify and/or add emphasis to specific information by virtue of the boldness of the shading or color, or to show parts-of-the-whole."
"Arbitrary category sequence and misplaced pie chart emphasis lead to general confusion and weaken messages. Although this can be used for quite deliberate and targeted deceit, manipulation of the category axis only really comes into its own with techniques that bend the relationship between the data and the optics in a more calculated way. Many of these techniques are just twins of similar ruses on the value axis. but are none the less powerful for that." (Nicholas Strange, "Smoke and Mirrors: How to bend facts and figures to your advantage", 2007)
"What distinguishes data tables from graphics is explicit comparison and the data selection that this requires. While a data table obviously also selects information, this selection is less focused than a chart's on a particular comparison. To the extent that some figures in a table are visually emphasised. say in colour or size and style of print. the table is well on its way to becoming a chart. If you're making no comparisons - because you have no particular message and so need no selection (in other words, if you are simply providing a database, number quarry or recycling facility) - tables are easier to use than charts." (Nicholas Strange, "Smoke and Mirrors: How to bend facts and figures to your advantage", 2007)
"One way a chart can lie is through overemphasis of the size and scale of items, particularly when the dimension of depth isnʼt considered." (Brian Suda, "A Practical Guide to Designing with Data", 2010)
"Usually, diagrams contain some noise - information unrelated to the diagram’s primary goal. Noise is decorations, redundant, and irrelevant data, unnecessarily emphasized and ambiguous icons, symbols, lines, grids, or labels. Every unnecessary element draws attention away from the central idea that the designer is trying to share. Noise reduces clarity by hiding useful information in a fog of useless data. You may quickly identify noise elements if you can remove them from the diagram or make them less intense and attractive without compromising the function." (Vasily Pantyukhin, "Principles of Design Diagramming", 2015)
"Beyond basic charts, practitioners must also learn to compose visualizations together elegantly. The perceptual stage focuses on making the literal charts more precise as well as working to de-emphasize the entire piece. Design choices start to consider distractions, reducing visual clutter and centering on the message. Minimalism is espoused as a core value with an emphasis on shifting toward precision as accuracy. This is the most common next step for practitioners. Minimalism is also a key stage in maturation. It is experimentation at one extreme that helps practitioners distill down to core, shared practices." (Vidya Setlur & Bridget Cogley, "Functional Aesthetics for data visualization", 2022)
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