Chartjunk, a term popularised by Edward Tufte, refers to decorative elements in a graphic that do not convey data and may distract from or distort it, such as gratuitous 3-D effects, heavy gridlines, or background imagery.

How do information design and data visualization differ?

Information design is broader, covering any clear presentation of information including instructions, signage, and diagrams; data visualization specifically concerns encoding data values into visual form for analysis or communication.

Information Design and Data Visualization

Information design and data visualization shape complex information and data into visual forms that aid understanding, comparison, and decision-making.

Definition

Information design is the practice of presenting information clearly and usably; data visualization is the subset concerned with the visual encoding of data to support analysis and communication.

Scope

This topic covers the design of diagrams, charts, maps, instructions, and wayfinding, and the visual encoding of quantitative and categorical data. It draws on graphic perception, the grammar of graphics, and editorial judgement to make information accessible and honest, spanning static infographics, interactive dashboards, and explanatory and exploratory visualisation.

Core questions

How should data be visually encoded to be perceived accurately and efficiently?
What distinguishes honest information graphics from misleading ones?
How do explanatory and exploratory visualisation differ in purpose and design?
How can complex systems, processes, and quantities be made comprehensible to non-specialists?

Key theories

Graphical excellence and data-ink: Tufte argues that effective statistical graphics maximise the ratio of data to ink, avoid 'chartjunk', and give the viewer the greatest number of ideas in the shortest time with the least ink in the smallest space.
Semiology of graphics: Bertin developed a systematic theory of the visual variables (position, size, shape, value, colour, orientation, texture) and their perceptual properties, providing a grammar for encoding data into images.

History

Information design has roots in scientific illustration, statistical graphics pioneered by William Playfair and Florence Nightingale, and Otto Neurath's pictorial Isotype system. Bertin's mid-century semiology gave it a theoretical grammar, Tufte's books established design principles for statistical graphics, and the rise of computing produced interactive data visualisation as a distinct, rapidly growing field.

Debates

Minimalism versus engagement: Whether visualisations should strip away all non-data elements in pursuit of efficiency, as Tufte urges, or use illustration, narrative, and embellishment to engage and aid memory for broader audiences.

Key figures

Edward Tufte
Jacques Bertin
Alberto Cairo
Otto Neurath

Seminal works

tufte2001
bertin1983
cairo2012

Frequently asked questions

What is chartjunk?: Chartjunk, a term popularised by Edward Tufte, refers to decorative elements in a graphic that do not convey data and may distract from or distort it, such as gratuitous 3-D effects, heavy gridlines, or background imagery.
How do information design and data visualization differ?: Information design is broader, covering any clear presentation of information including instructions, signage, and diagrams; data visualization specifically concerns encoding data values into visual form for analysis or communication.