Graphical Excellence

Another article review:
This was more of a chapter taken from a collection called Graphical Practice. The chapter was titled "Graphical Excellence" and concentrated on graphical displays and what they should include. Covered topics included:
1) show the data
2) induce the viewer to think about the substance rather than about methodology, graphic design, the technology of grahic production, or something else
3) avoid distorting what the data have to say
4) present many numbers in a small space
5) make large data sets coherent
6) encourage the eye to compare different pieces of data
7) reveal the data at several levels of detail, from a broad overview to the fine structure
8) serve a reasonable clear purpose: description, exploration, tabulation, or decoration
9) be closely integrated with the statistical and verbal descriptions of a data set
The chapter gives examples of all these points and illustrates how these items have been expressed thru history.