rules

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Line Chart Baselines Do Not Have to Start at Zero (The Process #39)

The Process / baseline, rules

There was renewed interest in — gasp — truncated axes this week, a never-ending debate about whether starting axes at non-zero is misleading.
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Charting Pitfalls, Flexible Guidelines, Exceptions to the Rules

The Process / pitfalls, rules

It can feel like there’s so many rules of visualization that it’s impossible to make a proper visualization. The key: Nothing is absolute.
Bar Chart Baselines Start at Zero

Guides / bar chart, rules

There are visualization rules and there are visualization suggestions. Most are suggestions. The ones that are rules exist because of how our brains process visual information. There’s just no getting around it.
Real Chart Rules to Follow

Guides / pitfalls, rules

There are rules—usually for specific chart types meant to be read in a specific way—that you shouldn’t break. When they are, everyone loses. This is that small handful.
Graph Design Rule #2: Explain your encodings

Guides / rules

This is part two in a seven-part series on basic rules for graph…
Graph Design Rule #1: Check the data

Guides / rules

Now that we’ve covered the 7 basic rules to graph design, it’s time…
7 Basic Rules for Making Charts and Graphs

Guides / rules

Charts and graphs have found their way into news, presentations, and comics, with…