Tag: slope line graph

A Tale of Data Visualization: Inspiration, Imitation, and Tribute

Mary Pat Campbell

Link: https://jschwabish.substack.com/p/a-tale-of-data-visualization-inspiration

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Excerpt:

Let’s look at another set of paired charts. These two graphs, one from the EC just last week and the other from Bloomberg in 2014, both use a series of tall and narrow slope charts to compare two values.

In this case, I wouldn’t argue that the EC should attribute Bloomberg’s—after all, they are just slope charts, the topics are different, and the overall design is different. As some other people pointed on out LinkedIn, a designer may begin creating with an echo of another design in their head but not be able pinpoint it (not to mention that some projects no longer live online).

The question remains: where do we draw the line between inspiration and recreation? Is 13 years long enough for a graphic to enter the “pantheon” of visualization techniques, thereby no longer requiring attribution? Or does the uniqueness of the Scarr piece mean that it should always be credited when reused or adapted?

It’s a tough question, and one without an easy answer. It’s clear from Sebastian’s response that he was inspired by Scarr’s original, so my preference would have been to include a citation or reference. But honestly, I’m not even sure where the attribution should go! Maybe under the Source line, or maybe in the Created by line that appears not in the graph but in the newsletter email itself? More questions without clear answers.

In the end, it’s about respecting the creative process. As creators, we all draw from what’s come before us—whether consciously or subconsciously. Acknowledging the work that inspires us not only gives credit where it’s due but also fosters a culture of openness and honesty. It shows respect for our peers and for the community as a whole.

I want to be very clear: this discussion in no way diminishes the fabulous work from The European Correspondent team. I have very much been enjoying their work and I love how they are taking chances with their design decisions, trying new designs and graph types, and being inspired by what people have created before! I’ve been impressed with their ability to distill complex data into short, engaging stories and the near-daily innovative and interesting graphs and charts. I find myself bookmarking two or three of their graphs each week, and adding them to my dataviz catalog. I highly recommend you subscribe to their newsletter. Even if you’re not keenly interested in European news, they are doing some great data visualization work on an almost daily basis, no small feat on its own.

Author(s): Jon Schwabish

Publication Date: 27 Aug 2024

Publication Site: PolicyViz newsletter at substack

five questions for better data communications

Mary Pat Campbell

Link: https://www.storytellingwithdata.com/blog/2021/1/10/lets-improve-this-graph-yt9xj

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Although we don’t have the full context behind this example, let’s assume that the audience is a new senior product manager developing next year’s promotional strategy and needs to understand recent changes in the marketplace. I’ll use the Big Idea worksheet to form my single-sentence main message:

To offset a 24% sales decline due to COVID-19 and increase market share next year, consider how customers are opting for different purchase types as we form our new promotional strategy.

The action my audience needs to take is to use their newfound understanding of shifting purchase types to develop future promotional strategies. Having identified the next step, I can now choose which graph(s) will best drive this discussion. I’ll opt for the line graph to show the historical total sales decline, paired with the slopegraph to emphasize the shift in purchase types:

Author(s): Elizabeth Ricks

Publication Date: 8 March 2021

Publication Site: storytelling with data

How Spending Changed for Different Income Groups

Mary Pat Campbell

Link: https://flowingdata.com/2021/02/24/how-spending-changed-for-different-income-groups/

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Excerpt:

The categories are roughly ordered from increased spending to decreased spending. So you see by how much the cost of housing and healthcare has gone up over a couple of decades, especially for the lower income groups.

For the lowest income quintile, housing and healthcare make up more than half of spending on average.

In contrast, the higher income groups are spending more in retirement savings, education, and entertainment, and their cost of housing changed little.

Author(s): Nathan Yau

Publication Date: 24 February 2021

Publication Site: Flowing Data