There are three things I pay attention to when I see people making charts in Excel: #1: Aesthetics. We, Excel users and other mere mortals, aren’t artists or graphic designers, and although we should be aware of the role of aesthetics in our work, we can’t let aesthetics define it. We don’t have the right … Read more
A while ago I had this idea of asking Alberto Cairo to read the ebook I was planning to self-publish on my site. I asked Alberto because obviously he is one of the most respected experts in the datavis community as a whole but also because of practical reasons: the book was written in Portuguese … Read more
Here I am, starring at a blank page trying to find a title that maximizes sales captures the true essence of my book. I wish I could choose an arbitrary title like, say, Autumn in Peking or The Squadron’s Umbrella but, hélas!, some people wouldn’t find that funny enough. So, I need you to help … Read more
There is no one-size-fits-all datavis, but most books are written from a very generic or a graphic design perspective, Stephen Few’s books being one of the exceptions. So, I decided to write an unsexy entry level data visualization book for the illiterate and artistically challenged spreadsheet user (I also wanted to know if I could come … Read more