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5th out of 19 books
—
11 voters
Visual Explanations
Jacket design: Dmitry Krasny.
Other artwork by Bonnie Scranton, Dmitry Krasny, and Weilin Wu.
Few would disagree: Life in the information age can be overwhelming. Through computers, the Internet, the media, and even our daily newspapers, we are awash in a seemingly endless stream of charts, maps, infographics, diagrams, and data. Visual Explanations is a navigational guide t...more
Other artwork by Bonnie Scranton, Dmitry Krasny, and Weilin Wu.
Few would disagree: Life in the information age can be overwhelming. Through computers, the Internet, the media, and even our daily newspapers, we are awash in a seemingly endless stream of charts, maps, infographics, diagrams, and data. Visual Explanations is a navigational guide t...more
Hardcover, Third revision, 156 pages
Published
April 1998
by Graphics Press
(first published February 1997)
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Tufte makes the claim in the introduction to this book that his books approach visual displays of information differently, that this book is about "pictures of verbs the representation of mechanism and motion, of process and dynamics, of causes and effects, of explanation and narrative", while
The Visual Display of Quantitative Information
was about pictures of numbers.
However, I found this book to be too similar in content to the other two books I've read by Tufte (the third being Beautiful...more
However, I found this book to be too similar in content to the other two books I've read by Tufte (the third being Beautiful...more
Like the apology for good manners in a book of etiquette, Tufte describes the goal of visual information as to make verbs visible. Information display should document, compare, show cause and effect, explain, quantify, contain multivariate data, explore and exercise skepticism. Though the design of the book itself has little specialty, the examples and explanatory text are fascinating. Analyses of data from the producers of the shuttle Challenger to investigatory organizations and the documents...more
After I finished the first book in my exploration of Edward Tufte’s ouerve (The Visual Display of Quantitative Information), I wondered what more he could possibly have to say about the grammar of graphic design. And if the mere 138 pages of this his third book (discounting introduction and index) is any indication… not all that much. According to Tufte, “Visual Explanations is about pictures of verbs [his emphasis:], the representation of mechanism and motion, of process and dynamics, of causes...more
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Dec 13, 2008
Andrea
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
anyone in the field of information design
Recommended to Andrea by:
Larry Goering
The troublesome part of Visual Explanations (and all of Tufte's books really) is that it's so pleasurable you forget that you're supposed to be learning something. As distinct from the other two books in the series, Visual Explanations focuses on the manner in which images can tell a story and thereby render "reading and seeing and thinking identical". The images selected for the book are delightful and engaging - I've never before wanted to hang a data chart on my wall for the sheer artistry of...more
One of my profs in university had a saying: "No one dies on the internet", but after reading the parts of this book about the Challenger disaster, I'm starting to think our design decisions can have very serious repercussions for people's lives. The scientists who tried to prevent the launch of the Challenger couldn't sell NASA on the problem (o-rings break down at low temps, and it was cold when it launched), and so it launched and blew up. It isn't enough just to present data and hope people c...more
I am so glad I read this book. Tufte dissects beautiful, fascinating and humorous illustrations in impeccable prose. *Visual Explanations* not only taught me a great deal about visual design, it taught me a great deal about presentation in general. I look forward to implementing these insights.
1 like · like · see review
This book was fun to read, but I took a lot less away from it than I did from The Visual Display of Quantitative Information. As usual, there's pages and pages of visuals that he does or doesn't like. But unlike TVDoQI, there's no theoretical framework to go with his opinions. Much of it is Tufte lampooning charts he doesn't like.
I found the chapters on magic and confections completely useless. The two ideas I took from this book:
- You should always ask yourself what point you're trying to make...more
I found the chapters on magic and confections completely useless. The two ideas I took from this book:
- You should always ask yourself what point you're trying to make...more
The third volume in his series of books on visual representations of information, this beautifully designed book looks closely at charts, diagrams and illustrations that represent changes over time. (The first book, The Visual Display of Quantitative Information, covers numerical information, while the second, Envisioning Information, focuses on maps). As Tufte says in the introduction, this text covers “the logic of depicting quantitative evidence” as well as “design strategies…for the arrangem...more
Superb read along with Tufte's others. After reading all three published up to that time, I attended one of Tufte's public seminars which was outstanding. I met Tufte in graduate school about 1970, when I invited him to come over from Princeton to Penn to speak to a graduate students association of which I was president. I was pleasantly suprised at how many faculty members showed up. Tufte's reputation was growing rapidly.
He is undoubtedly the greatest writer ever on how to analyze and display...more
He is undoubtedly the greatest writer ever on how to analyze and display...more
I found this book more engaging and useful than "Envisioning Information." On par with "The Visual Display of Quantitative Information" but addresses the challenges of communicating multidimensional data on a two-dimensional surface. The chapters describing how chart design contributed to the space shuttle Challenger tragedy and how graphics are used to help explain and teach magic were especially interesting.
From what I understand, Tufte repeats himself across a bunch of his (meticulously planned and self-published) books, but this was the first of him I read, and his ideas and presentation are very engaging. His biggest achievement is simply getting his readership to think broadly and more deeply about how to display information and knowledge visually. A nice benefit of this book is it lends itself well to skipping around and browsing. Borrow it from a library and really soak it all in.
I have crossed paths with Tufte's work for years: I've seen them on friends' bookshelves, flipped through them, had them recommended to me by a senior manager, and even added them to my library hold list, without ever actually reading one for some reason or other. Finally, the stars aligned and I have managed to not only get a hold of this copy but also, amazingly, READ it and I am kicking myself for not making more of an effort in years past. A must read for anyone who has to craft a PowerPoint...more
My favorite of Edward Tufte's books. Like the rest, this one is short on footnotes since most of the book is his opinion, but that makes sense given the lack of research on the topic of information displays. This is a great book to get you thinking about how to best display information. The section on the Challenger explosion was quite good.
This is a useful reading for people who provide decision support, by the means of statistical analysis.
In this book Edward Tufte explains how to:
- Visually display cause-and-effect relationships in a clear, convincing way.
- Create time series that facilitate decision making.
- Effectively illustrate movement, process, and change.
In this book Edward Tufte explains how to:
- Visually display cause-and-effect relationships in a clear, convincing way.
- Create time series that facilitate decision making.
- Effectively illustrate movement, process, and change.
Not as good as "The Visual Display of Quantitative Information" but worth reading. The section on the decision to launch the space shuttle Challenger is very worthwhile, and can be recommended as a case study for anyone who ever has to either base a decision on data or present data.
1 like · like · see review
2/28/08
Still reading this..
Tuftee is a pretty serious buzz name in the design community and this book gives that buzz some traction. His main premise is that if you think you can lie with statistics, you can tell real whoppers with visuals.
Tuftee is pretty clear about how to make graphic representations accurate. Spatial orientation. Scale. Context. All of these things need to be added to the visual image to "place" it in a meaningful and accurate context.
Currently reading the chapter on how in...more
Still reading this..
Tuftee is a pretty serious buzz name in the design community and this book gives that buzz some traction. His main premise is that if you think you can lie with statistics, you can tell real whoppers with visuals.
Tuftee is pretty clear about how to make graphic representations accurate. Spatial orientation. Scale. Context. All of these things need to be added to the visual image to "place" it in a meaningful and accurate context.
Currently reading the chapter on how in...more
I got inspired by "The Visual Display of Quantitative Information", Tufte's first book on information design. According to Tufte "Visual Explanations" is about "pictures of verbs", the representation of causes and effects.
I read this several months ago at the recommendation of my visual librarian friend. If you like to see things to understand them, you will absolutely love this book. The man is a genius. If only he'd been my stats professor...
Jul 07, 2012
Andrew Paul
added it
such elegant visualizations, and they have just the right amount of style, which is to say not very much. The go-to volume when stuck on a problem, the simplicity will inspire a suddenly obvious solution.
Most interesting was his presentation of Challenger slides and John Snowe's epidemiological charts. Less quantitative / statistics than I would have liked - more so of a true graphic design book.
Overall this book is filled with the ideas of a very opinionated man, who might have some issue with people that may just be a bit more creative than him. Putting my personal feelings aside, there was some interesting information for my creative brain to digest. This is not something for people to read if they are not interested in receiving a fully dissected text dedicated to teaching us lesser people about design and how to use it to its fullest potential for the sole purpose of informing the...more
A great treatise about applying validity and scientific principles to visualizations of data.
A lot of very basic information. The most intriguing part was the exploration of confections used through history and how stories were told and supported visually.
A lot of very basic information. The most intriguing part was the exploration of confections used through history and how stories were told and supported visually.
Exploring how stories are portrayed about the "truths" of reality. A post-modern, intriguing look at the explaining the facts of life.
.....Mid-way through. Update to come
.....Mid-way through. Update to come
Jul 27, 2010
Xavier Shay
added it
Had to skim the last half because it belonged to my host and I was leaving. Biggest new takeaway was dramatic potential for distortion when aggregation is used.
Aug 24, 2009
Bernie_dunham
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
My daughters, son-in-laws, and wife.
In my work as a Kaizen Leader for the continuous improvement of business processes, the visual display of information in the work place plays a significant role.
This book should be required reading for anyone designing a computer interface. (Although relatively little of the book is specifically focused on computers.)
I found I didn't really get this book until I saw Tufte speak in person. If you get an opportunity to take his class, do it! It's fantastic!
The comparative analysis of the challenger disaster and of the 1854 cholera epidemic in London are essential reading for anyone in analytics.
Tufte's first book on the topic of making great diagrams, presentations, etc. Nowhere near as good as the later Visual Display of Quantitative Information. If you've read any of his later books, there is nothing of value in this one. If you haven't read any of his others, you can skip this one. The only interesting thing in the book is the two case studies presenting his example of one of the best uses of intelligent diagrams to solve a mystery and prevent a catastrophe, compared to one of the w...more
Dec 01, 2009
Lorin Rivers
added it
Visual Explanations: Images and Quantities, Evidence and Narrative by Edward R. Tufte (1997)
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tufte's Visual explanations | 3 | 14 | Jan 28, 2013 10:00pm |
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Edward Rolf Tufte (born 1942 in Kansas City, Missouri to Virginia and Edward E. Tufte), a professor emeritus of statistics, graphic design, and political economy at Yale University has been described by The New York Times as "the Leonardo da Vinci of Data". He is an expert in the presentation of informational graphics such as charts and diagrams, and is a fellow of the American Statistical Associa...more
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