Good Data Speaks for Itself

If the data is worth presenting, it should speak for itself. The very rationale behind presenting data visualization in lieu of columns and rows of numerical data is that the data informs—it tells a story. All too often people regard an infographic as a piece of artwork—an ideal platform from which to display the bells and whistles. To be clear, there is nothing wrong with good design in an infographic, or inserting a witty or imaginative thematic element. However, when frivolous decorations begin to cloud the data, the point has been lost. There is nothing wrong with simplicity­; it is to be admired and emulated. After all, if the data is worth presenting, the power is in the data itself.