Intro
Contents
About the Author
About the Technical Reviewer
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Part I: Design Principles
Chapter 1: Principles of Communication-Effective Graphic Design
Be Brief, Clear, Picturesque, and Accurate
3D Pie Charts Are Always Misleading
3D Bar Charts Are Anticommunicative
Graphs Need Image and Precise Numbers
A Usable Stacked Bar Chart Requires an Axis Table to Deliver the Precise Values
A Clustered Horizontal Bar Chart Is Better Than a Stacked Bar Chart
For Bar Charts, Horizontal Is Usually Better

For a Line Plot with Discrete X Values, an X Axis Table Is an Alternative to Annotation
Curve Labels Eliminate the Need for a Legend
Show Them What's Important
Show Them What's Important with Ranking
Show Them What's Important with Subsetting
Three Ways to Do Ranked Subsetting
Simplicity Accelerates and Facilitates Visual Insights into Data
A Sparse Graph Is Easily and Quickly Interpreted
Inform the Viewer About the Key Data Points of a Multi-line Overlay Plot
For a Trend, Usually Start the Y Axis at Zero

For a Bar Chart, Unless There Are Negative Values, Always Start the Value Axis at Zero
Use Maximally Simple Design to Focus on What's Important
Tell Them What's Important with a Headline
A Graph Footnote Does Not Need to Be Small
Assure Text Readability
Font Size and Font Weight Affect Readability
Keep Text Horizontal
Never Use Backgrounds-They Impair Readability
Readability Depends on Display Situation
A Graph Can Have a Companion Table
Web Graphs
Include Data Tips (a.k.a. Mouseover Text)
A Web Graph Can Have a Companion Hyperlinked Excel Table

A Web Graph Should Not Require Scrolling
Summary
Chapter 2: Principles of Communication-Effective Use of Color
Avoid Red and Green for "Bad Versus Good"
Color-Coding Data with a Multiple Shades of the Same Hue
Use Color to Communicate, Not to Decorate
Use of Color Can Confuse
Establish and Use a Personal Color Palette for Consistency
Beware of Color Names
Benefits of Boring Black and White
Color Requires Sufficient Mass to Be Distinguishable
Never Use Background Images or Textured or Color Gradient Backgrounds
Use a Plain Solid Color Background

Provide High Contrast Between Text Color and Background Color
Pie Charts and Color
Emphasis Options for Colorless Text
Choosing the Right Colors
A Light Color Can Be the Right Color
Uncolor Might Be the Right Color
"Transparent" Color As the Right Color
Color Differs on Different Media
Color Systems
RGB Colors
HLS Colors
Examples of Good Color Use
Summary
Part II: Widely Applicable Examples You Can Use
Chapter 3: Introduction to SAS ODS Graphics
Outer Structure of ODS Graphics Code in Examples
Inner Structure of ODS Graphics Code
Text Attributes Control in ODS Graphics