chapter fourteen

Graphics

McGraw-Hill/Irwin © 2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

 Overview

 The planning and placement of graphics

 General mechanics of construction
 Textual graphics
 Visual graphics
 Common errors in constructing and using
graphics
 Placement and interpretation of graphics
 Planning the Graphics
 Determine the purpose.
– Overall purpose--to communicate
– Specific purposes
• Clarify complex or difficult information
• Emphasize facts
• Add coherence
• Summarize
• Provide interest
• Filter vast amounts of data
• Enhance appearance
 Select the graphics.
– Nature of the content and context
– Reader’s needs
Basics for Construction of Graphics
 Size
 Layout and Type
 Rules and Borders
 Color and Cross-Hatching
 Clip Art
 Background
 Numbering
 Construction and Placement of Titles
 Footnotes and Acknowledgments
 Size

 Give graphic the size its contents justify.

– Simple graphics can be small
– Complex graphics must be large enough to see
clearly

 Consider using extra large paper for extremely

complex graphics.
 Layout and Type

 Let size and content determine layout.

 Select type style and font for consistency.
 Determine size appropriate with context.
 Choose for readability.
 Rules and Borders

 Provide unity for graphic.

 Separate graphic from text.
 Give emphasis.
 Surround graphic of less than one page.
 Stay within normal page layout.
 Color and Cross-Hatching
 Helps reader see
comparisons and
distinctions
 Improves
comprehension,
retention, and ease and
speed of extracting
information.
 Adds to attractiveness.
 Clip Art
 Use to add interest, avoiding overuse and
distraction.
 Select with a purpose in mind.
 Keep its nature and size appropriate.
 Select for appropriate gender, race, and
age representation.
 Get permission to use copyrighted art.`
 Background

 Choose contrasting color to avoid distracting

from main message.
 Use to draw the reader into the graphic.
 Take care to avoid evoking inappropriate
emotions.
 Review the background message for
sensitivities of the readers.
 Numbering

 Number graphics consecutively by type.

 Arrange graphics into several categories if
report contains many types.
 Group into two categories (tables and figures)
when report has wide mixture of types.
 Construction and Placement of Titles

 Wording Titles
– Construct a title that describes entire graphic, using
the 5Ws and 1H
– Consider a subtitle to explain the title more precisely
 Placing Titles
– For conventional use, place titles above and in larger
type for tables; below and in lowercase for others.
– Place title consistently above both types when
appropriate.
 Footnotes and Acknowledgments

 Use footnotes to explain or elaborate.

 Use acknowledgments to identify the party
responsible for gathering data.
Types of Graphics

 Textual Graphics

 Visual Graphics
 Textual Graphics

 Tables
 Pull Quotes
 Bullet Lists
 Flowcharts and Process Charts
– Organization charts
– Flowcharts
– Gantt charts
– Decision trees
 Visual Graphics (1 of 2)
 Bar and Column Charts  Line Charts
– Horizontal Bars & – Area (surface)
Vertical Columns – Hi-Lo
– Multiple  Scatter Diagrams
– Bi-lateral  Maps
– Stacked – Statistical
– Pictographs – Geographical
 Pie Charts  Combination Charts
 3-D graphics
 Photographs
 Visual Graphics (2 of 2)

 Other Graphics
– Diagrams
– Drawings
– Cartoons
– Icons
– Video clips and animation
 Good Arrangement of the
Parts of a Typical Table
Table Number Table I—Average Annual Returns of
and Title Various Hedge Fund Categories*
Short term Long term
Category 1-year 3-year 5-year 10-year Spanner
Column Heads
Aggressive
Heads 80.40 39.66 33.74 24.94
Growth
Distressed
3.30 5.22 10.12 14.99
Securities
Row Managed Futures -1.20 7.05 8.76 7.69
Heads
Market Timing 39.80 31.11 23.20 20.27

Short Selling -19.40 -9.57 -10.51 -3.09

Value 42.00 24.14 24.47 19.54

Footnote *For years ending September 30

Source: Van Hedge Fund Advisors International Inc. Source Acknowledgement
Pull Quote

Source: Thomas V. Bonoma, Major Sales: Who

Really Does the Buying?, Harvard Business Review,
July-August 2006, 181.
 An Organization Chart with
Employee Names
Char t 4
U .S. C orporat e Of fice of Tha nk y outoo.com, 2 00 8

Yesaya Chan
President

Chris VanLerBerghe
Executive Assistant

Carolynn Workman Jane Adami Robert Edwards Carol Acord Owen Smith
Controller VP, R&D VP, Marketing VP, PR VP, MIS

Rosemary Lenaghan Mary Sanchez Marie Murphy Terrence Lenaghan Zeke Smith

Stephen Acord Megan O'Conner Eulalia Gomez Matthew Gregory Emma York

Lydia Liedman Paul Wong Kathleen Meersman Marina Munson

Cecelia Kubicek Janet Wingler

Troy Payton
Illustration of Good Arrangement of the
Parts of a Simple Bar Chart
Chart number Chart title
Bar titles

Scale value
Scale caption
Source note
Clustered Bar Chart
Bi-lateral Column Chart

KMB
Stacked Column Chart with
Bars of Unequal Lengths
Stacked Column Chart with
Bars of Equal Lengths
CHART 9

Source: Southern Farm Cooperative League

 Pictograph Example
Chart 10
Household Median Income by Age Group

$70,000

$60,000

$50,000

$40,000
Dollars

$30,000

$20,000

$10,000

$0
15-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 65-74
Age of Householder
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Demographic Survey, March 2006
Pie Chart
Line Chart Comparing
More than One Series
Area Chart
 High-Low Chart

Source: Stockcharts.com
 Geographical Map

Source: Centers for Disease Control, November 17, 2006

Combination Chart
 Photograph

Figure 1
Electronic Boardroom

Photo courtesy of San Diego State University

 Diagram

Source: Communications of the ACM, April 2006, p. 42.

Cartoon
 Visual Integrity
Avoiding Common Errors

 Errors of scale
– Uniform scale size
– Scale distortion
– Zero points
 Errors of format
– Wrong chart type
– Distracting grids and shading
– Misuse of typeface
– Problems with labels
 Errors of misleading context
– Objective framing
– Reader empathy
 Placing and Interpreting Graphics
 Place as close to discussion of them as possible.
 Use size to determine placement.
 Place in appendix if they supplement text.
 Omit if they do not serve a useful purpose.
 Tell reader when to look at them—
subordinately.
 Interpret using a generalization strategy
(generalizationexampleexception).
“Of all methods for analyzing and
communicating statistical information, well-
designed data graphics are usually the simplest
and at the same time the most powerful.”

--Edward Tufte, Author

The Visual Display of Quantitative Information