CHAPTER THIRTEEN Graphics

Overview The planning and placement of graphics General mechanics of construction Textual graphics Visual graphics Common errors in constructing and using 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

Placing the 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. Explain what reader needs to see or how to interpret graphics.

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 Source 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 Source Acknowledgments Use footnotes to explain or elaborate. Use source 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 Horizontal Bars & Vertical Columns Multiple Bi-lateral Stacked Pictographs Pie Charts Line Charts Area (surface) Hi-Lo Scatter Diagrams Maps Statistical Geographical Combination Charts Three-dimensional graphs

Visual Graphics (2 of 2) Other Graphics Photos Diagrams Drawings Cartoons Icons Video clips and Animation

Good Arrangement of the Parts of a Typical Table Table Number and Title Table I—Average Annual Returns of Various Hedge Fund Categories* Short term Long term Category 1-year 3-year 5-year 10-year Aggressive Growth 80.40 39.66 33.74 24.94 Distressed Securities 3.30 5.22 10.12 14.99 Managed Futures -1.20 7.05 8.76 7.69 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 Spanner Heads Column Heads Row Heads Footnote *For years ending September 30 Source: Van Hedge Fund Advisors International Inc. Source Acknowledgement

Pull Quote Source: Emily Thornton, David Henry, and Arlene Weintraub, “IPOs: Look Out Below,” BusinessWeek, December 8, 2003, p. 90.

An Organization Chart with Employee Names U.S. Corporate Office of Thankyoutoo.com, 2005

Illustration of Good Arrangement of the Parts of a Simple Bar Chart Chart number Chart title Bar titles Scale value Scale caption Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Demographic Survey, September 2002 Source note

Source: U. S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, September 2002 Clustered Bar Chart Source: U. S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, September 2002

Bi-lateral Column Chart Average Annual Return of Vanguard Funds: Windsor II, Equity-Income, Dividend Growth* -15 -10 -5 5 10 3-year 5-year 10-year Time held Percentage Return Windsor II Equity-Income Dividend Growth KMB *Tax-adjusted Return Source: Morningstar, July 6, 2003.

Stacked Column Chart with Bars of Unequal Lengths 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400 450 500 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 Amount ($000) Unclassified Industrials Public building Public engineering Roadways Private building Chart 8 Value of Contract Construction in District V, 1994 to 2004 (component parts not available) Source: Department of Public Sources, City of Brampton

Stacked Column Chart with Bars of Equal Lengths Source: Southern Farm Cooperative League Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, November 2002

Pictograph Example

Figure 11 Business Reasons for Diversity Training Pie Chart Figure 11 Business Reasons for Diversity Training Increase productivity 47% Comply with personnel policies 7% Social responsibility 4% Other Stay competitive 38% Source: The Conference Board

Line Chart Comparing More than One Series Source: Ann Harrington, “Work with me!”, Fortune, April 28, 2003, p. 52

Area Chart

High-Low Chart (Candlestick variation) Open Body Filled Body Solid Line HIGH CLOSE OPEN LOW HIGH CLOSE OPEN LOW HIGH LOW CLOSE OPEN

Scatter Diagram Source: Randall Lane and Jennifer Reingold, What's Your Company Worth Now?, Inc., July 2003, p. 75.

Geographical Map Source: Center for Disease Control, December 11, 2003

Combination Chart

Three-dimensional Graph Source: Omniviz, 2003

Figure 1 Electronic Boardroom Photograph Figure 1 Electronic Boardroom Photo courtesy of San Diego State University

Diagram Source: http://www.edmunds.com/media/news/innovations/toyota.fchv/ fchv.diagram.500.jpg

Cartoon

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

“Of all methods for analyzing and communicating statistical inform-ation, 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