2 Basic Principles for Good Communication Design

We must use design and our knowledge of visual perception to craft effective and engaging visualizations. According to Stephen Few, there are a few core principles that apply equally to tables, graphs, and text.

In his book ‘Show Me the Numbers: Designing Tables and Graphs to Enlighten’ he explains why it is important to highlight and organize when communicating compelling quantitative information.

Highlight What’s Important

Your number one job is to show people the data. This is why you should aim to have the proper balance of data and non-data elements. While Few acknowledges that supporting visual components are necessary to make tables and graphs readable, he emphasizes the importance of reducing the parts of your project that might take away from the data itself (grid lines, images, unnecessary text, etc).

Reduce the Non-Data Elements

This is a two-step process. First, you must subtract unnecessary non-data information, and then you must de-emphasize the remaining non-data portions.

• Subtract – Ask yourself: ‘Does this give my data more meaning or more impact?’ If the answer is no, ditch it. If they don’t support your message, they are not helping you communicate better.
• De-Emphasize – You should reduce the appearance of the non-data elements that remain. They should still be present, but in the background, while your data takes center stage.

Enhance the Data

Again, this is a two-step process. First, you must subtract any unnecessary data – the numbers that don’t help you tell your story. Then you must emphasize the most important data. What do you want your viewer to take away from your chart? If you’d like to make certain points stand out, you can experiment with size, color, hue, width, and orientation.

Organize Your Information

If your number one job is to show people the data, your second job is to organize it as clearly as possible. When you arrange your information, you must do it in a way that best tells your story. This is especially crucial if you are designing an infographic with multiple tables or graphs. You can do this using these three visual tools:

• Group – Your viewer needs to know what visual elements go together. Tables are a great way to naturally group similar categories.
• Prioritize – You must prioritize and highlight the most important numbers. You should consider size, positioning, color intensity, pointers, and shape.
• Sequence – Give your readers clear direction. We often read from left to right and top to bottom, so think about the best sequence to tell your story.

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