The Wall Street Journal Guide to Information Graphics: The Dos and Don'ts of Presenting Data, Facts, and Figures

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0393347281 ISBN 13: 9780393347289

Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company, 2013

The definitive guide to the graphic presentation of information.

In today’s data-driven world, professionals need to know how to express themselves in the language of graphics effectively and eloquently. Yet information graphics is rarely taught in schools or is the focus of on-the-job training. Now, for the first time, Dona M. Wong, a student of the information graphics pioneer Edward Tufte, makes this material available for all of us. In this book, you will learn:

• to choose the best chart that fits your data;
• the most effective way to communicate with decision makers when you have five minutes of their time;
• how to chart currency fluctuations that affect global business;
• how to use color effectively;
• how to make a graphic “colorful” even if only black and white are available.

The book is organized in a series of mini-workshops backed up with illustrated examples, so not only will you learn what works and what doesn’t but also you can see the dos and don’ts for yourself. This is an invaluable reference work for students and professional in all fields.

2-color; 500+ illustrations, 16 pages of color

From the Back Cover:

Advance Praise for The Wall Street Journal Guide to Information Graphics:

“An essential reference for anyone who needs to effectively convey quantitative information using graphs. Everyone will learn something from reading this book.”―Joseph Tracy, executive vice president and director of research, Federal Reserve Bank of New York

“We live in an increasingly data-driven world, and Dona Wong does a masterful job of explaining how to make data come alive and tell the truth in an engaging way.”―Mark Zandi, chief economist, Moody’s Economy.com

“Dona Wong’s professional advice advances the art of information graphics.”―Gene Zelazny, director of visual communications, McKinsey & Company

“Software has made it wonderfully easy to produce graphs and charts to illustrate everything from your company’s capital expenditures to your daughter’s science project. Trouble is, the software won’t stop you from making bad graphics. This book will.”―Paul Steiger, editor in chief of ProPublica, former managing editor of The Wall Street Journal

“Dona Wong’s outstanding new book artfully blends lessons on data analysis and graphic design. She shows us how to make our complex, confusing graphs and presentations both simple and powerful.”―Peter Tufano, Sylvan C. Coleman Professor of Financial Management, Harvard Business School

“An invaluable tool for people from all walks of life―not just designers. Dona Wong has created a practical, clearly illustrated guide that demonstrates information design principles and techniques through numerous dos and don’ts.”―Alan Siegel, chairman and CEO, Siegel+Gale, and best-selling author of The Wall Street Journal Guide to Understanding Money and Markets

About the Author:

Dona Wong began her career in visual journalism at The New York Times, became the graphics director for The Wall Street Journal in 2001, and was previously the strategy director for information design at the global consulting firm Siegel+Gale. Today she is Vice President, Digital and Multimedia Communications, at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. Wong holds an MFA from Yale University and lives in New York City. The views expressed here are her own and do not necessarily represent those of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.