The law of charts by Jinyoung Kim

Charts (graphs, diagrams and tables) are symbolic representations that communicate complex information using the basic elements of design such as shape and color. The use of charts has become critical especially in this era, which is suffering from an explosive growth of data due to the rapid technological change. For example, in election news, the percentage of votes each candidate is getting is shown in real time through a pie chart. And researchers use various charts as well as bar charts to show their findings in their dissertation. The biggest advantage of using charts is that they help people understand and remember data well. Many people understand an image more quickly than blocks of text. So using charts can be a powerful way to convey a message effectively.

However, it should not be overlooked that a chart is obviously a sort of “re”-presentation. There are rules that must be followed in order to minimize data distortion in visualization. rule example / When these rules are not followed, the viewer spends more energy and time trying to interpret the misleading data. You can easily find examples of this all around you. In 2020, when COVID-19 swept the world, incorrect charts about COVID-19 were reported in many media. Many people were confused because of misinformation of COVID-19. This poster was designed to avoid misleading charts. It includes the types and characteristics of widely used charts. Additionally, it highlights things to be aware of when using charts. This poster provides more effective guildlines for people like designers and researchers who use charts to represent data they are dealing with more accurately.