ABSTRACT
Charts, consisting of tables, graphs, or diagrams, are tools in the field of information design. Graphics provide external storage for our working memory. In a bubble chart, a large circle which appears to be twice the diameter of another circle actually contains four times the area of the smaller circle. Using a radar graph to display sustainability characteristics helps to illustrate strengths and gaps. A triangular coordinate graph is shaped like a triangle and has three axes, one on each side and is used to illustrate subjects like soil texture. If people are designing a diagram, they place text as close as possible to the parts of a diagram it explains, and link them graphically. The works of Edward Tufte, Stephen Few, and Colin Ware, well-known advocates of excellence in graphical information design tell us that information graphics consist of three visual layers: data, non-data elements, and background.
