ABSTRACT
Data graphics provide one of the most accessible, compelling, and expressive modes to investigate and depict patterns in data. This chapter motivates why well-designed data graphics are important and describes a taxonomy for understanding their composition. It presents a framework-rooted in scientific research-for understanding data graphics. The chapter equips the careful reader with the ability to systematically break down data graphics, enabling a more critical analysis of their content. They are the fundamental building blocks of data graphics, and the choice of which visual cues to use to represent which quantities is the central question for the data graphic composer. Context can be added to data graphics in the form of titles or subtitles that explain what is being shown, axis labels that make it clear how units and scale are depicted, or reference points or lines that contribute relevant external information.
