How can you design charts and graphs that effectively communicate your message?

One way you can shortcut your way to knowing how to present a specific topic look at those who are great at it already. I'm not saying to specifically copy them but understand how they break down complex topics into digest bits. Is it through graphs, story-telling, or statistical data? Understand the point you're trying to make and start understanding how those who do it best go about it and start practicing.

Understand the specific message you want to communicate and who your audience is. Tailoring your visuals to their interests and level of understanding ensures maximum impact.

When selecting charts or graphs for your presentation, it's important to choose ones that fit seamlessly with the story you're telling. Think of them as visual companions, guiding your audience through the narrative and reinforcing your main points. Just like characters in a story, they play specific roles in advancing the plot, whether it's highlighting trends over time or comparing different categories. By aligning your visuals with your narrative, you create a more cohesive presentation experience for your audience.

Au-delà des conseils évidents (à quoi sert un histogramme, un camembert, un waterfall...), il faut surtout s'attacher à choisir un graphique qui illustre un message. Et pas l'inverse.

Different data sets call for different visual representations. Whether it's a bar graph for comparisons, a line graph for trends, or a pie chart for proportions, selecting the appropriate format enhances clarity and comprehension.

Following design principles doesn’t necessarily mean that your graph has to be fancy - it just has to make sense and be clearly legible. For example - if you are creating two graphs to be shown side by side, you want to make sure the scales are similar; looking at a bar graph with a maximum of 100 that is the same height as a graph with a maximum of 20 really throws off the readers’ perception of the data. Sometimes it is helpful to have a fresh set of eyes on the graphs to double check design (e.g. are the colors you chose too close to each other in hue, are all of the labels clear, etc.).

Keep your visuals clean, concise, and visually appealing. Use appropriate colors, fonts, and labels to make information easy to interpret. Avoid clutter and unnecessary embellishments that may distract from the main message.

In my experience the charts and graphs I make have always been suitable for my presentation structure, labels, colours, fonts and headlines. I also try the colors in my graphs or charts to be suitable for the images or photos I use in my presentation file. If I use any transitions or animations I adjust the time to the speech accordingly.

After working with different people, I recommend understanding your personality type. Strict practice may be best for someone who likes to know how things flow, but if you're tripped up by too much structure, why would you follow someone else's best practices? You should understand yourself first and figure out how to integrate feedback from others with yourself in mind first.

Choose the Right Type: Select the appropriate chart or graph type based on the data and the message you want to convey. Simplify: Keep visuals clean and uncluttered, focusing on essential information to avoid confusion. Use Clear Labels: Ensure labels and titles are concise, descriptive, and easy to read. Color and Contrast: Use color strategically to highlight key points and ensure readability, while maintaining accessibility. Practice Data-Ink Ratio: Minimize unnecessary elements to maximize the data-ink ratio, emphasizing data over decoration. Seek Feedback: Test visuals with a sample audience to gauge comprehension and effectiveness, then iterate based on feedback to improve clarity and impact.