Journalism today faces many challenges – many of which relate to delivery and interface. Traditional journalism is text-heavy: words on paper or a screen. But the majority of people want to engage with visuals and video. As publishers, we must bridge this gap. Our approach? Charts-as-journalism: moving charts from a supporting role to the lead actor.
There was a time when charts were confined to the business section – usually one-column graphs of share prices, often added to break up the text. Charts were for economists and financiers.
Thankfully, perceptions have shifted. Charts are now widely used across all media as part of data-driven storytelling. At The Outlier, our primary output is charts and data visualisations.
New form of journalism
We publish a weekly, chart-focused newsletter [sign up here] and produce hundreds of charts each year. We rarely write more than 200 words to accompany any chart but, I would argue, it’s still journalism – just in a different form.
We got here because of the Covid pandemic, which radically changed opinions about the value of charts. During the pandemic, people started to engage with charts because they represented a certain level of certainty in a time of turmoil.
Although health departments were issuing daily reports of infections and deaths, for many people locked at home, this was hard to picture. It felt overwhelming to constantly read about death. Charts that tracked the changes in these over months offered a perspective on the flow of the pandemic and how it was changing, where it was changing and, eventually, how it was receding.
The shift was accelerated by Covid-19, which reshaped how we value charts. During the pandemic, charts represented a level of certainty in a time of turmoil. Health departments issued daily updates on infections and deaths –data that, while critical, was often difficult to grasp in written form. It felt overwhelming to constantly read about death.
Charts gave people a way to visualise the pandemic’s progression over months. They showed how the crisis was changing, where it was changing, and, eventually, how it was receding. Millions of people followed these charts daily. For a while, pandemic-related charts dominated media and became a larger part of it.
Speed to insight
In today’s media landscape, millions of words are published every day. But most people don’t have time to read even a small part of what is published. The real challenge for publishers isn’t just writing a better story – it’s how to engage readers with the content.
A well-designed chart can convey a point in seconds, faster than reading the accompanying story. Readers generally look at visuals on a page first, so a chart is an opportunity to engage them early and offer value – even if they don’t read the entire story.
If we view ourselves as information providers, rather than traditional journalists, it reframes our role: we’re here to deliver useful, relevant information.
As most readers are pressed for time and overwhelmed by choices, speed to insight matters. A chart that delivers insight in seconds is far more likely to keep a reader engaged.
But a caution: not all charts work. Charts have historically been seen as complicated, often cluttered and confusing, as well as overly technical. None of this has to be true. Charts can be entertaining and informative at the same time.
7 rules for effective charts
Creating a good chart isn’t difficult. Here are some of the key fundamentals we follow at The Outlier:
1. Simplicity
Focus on one thing at a time. Don’t try and put all your data into one chart. It may feel like you’re missing something but a simple, clear chart is more likely to resonate with readers.
2. Pick the right size
Most readers access content on mobile devices. Avoid charts that require a widescreen. Also, make sure the text is large enough to be legible on small screens.
3. Use colour wisely
Limit your colours and highlight the most important elements. Many chart tools add as many colours as there are data points. Focus on your key metric – make it bold, and reduce the others to grey. This keeps the chart clean while retaining detail.
4. Strong, active titles
The title on your chart should help readers understand what they’re seeing. Be explicit, don’t just label the chart. ‘Product X vs Product Y sales’ is a lot less helpful than ‘Product X now makes up 50% of all product sales’. Readers will often find some other information in the chart but always give them a starting point so they can extrapolate from that.
5. Declutter
Remove anything that adds noise rather than value. Many chart tools add axis labels, data point labels and legends by default. Eliminate them unless they’re essential. When the chart feels almost empty, you’re on the right track.
6. Make it readable
Simplify labels and numbers. If you’re dealing with millions or billions, use 1m or 1bn – ‘1.5-million’ is easier for readers to grasp than ‘1,500,000’. Consider shortening legend labels or reducing axis tick marks. You don’t want to make things hard to understand, but the more space you can create, the easier charts will be to read.
7. Check for sense
Test your chart. Show it to a friend or colleague and ask for their immediate takeaway. If they struggle or misinterpret the chart, it may need a redesign.
A great chart delivers insight instantly, helping readers understand complex stories in seconds. When done well, charts aren’t just a supplement; they are journalism, in a more visual form.
Notebook
- The Outlier’s Our World in Charts collection of more than 650 charts
- Sign up to The Outlier, our weekly data-driven newsletter
- This is an edited version of a post first published by Alastair Otter in October 2023. Follow Alastair on LinkedIn