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CMA Intermediate · Financial Management and Business Data Analytics · Data Presentation: Visualisation and Graphical Presentation

The data-ink ratio principle in data visualisation advises a designer to:

The data-ink ratio principle advises removing non-essential decoration, such as heavy gridlines and 3-D effects, so that most of the graphic's ink represents actual data. This keeps charts clear and focused, whereas added decoration or missing labels reduces clarity.

  1. ARemove non-essential decoration such as heavy gridlines and 3-D effects so that ink shows dataCorrect
  2. BAdd as many decorative elements as possible to attract readers
  3. CUse a different colour for every data point
  4. DHide the axis labels to reduce clutter

Explanation

The data-ink ratio is the proportion of a graphic's ink that presents actual data. Maximising it means removing chart junk such as 3-D effects and heavy gridlines. Adding decoration lowers it, and hiding axis labels removes necessary information.

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