Alberto Cairo - The Truthful Art: Data, Charts, and Maps for Communication

Data, Charts, and Maps for Communication

alberto cairo

Cairo sets the standard for how data should be understood, analyzed, and presented. The Truthful Art is both a manifesto and a manual for how to use data to accurately, clearly, engagingly, imaginatively, beautifully, and reliably inform the public.

Jeff Jarvis, professor, CUNY Graduate School of Journalism, and author of Geeks Bearing Gifts: Imagining New Futures for News

The Truthful Art:
Data, Charts, and Maps for Communication

Alberto Cairo

New Riders

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Copyright 2016 by Alberto Cairo

Acquisitions Editor: Nikki Echler McDonald
Production Editor: Tracey Croom
Development Editor: Cathy Lane
Copy Editor: Cathy Lane
Proofers: Patricia Pane, Kim Wimpsett
Compositor: Kim Scott, Bumpy Design
Indexer: James Minkin
Cover and Interior Designer: Mimi Heft
Cover Illustration: Moritz Stefaner

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ISBN 13: 9780321934079
ISBN 10: 0321934075

9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Printed and bound in the United States of America

Alberto Cairo is widely acknowledged as journalisms preeminent visualization wiz. He is also journalisms preeminent data scholar. As newsrooms rush to embrace data journalism as a new tooland toyCairo sets the standard for how data should be understood, analyzed, and presented. The Truthful Art is both a manifesto and a manual for how to use data to accurately, clearly, engagingly, imaginatively, beautifully, and reliably inform the public.

Jeff Jarvis, professor at CUNY Graduate School of Journalism and author of Geeks Bearing Gifts: Imagining New Futures for News

A feast for both the eyes and mind, Alberto Cairos The Truthful Art deftly explores the scienceand artof data visualization. The book is a must-read for scientists, educators, journalists, and just about anyone who cares about how to communicate effectively in the information age.

Michael E. Mann, Distinguished Professor, Penn State University and author of The Hockey Stick and the Climate Wars

Alberto Cairo is a great educator and an engaging storyteller. In The Truthful Art he takes us on a rich, informed, and well-visualized journey that depicts the process by which one scrutinizes data and represents information. The book synthesizes a lot of knowledge and carefully explains how to create effective visualizations with a focus on statistical principles. The Truthful Art will be incredibly useful to both practitioners and students, especially within the arts and humanities, such as those involved in data journalism and information design.

Isabel Meirelles, professor at OCAD University (Canada) and author of Design for Information

As soon as I started immersing myself in The Truthful Art, I was horrified (and somewhat ashamed) to realize how much I didnt know about data visualization. Ive spent most of my career pursuing a more illustrative way to present data, but Alberto Cairos clarifying prose superbly explained the finer points of data viz. Since Alberto warns us that [data is] always noisy, dirty, and uncertain, everyone in this business had better read his book to find out how to properly construct visualizations that not only tell the truth, but also allow us to interact meaningfully with them.

Nigel Holmes, founder of Explanation Graphics

To communicate data clearly, you have to think about it clearly. The Truthful Art dives deep and provides an enlightened introduction to the power tools of data experts: science, statistics, and visualization.

Fernanda Vigas and Martin Wattenberg, Google

The Truthful Art is essential reading for my visual communication students and for anyone (at any level) who cares about telling a story visually. Get this book, read it, act on it. If youre looking for help to put your data visualization on the right track, this is it.

John Grimwade, School of Visual Communication, Ohio University

If I were smarter, had more patience with academia, and was more focused, I might turn out to be more like Alberto, closer to the brilliance that he applies to the nature of information architecture. His title explains a lot: truth represents a most fundamental of attitudes, in questions asked, answers given, and journeys taken. This [book] is a must on your thoughtful shelf of understanding.

Richard Saul Wurman, founder of the TED Conference

To my father

I always chuckle when someone calls me an expert on visualization or infographics. As a journalist, Ive made a profession of being an amateur, in the two senses of the word: someone who doesnt have a deep understanding of anything, but also someone who does what he does due to unabashed love for the craft.

This book is a tribute to that second kind of amateur, folks who bring good data to the world in a time when society is drowning in tsunamis of spin and misinformation. They know that it is possible to change the world for the better if we repeat the truth often and loud enough.

Id like to first thank my University of Miami (UM) colleague Rich Beckman. Its not an exaggeration to say that I wouldnt be where I am today without his help, advice, and mentorship.

Seth Hamblin, a friend at The Wall Street Journal, passed away while I was writing this book. Seth was in love with infographics and visualization. When I told him about The Truthful Art, he got as excited as a kid. He was a beautiful human being, and hell be missed.

To Greg Shepherd, dean of UMs School of Communication; Nick Tsinoremas, director of UMs Center for Computational Science (CCS); Sawsan Khuri, also from CCS, a great colleague and better friend; Sam Terilli, head of our department of journalism; and Kim Grinfeder, who leads our Interactive Media program. Also at UM, Id like to thank my colleagues in the departments of Journalism and Interactive Media, and at the Center for Communication, Culture, and Change.