Do seven words say more than a chart? Some charts need more than
1,000 words. Yet, sometimes, seven words can be more effective
than a chart. Today, we will put an end to the myth that all
charts are pictures – and chatterboxes as well. A short time
ago, I sat and stared at a simple chart for a rather long time.
It showed that venture capital companies are investing a smaller
portion of their money in IT start-ups. To be exact, this
percentage fell from about 60 % in 2005 to under 40 % in 2010.
This chart has minimal labeling. I had to guess the values. To
find if the current reduction is just as strong as it was in the
beginning, I would have needed a ruler and a calculator. I
didn’t bother. Paradox: When it comes to informing readers, the
chart on the upper left contains too much data – not too little.
A good headline could have easily replaced it. Source: Wall
Street Journal Europe, 2010–10–25, p. 15. I got to thinking. How
exactly do we need to know that? Would it be redundant to say
what we see in the he