Chart Remakes

Articles on The Why Axis and elsewhere that seek to redesign or improve existing visualizations.

The Why Axis

Removing Confusion from Complexity - Periscopic

A thoughtful remake of a network diagram from ThinkProgress.org. Periscopic's redesign offers an alternative approach to visualizing a very complex situation with a very complex graphic.

The Why Axis

HelpMeViz

Set up by economist and communicator Jon Schwabish, this site helps people get feedback on everyday data visualizations.

The Why Axis

Mind the Gap - An Economic Chart Remake

Guest author Jon Schwabish walks us through the redesign of a chart used in a post by Catherine Rampell on the New York Times’ Economix blog using Excel and Illustrator.

The Why Axis

The Washington Post Plots Quality and Quantity of Life

I talked to Emily Chow from the Post Graphics team about a visualization which attempts to answer the question "How long will we live - and how well?" She tells us about the team's design process and I suggest a redesign.

The Why Axis

The New York Times and Tesla Motors Engage in Chart Warfare

New York Times writer John Broder published an account of his test drive experience. The piece includes a somewhat flawed graphic depicting the trip, which I endeavor to improve.

The Why Axis

Breaking Excel Defaults – A Government Chart Remake

Guest author Jon Schwabish makes simple revisions to a chart from the BLS and explains why avoiding Excel defaults can make your graphs better.

The Why Axis

The Reuters Macroscope Visualization You Need a Microscope to Read

For a news source in the top 250 global websites (source: Alexa), Reuters is lacking quality data driven journalism and critical thinking about interactive visualizations for their audience.

The Why Axis

The Guardian’s Gay Rights Rainbow Graph

The Guardian published this state-by-state visualization of gay rights laws in the US and while it certainly captures the user’s attention and encourages them to share, I fear the message gets lost in an overwrought design.