Functional Art, The: An introduction to information graphics and visualization (Voices That Matter)

I do information graphics and visualizations for a living. Alberto Cairo is a foremost expert and his writing has helped me immensely to ensure that my creations are well structured and mindful of my audience. Highly recommend any of his books.

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In The Functional Art, Alberto Cairo has written a real standout in the new wave of books about data visualization. His book weaves visualization theory and techniques with real applications and critiques about existing visualization projects. One of the reasons why I think Cairo's book succeeds is that he has background as both a journalist--specifically, data journalism--and as an academic (at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and the University of Miami).In the first part of the book, Cairo explains what I take away as three main tenets of good data visualization practice: first, good graphic techniques and strategies (minimal use of pie charts, reducing non-data ink, etc.); second, how to create eye-pleasing graphics (how to choose color, fonts, layout, etc.); and, most importantly, how to use data visualization to tell a story. I think this is where The Functional Art really stands out as a great reference--Cairo shows you how to use data visualization not as a way to just show your data or to create a tool for people to explore your data, but as a way to be a storyteller with data.The second part of the book is more about the eye-brain connection--how we as humans perceive different shapes, colors, etc. Cairo isn't a cognitive scientist, but he's done a great job pulling from the literature and summarizing the issues and, importantly, how to use that knowledge to create better graphics.These two first parts of the book will be helpful for anyone who has ever created visualizations before or who are just starting out. The graphics used in the book are all excellent and should inspire you to try to similarly create great visualizations.Finally, in the last part of the book, Cairo profiles 10 prominent data visualization experts and creators. For me, this section wasn't as exciting as the first two parts, but there are definitely nuggets of wisdom from some of the interviews and is something that you really can't find in a single source anywhere else.Also, just a final note about the DVDs that are included with the book. The DVDs are basically a summary of each of the chapters, but the last two are especially interesting. In lecture 10 (Gay Rights), Cairo discusses a graphic produced by The Guardian magazine and why this particular use of a circle graphic works. Since there is a continuous debate about circles in the data visualization field--see also Chapter 2 in the book--this is a nice video on why circles can work in certain circumstances. In lecture 11 (Obesity and education), Cairo shows how he creates some basic graphics in Adobe Illustrator, which is great if you're not too familiar with that software (though I would never have the patience to make a map in Ai!).

Information visualization is important now because with so much data around, it really is hard for most people to establish the true context of what is going on. Without this context, more data leads to more confusion, instead of understanding. This is where information visualization comes in.Visualization presents a visual context, and because most people find it easier to establish themselves visually, it has become an important aid in the learning and understanding process. For this reason, there has been a great deal of demand for information visualization professionals, who can process data, and then distill this information into a clear visual/s which engenders understanding for the intelligent layperson.With all the interest in the field, there have been several different titles which have come out. What makes this title stand out is that the author, Alberto Cairo, focuses especially on the thinking process behind information visualization. For most of his career, he has worked with journalists in the Spanish- and Portuguese speaking world, and emphasizes the importance of putting oneself in the readers' shoes. For instance, does this graph lead to greater understanding, or does it potentially lead to greater confusion? Are circles helpful, or would bars explain the same better?He tells how most people new to the field jump too soon to the "look and feel" part, without first asking the right questions. In his eyes, people should first ask about what information to display, how people will want to explore the information (especially when it is interactive), THEN discuss the look and feel.In the US, a lot of data visualization is done for senior management, CEOs and research academics, instead of the general population. This means that often data visualization is misused, with graphics actually obfuscating instead of leading to greater understanding. Alberto Cairo pleads the case for clear data visualization principles which help readers to gain insights in a complicated world.In the final third of the book, the author includes several interviews with several information visualization practitioners. These are particularly helpful, as they reveal how they attack different challenges in their projects. He includes a wide spectrum of professionals from the Americas and Europe; it is very interesting to see how journalists work with the information visualization professionals in their teams in leading newspapers.This is an excellent introduction to the field, and it has opened my eyes to the future of this field.

A brilliant book. Readable, logical, informative, and full of insight and discovery. This is one of my very favourite books. The interviews at the end led me to look into the interviewees work which has led to more great discoveries for me.

Cairo's prose reads like a favourite novel. I feel inspired at the end of every page and wish I could be an apprentice of his for a year or two.

A very good and in depth look at data visualization put together by someone who clearly knows what he is talking about

Great book !

Good for Infographic enthusiasts and infographic beginners to learn a lot about how to produce a good, storytelling graphic. Writing style could be more objective in parts where the author enjoys his own narrative style and some of the interviews do not corresponded to the great introduction on the assumptions which have to be made when you are designing infographics. Lot of works of some interviewed persons do not consider the important perceptions which are explained in the first half and would not be judged "good" infographics in the way the author points it out.