Graph Labeling Strategies

PolicyViz Newsletter #46

The PolicyViz Newsletter

Dec 12, 2023

Hi all,

This is the last newsletter for 2023! I hope you have a great holiday season and a happy new year!

And now onto this week’s post….

Thanks much,

Jon

Graph Labeling Strategies

“Where should I place the labels on my graph?” It’s question that comes up in many classes and workshops about data visualization. Although the decision about where to place your labels is largely an aesthetic preference, I do think there is an objective logic you can follow.

Let’s start with this simple line chart of the share of people in the labor force by generation—a graph that I saw in Axios and in Philip Bump’s newsletter. In this basic chart, we have a legend at the top of the graph.

There’s nothing inherently wrong with using a legend, but it’s disconnected from the data. As I argue in my Better Data Visualizations book, a better approach is to integrate your labels with the data, making the graph easier for your reader to understand. In this next graph, I remove the legend and directly label each line.

I see two issues with this revision.

First, the reader has to work to figure out which label goes with which line. I’ve arranged the labels to be as close to the associated line as possible, but there are many cases where the label is close to multiple series. Adding color to each label is a simple change that can add clarity.

Second, depending on where the labels are placed, certain series may appear more important than others. For example, because the “Gen X” label is closer to the title—which we people tend to read—it might be perceived as being more important and is more likely to be read.

Instead, let’s place the labels off the right side of the graph. This approach neatly orders them along a single vertical line, with the color-coordination integrating the text with the data. Keeping the labels aligned along a single vertical line allows the reading process to be easier and faster.

In some cases, you might have missing data or an incomplete data series, as Philip Bump did in the original graph he published in his newsletter. Notice how the labels are aligned along the right-outer edge of the graph, but only the “Pre-silent” label sits by itself. Unfortunately, that’s where it has to go because the data series is incomplete.

As you think about labelling strategies, try integrating the text with the data and making it as easy as possible for your reader to navigate through and around your graph.

Podcast: Drawing Data with Kids and Gulrez Khan

It’s the last episode of 2023! Thanks for listening and I’ll see you in 2024!

On this last episode of the year, Gulrez Khan joins the show to talk about his new book, Drawing Data with Kids. Gulrez is a father of three beautiful kids and works as a Data Science Leader in his day job. He has almost two decades of experience under his belt and has a knack for turning boring numbers into captivating stories. When he's not busy working, you can find him passing on his skills to the next generation in the hopes of creating a world of data literate children. A strong believer in the power of data literacy, Gulrez is on a mission to improve the way people make sense of data. He's known for delivering corporate workshops that are equal parts informative and entertaining.

Listen to the Show

“Data Equity for All” Webinar on 12/14

I’m hosting a Data Equity for All: Using and Visualizing Data Responsibly webinar this Wednesday, December 14th with the folks from LA Tech4Good. We’ll be talking about how to take an equitable and inclusive approach to your data collection, data analysis, and data visualization needs. Please consider attending and saying hi.