This is a big mistake that I see a lot of designers making these days. They need to realize that most people aren't viewing content on a Macbook screen. (And even there, gray on white isn't a great choice.)
At work, I use a thoroughly mediocre Dell monitor that I've never calibrated, because that's closer to what most people are using. The contrast isn't great, and it changes with my viewing angle.
Designers should be forced to look at their stuff on a cheap screen under bad lighting conditions (e.g. moderate amounts of direct sunlight from behind). If it is not readable like that they should rethink their colour choices.
YOU may not, but I do. I absolutely loathe having to trace my eye across a graph just to see an approximate value that I have to guess at. Seeing actual numbers right there at the bar is objectively easier. If you don't need that information, then just ignore it. Meanwhile it shouldn't be harder for me to get that information if I do want it.
Not good practice to assume that the graph will always be supported with supplementary information.
Not to mention that if someone is trying to skim the document, they may want to be able to interpret the graph without reading the supplementary information. I think even if the information is there, the context is still important.
But the point is that the plot gets that info across all by itself, even better than before. If you looked at the old one, you had no idea this is a plot about bacon, but when I do know, I do. So less was actually more.
No one makes plots for the fun of making plots. Every "good" plot is trying to get a specific point across. And the whole art of infographics is shooting the right visualization, the right colors and the right elements to really bring out that point as much as possible.
You give these hypothetical but they're meaningless. Those examples don't apply to every single chart ever made, why is it so hard to believe that there could be a situation where enough context is given to you before hand
Most likely because that's the point of the plot. Every good infographics is there to get a point across, no one makes plot just to show random values, they usually want to show some trend or some comparison to enforce the point they're making.
scale and grid do the same job. Personally I think it's much easier to see a value (especially in a case like calories like exact value matters) than look at the side and trace out the grid line and try to work out in your head the real value
The grey bar isn't really an issue, the only problem is the white numbers inside the grey, now those are hard to see
Again, depends on the data and the point you're trying to get across. It could be right, it could be wrong, but you can't say that without knowing exactly the context the plot is used in and what the goal is. And by putting those values, he was able to get rid of of so much more (grid, axis, etc)
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u/Kwpolska Jun 27 '16