Practical Python Data Wrangling and Data Quality

Appendix D. Resources for Visualization and Information Design

The evolution of visualization tools in the past decade has transformed the process of creating beautiful, informative graphics from something that required expensive specialty software and specialized training to something that almost anyone can do. As discussed in Chapter 10, however, making eloquent visualizations is about more than the tools you have at your disposal; it’s about finding the design choices that best enhance and clarify your message. While there are many books and courses out there that focus on visualization for particular purposes (business or science communication, for example), the following list is more of an all-purpose reader—these are great books and resources for developing and understanding the history, purpose, and potential of visualization and information design if you want to understand this space more broadly.

Foundational Books on Information Visualization

Probably the most name-checked person in the world of information visualization is Edward Tufte, who wrote many of the earliest and more influential books on the subject. While all of them are beautiful objects, probably the most instructive will be the first three: The Visual Display of Quantitative Information, Envisioning Information, and Visual Explanations (all from Graphics Press). If you find yourself wanting to read his entire opus, he has also published a few shorter reports and pamphlets that excerpt his books and offer ...