Hansen’s “Data-Driven Aesthetics” in the NYT

From a speedometer to a weather map to a stock chart, we routinely interpret and act on data displayed visually. With a few exceptions, data has no natural “look,” no natural “visualization,” and choices have to be made about how it should be displayed. Each choice can reveal certain kinds of patterns in the data while hiding others.

While these decisions are often made on technical grounds, they are also questions of design. Click to read the complete article.