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The best graphics are about the useful and important, about life and death, about the universe. Beautiful graphics do not traffic with the trivial.

Edward Tufte

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Edward Tufte
Age: 82
Born: 1942
Born: March 14
Computer Scientist
Graphic Designer
Political Scientist
Sculptor
Statistician
University Teacher
Writer
Kansas City
Missouri
Edward R. Tufte
Edward Rolfe Tufte
Edward Rolf Tufte
Useful
Universe
Death
Beautiful
Best
Important
Graphics
Life
Trivial
Traffic

More quotes by Edward Tufte

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I was writing a chapter of Beautiful Evidence on the subject of the sculptural pedestal, which led to my thinking about what's up on the pedestal - the great leader.
Edward Tufte
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I am certainly not an intellectual relativist, nor a moral relativist.
Edward Tufte
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We've drifted into this presentation mode without realizing the cost to the content and the audience in the process.
Edward Tufte
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It is straightforward for me to be ethical, responsible, and kind-hearted because I have the resources to support that.
Edward Tufte
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What gets left out is the narrative between the bullets, which would tell us who's going to do what and how we're going to achieve the generic goals on the list.
Edward Tufte
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Make all visual distinctions as subtle as possible, but still clear and effective.
Edward Tufte
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Good design is clear thinking made visible, bad design is stupidity made visible
Edward Tufte
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The idea of trying to create things that last-forever knowledge-has guided my work for a long time now.
Edward Tufte
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Confusion and clutter are failures of design, not attributes of information. And so the point is to find design strategies that reveal detail and complexity - rather than to fault the data for an excess of complication. Or, worse, to fault viewers for a lack of understanding.
Edward Tufte
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It is not how much empty space there is, but rather how it is used. It is not how much information there is, but rather how effectively it is arranged.
Edward Tufte
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There is no such thing as information overload, just bad design. If something is cluttered and/or confusing, fix your design.
Edward Tufte
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Clutter and confusion are failures of design, not attributes of information.
Edward Tufte
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Simple design, intense content.
Edward Tufte
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I hope that I am generous and tolerant, but certainly on the intellectual side I think that there are discoverable truths, and some things that are closer approximations to the truth than others.
Edward Tufte
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Great design is not democratic it comes from great designers. If the standard is lousy, then develop another standard.
Edward Tufte
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In general, I think audiences are a lot smarter than people think. So, it's not know your audience, it's respect your audience, and really know your content.
Edward Tufte
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The goal is to provide analytical tools that will last students a lifetime
Edward Tufte
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Graphical excellence is that which gives to the viewer the greatest number of ideas in the shortest time with the least ink in the smallest space.
Edward Tufte
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The world is complex, dynamic, multidimensiona l the paper is static, flat. How are we to represent the rich visual world of experience and measurement on mere flatland?
Edward Tufte
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My father worked for governments all his life as an engineer and public works director.
Edward Tufte