(I have been really sick the past few days and I missed class and this assignment, but I wanted to take time to complete the reading so that I am caught up.)

In the middle of the chapter, Tufte briefly discusses the intelligence of the reader. He claims that the worst design includes data that deems the audience “uncaring” or “stupid”. I consider this to be the most important concept discussed because oftentimes it is hard to distinguish which information is common knowledge and which data should be presented on the graphic. I have found that some creators are overly cautious about offending/overwhelming their reader, and conversely they leave pertinent information out. Sometimes, I find myself looking at appealing designs of information, but not quite understanding everything on the graphic. In my opinion, if I need to do extra research in order to understand what I looking at, then the graphic is flawed. I don’t have time to do research, so I will most likely just remove the issue from my mind. I would rather look at simple information that actually teaches me something, than to waste my time maneuvering through artsy, complicated images. If I read something already known, I will not feel “disrespected” or “patronized”…I will merely breeze through that information and look for ways to apply what I already know to the rest of the information on the graphic.

Here are some examples of images that lack info/make assumptions about the reader’s previous knowledge on the topic:

http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=graphics+lacking+information&FORM=HD...
http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=graphics+lacking+information&FORM=HD...
http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=graphics+lacking+information&FORM=HD...