The Data Visualisation Catalogue
Severino Ribecca
A reference library of chart types: one page per chart explaining what it shows, how to read it and which tools can make it.
What you will find
- A page per chart type with its anatomy, uses and limits
- A search by function: comparisons, proportions, relationships, distributions and more
- A list of tools that can draw each chart
- French and Spanish editions of the whole catalogue
What we can learn from it
- 01Group charts by the job they do, not by how they look
- 02Every chart type has limits worth stating next to its uses
Chart types you will meet there
Marimekko chart
A 100% stacked chart whose column widths are also proportional, showing two part-to-whole splits at once.
Sankey diagram
Flows between stages drawn as bands whose width is proportional to volume.
Histogram
Counts how many observations fall into each range of values, revealing the shape of a distribution.
Radar chart
Plots several measures on axes radiating from a centre, so each profile forms a shape.
Similar sites
Data Viz Project
A Copenhagen agency’s catalogue of chart types, browsable four ways: by family, by the data you have, by what you want it to do, and by the shape it makes.
From Data to Viz
A decision tree for choosing a chart: start from the format of your data and follow it to the chart types that fit, with their common pitfalls.
FT Visual Vocabulary
The Financial Times’ one-page guide to choosing a chart, grouped by the relationship in the data you want to show.