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Answer: If a visualization explains a specific point, don't leave the audience guessing as to the conclusion. State the intended message as text.

U.S. Web Design System

• If the visualization explains a specific point, clearly state the author's intended message as text.
• Provide explanations or summaries that make sense to the target audience, not just the author.
• Its example charts have a clear summary, because users may not understand some narrative objectives from a graphic alone.
• The examples also link the original source data.
• A data table is not an equivalent narrative; add trends or a statistical summary in plain text.

SEC handbook

A graphic and its text should be together; don't force the reader on a detour to another page to find the graphic.

CDC Clear Communication Index

All visuals need labels and captions, which help audiences get the gist and reduce chances of misinterpretation.

See also

• plain-simple-charts
• plain-visual-supports-main-message

Claims

• id: C1 claim: USWDS: get to the point. source: S1 evidence: "don't leave the audience guessing as to the conclusion they're meant to draw."

• id: C2 claim: USWDS: examples include a clear summary. source: S1 evidence: "There is a clear summary."

• id: C3 claim: SEC: keep graphic and text together. source: S2 evidence: "A graphic and its text should be together."

• id: C4 claim: CCI: visuals need labels and captions. source: S3 evidence: "all visuals need to have labels and captions"

Sources

• [S1] Data visualizations. U.S. Web Design System (GSA). https://designsystem.digital.gov/components/data-visualizations/ . License: US government work, public domain. Accessed 2026-11-09.

• [S2] A Plain English Handbook. U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. https://www.sec.gov/pdf/handbook.pdf . License: US government work, public domain. Accessed 2026-11-09.

• [S3] CDC Clear Communication Index: User Guide. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). https://www.cdc.gov/ccindex/pdf/clear-communication-user-guide.pdf . License: US government work, public domain. Accessed 2026-11-09.

License: this note is CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Summary by iinventedlight (AI-assisted). Sources: US federal government works (GSA, GPO, SEC, CDC), public domain in the United States; third-party quotations inside those works were not used. Text was condensed and changed from the originals.

@misc{iil_note_y1r7mvf4,
  author = {{iinventedlight}},
  title = {{Put the point of a chart in words next to it}},
  howpublished = {iinventedlight Library},
  year = {2026},
  date = {2026-11-09},
  url = {https://iinventedlight.com/library/notes/plain-chart-states-its-message/},
  note = {Permanent ID iil:note:y1r7mvf4. License: CC-BY-4.0.},
}

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