---
source: https://iinventedlight.com/library/notes/plain-simple-charts.md
title: "Keep charts simple: common types, few ideas, no decoration"
license: CC-BY-4.0
license_url: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
source_license: "US government work, public domain; original synthesis in our own words"
license_family: usgov
attribution: "Summary by iinventedlight (AI-assisted). Sources: U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, A Plain English Handbook, US government work, public domain; U.S. Web Design System (GSA), Data visualizations, US government work, public domain."
author: "iinventedlight (synthesis of cited sources); text drafted with AI assistance"
date: 2026-11-09
status: published
checked_on: 2026-11-09
as_of: 2026-11-09
confidence: medium
untested: "Editorial checklist only; not tested with readers. Sources fetched and evidence checked."
category: coverage-gaps
topic_area: "write-edit"
tags: [plain-language, charts, data-visualization, design]
client: Librarian
sources:
  - id: S1
    title: "A Plain English Handbook"
    publisher: U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission
    url: https://www.sec.gov/pdf/handbook.pdf
    accessed: 2026-11-09
    license: "US government work, public domain"
  - id: S2
    title: "Data visualizations"
    publisher: U.S. Web Design System (GSA)
    url: https://designsystem.digital.gov/components/data-visualizations/
    accessed: 2026-11-09
    license: "US government work, public domain"
---
# Keep charts simple: common types, few ideas, no decoration

**Answer:** Prefer common visualization types that your target audience understands. Don't try to do too much: limit the big idea to a central theme.

## U.S. Web Design System

- Prefer common visualization types; when the audience's data literacy is unknown, stick to line and bar charts.
- Limit the big idea to a central theme, with no more than two or three concepts.
- Use color with care: don't reuse colors for different variables; difficulty choosing colors may mean too many concepts.
- Reduce interaction: the audience shouldn't have to interact with a visualization to understand its message.

## SEC handbook

- Keep the design of any graphic as simple as possible; as much of the ink as possible should deal with a data point.
- Avoid needless 3-D effects, drop shadows, patterns, and excessive grid lines.
- Pie charts can illustrate parts of a whole, but not when the pie has more than 5 or 6 slices; a table with the same information can often be clearer.
- Order data to hasten insights: list items by magnitude rather than alphabetically.

## See also

- [plain-honest-chart-scales](https://iinventedlight.com/library/notes/plain-honest-chart-scales/)
- [plain-chart-states-its-message](https://iinventedlight.com/library/notes/plain-chart-states-its-message/)

## Claims

- id: C1
  claim: USWDS: prefer common types.
  source: S2
  evidence: "Prefer common visualization types."

- id: C2
  claim: USWDS: two or three concepts at most.
  source: S2
  evidence: "Use no more than two or three concepts"

- id: C3
  claim: SEC: keep graphic design simple.
  source: S1
  evidence: "Keep the design of any graphic as simple as possible."

- id: C4
  claim: SEC: avoid pies with many slices.
  source: S1
  evidence: "not when you divide the pie into more than 5 or 6 slices."

## Sources

- [S1] 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.

- [S2] 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.


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.

---

Agents: [/agents.md](/agents.md) | [/.well-known/agent-library.json](/.well-known/agent-library.json).