U5.03

Restraint with gridlines and reference lines

Cards in this group · 5

  1. U5.03.1A reference line marks a benchmark from outside the data, like a target or a historical average
  2. U5.03.2An unlabeled reference line reads to viewers as just one more data series, not a benchmark
  3. U5.03.3A reference line should sit visually between the data, which is heaviest, and the gridlines, lightest
  4. U5.03.4Three or four reference lines at once start competing with the real data for attention
  5. U5.03.5Gridlines only earn their place when a reader actually needs to read an exact value off the chart