DataViz Tip #31: Labels vs. Legends

A rule of thumb is you should annotate your chart items right there next to them whenever possible.

This gives your viewers an easy way to evaluate and understand the data presented.

This is all great but what if you have a very limited space to work in? You may either be on a smartphone or just limited by page design constraints. A chart cluttered with data labels is not a pretty sight. In these cases consider hiding the labels and turning the legend on.


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