Flower of the Desert

There are many Microsoft Office manuals on the market, a good number of graphic design texts, and a few excellent data visualization books. However, a single text that combines the technical and aesthetic elements to create accurate and visually appealing data displays using readily available software is lacking in the marketplace. Data Visualization with Microsoft Office will cover the full range of tasks, from procuring data to presenting a report and provides step-by-step instructions for creating visual data displays. The focus is on turning raw, quantitative data into attractive, well-designed tables and charts that tell an accurate story about the underlying data. Valerie M. Sue and Matthew Griffin's approach is unique in that they discuss theory, for example, how perspective can be used to convey the relative importance of elements in a design, and then turn that into practice as they apply the principle to creating a chart. They use Microsoft Office programs (Excel, PowerPoint, Word, and Publisher) to illustrate and teach the principles, thus rendering the text accessible to a large audience.