TED2018
Tommy McCall: The simple genius of a good graphic
汤米·麦考尔: 好图表的简单原则
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在这段包含部分历史的演讲中，信息设计师汤米·麦考尔追溯了图形和图表长达几个世纪的进化，并展示了如何将复杂的数据雕刻成美丽的形状。麦考尔说：“图表可以帮助我们更快地思考，或者在一页纸上看到一本书的信息，它是开启新发现的关键。”
Tommy McCall - Information designer
Tommy McCall specializes in presenting complex and rich data sets. Full bio
Tommy McCall specializes in presenting complex and rich data sets. Full bio
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00:12
I love infographics.
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我爱信息图表。
00:14
As an information designer,
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作为一个信息设计师，
00:16
I've worked with all sorts of data
over the past 25 years.
over the past 25 years.
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在过去25年中，我跟各种各样的数据打交道。
00:19
I have a few insights to share,
but first: a little history.
but first: a little history.
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我有一些见解要分享，但首先讲点历史。
00:24
Communication is the encoding,
transmission and decoding of information.
transmission and decoding of information.
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沟通是对信息的编码、传输和解码。
00:30
Breakthroughs in communication mark
turning points in human culture.
turning points in human culture.
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沟通的突破标志着人类文化的转折点。
00:35
Oracy, literacy and numeracy
were great developments in communication.
were great developments in communication.
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在沟通方面，语言，文字和算术能力
得到了很大的发展。
得到了很大的发展。
00:40
They allow us to encode ideas into words
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它们让我们可以把想法编码为文字
00:42
and quantities into numbers.
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并量化成数字。
00:45
Without communication, we'd still
be stuck in the Stone Ages.
be stuck in the Stone Ages.
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没有沟通能力，我们就会被困在石器时代。
00:49
Although humans have been around
for a quarter million years,
for a quarter million years,
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尽管人类已经存在25万年，
但人类最早期的书写浮出水面只有8千年。
00:52
it was only 8,000 years ago
that proto-writings began to surface.
that proto-writings began to surface.
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00:56
Nearly 3,000 years later, the first
proper writing systems took shape.
proper writing systems took shape.
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在将近3000年后，
首个合适的书写系统成形。
首个合适的书写系统成形。
01:03
Maps have been around for millennia
and diagrams for hundreds of years,
and diagrams for hundreds of years,
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地图存在几千年，图表则有数百年之久，
01:08
but representing quantities
through graphics
through graphics
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但通过图形来表示数量
01:11
is a relatively new development.
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还是一个相对较新的发展。
01:13
It wasn't until 1786 that William Playfair
invented the first bar chart,
invented the first bar chart,
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直至1786年威廉·普莱费尔
发明的首个条形图，
发明的首个条形图，
01:18
giving birth to visual display
of quantitative information.
of quantitative information.
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才催生了数量信息的视觉显示。
01:22
Fifteen years later, he introduced
the first pie and area charts.
the first pie and area charts.
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15年后，他引入了首个饼图和面积图。
01:27
His inventions are still the most
commonly used chart forms today.
commonly used chart forms today.
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他这些发明仍是今天最常使用的图表类型。
01:32
Florence Nightingale invented
the coxcomb in 1857
the coxcomb in 1857
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1857年弗洛伦斯·南丁格尔发明了锯齿图
01:36
for a presentation to Queen Victoria
on troop mortality.
on troop mortality.
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来向维多利亚女王介绍部队死亡率。
01:40
Highlighted in blue,
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蓝色强调部分，
01:41
she showed how most troops' deaths
could have been prevented.
could have been prevented.
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她展示了军队的大多数死亡可以如何被避免。
01:47
Shortly after, Charles Minard charted
Napoleon's march on Moscow,
Napoleon's march on Moscow,
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不久之后，查尔斯·米纳德绘制了
拿破仑进军俄罗斯的图表，
拿破仑进军俄罗斯的图表，
01:52
illustrating how an army of 422,000
dwindled to just 10,000
dwindled to just 10,000
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展示了一支42.2万人的军队是如何
在战斗，地理和冰冻的影响下
在战斗，地理和冰冻的影响下
01:57
as battles, geography and freezing
temperatures took their toll.
temperatures took their toll.
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付出惨痛代价减少到只有1万人的。
02:01
He combined a Sankey diagram
with cartography
with cartography
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他将桑基图与制图学
02:05
and a line chart for temperature.
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和温度线图表结合在一起。
02:09
I get excited when I get
lots of data to play with,
lots of data to play with,
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有很多数据可以摆弄总令我兴奋，
02:11
especially when it yields
an interesting chart form.
an interesting chart form.
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特别是当它产生一个有趣的图表形式时。
02:17
Here, Nightingale's coxcomb
was the inspiration
was the inspiration
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这里，奈廷格尔的锯齿图是
02:21
to organize data on thousands
of federal energy subsidies,
of federal energy subsidies,
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成千联邦政府能源补贴
数据组织的最佳呈现，
数据组织的最佳呈现，
02:24
scrutinizing the lack of investment
in renewables over fossil fuels.
in renewables over fossil fuels.
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审查了可再生能源投入
相较化石能源的不足。
相较化石能源的不足。
02:30
This Sankey diagram illustrates
the flow of energy through the US economy,
the flow of energy through the US economy,
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这个桑基图展示了
美国经济中的能源流动，
美国经济中的能源流动，
02:34
emphasizing how nearly half
of the energy used is lost as waste heat.
of the energy used is lost as waste heat.
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强调了近一半的能源消耗
是作为废热流失的。
是作为废热流失的。
02:42
I love it when data can be sculpted
into beautiful shapes.
into beautiful shapes.
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我喜欢把数据雕刻成漂亮的形状。
02:45
Here, the personal and professional
connections of the women of Silicon Valley
connections of the women of Silicon Valley
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这里，硅谷女性的个人和职业联系
02:50
can be woven into arcs,
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可以被编织成弧线，
02:54
same as the collaboration of inventors
birthing patents across the globe
birthing patents across the globe
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就跟全球范围内发明家的协作
02:58
can be mapped.
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可以映射出来一样。
03:01
I've even made charts for me.
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我甚至为自己制作了图表。
03:03
I'm a numbers person,
so I rarely win at Scrabble.
so I rarely win at Scrabble.
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我是个数字人，所以
我很少在拼字比赛中获胜。
我很少在拼字比赛中获胜。
03:06
I made this diagram to remember
all the two- and three-letter words
all the two- and three-letter words
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我做了这个图表来记住
官方拼字字典里的
官方拼字字典里的
两个字母和三个字母的单词。
03:09
in the official Scrabble dictionary.
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03:11
(Laughter)
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（笑声）
知道这1168个单词显然是制胜法则。
03:12
Knowing these 1,168 words
certainly is a game changer.
certainly is a game changer.
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03:15
(Laughter)
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（笑声）
03:16
Sometimes I produce code
to quickly generate graphics
to quickly generate graphics
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有些时候我编写代码去把数千个数据点
03:20
from thousands of data points.
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快速生成图片。
03:23
Coding also enables me
to produce interactive graphics.
to produce interactive graphics.
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编码也让我可以制作交互式图表。
03:26
Now we can navigate information
on our own terms.
on our own terms.
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现在我们可以根据自己的
条件来导航信息。
条件来导航信息。
03:32
Exotic chart forms certainly look cool,
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奇异的图表当然看起来很酷，
03:34
but something as simple
as a little dot may be all you need
as a little dot may be all you need
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但小至简单的一个点就足以满足你所需
03:37
to solve a particular thinking task.
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去解决特定的思考任务。
03:41
In 2006, the "New York Times"
redesigned their "Markets" section,
redesigned their "Markets" section,
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2006年，纽约时报重新
设计他们的市场板块，
设计他们的市场板块，
03:45
cutting it down from eight pages
of stock listings
of stock listings
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将其从8页的股票清单削减到
03:48
to just one and a half pages
of essential market data.
of essential market data.
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只有1页半的基本市场数据。
03:52
We listed performance metrics
for the most common stocks,
for the most common stocks,
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我们列出了最常用的股票指标，
03:55
but I wanted to help investors
see how the stocks are doing.
see how the stocks are doing.
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但我想帮助投资者了解这些股票表现如何。
03:59
So I added a simple little dot
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所以我增加了一个简单小点
04:01
to show the current price
relative to its one-year range.
relative to its one-year range.
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来展示现在价格在一年内的水平。
04:06
At a glance, value investors can pick out
stocks trading near their lows
stocks trading near their lows
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只需看一眼，价值投资者
就可以通过靠近左边的点
就可以通过靠近左边的点
去挑选出股价接近低位的股票。
04:10
by looking for dots to the left.
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04:12
Momentum investors can find stocks
on an upward trajectory
on an upward trajectory
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短线投资者可以通过靠近右边的点
04:16
via dots to the right.
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找出上升趋势的股票。
04:18
Shortly after, the "Wall Street Journal"
copied the design.
copied the design.
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不久之后，华尔街日报复制了这个设计。
04:21
Simplicity is often the goal
for most graphics,
for most graphics,
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简单化通常是大部分图表的目标，
04:24
but sometimes we need
to embrace complexity
to embrace complexity
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但有时候我们需要拥抱复杂
04:27
and show large data sets
in their full glory.
in their full glory.
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并在他们的全部荣耀中展示大量数据集。
04:32
Alec Gallup, the former chairman
of the Gallup Organization,
of the Gallup Organization,
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亚力克·盖洛普，盖洛普公司的前主席，
04:36
once handed me a very thick book.
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有次给了我一本非常厚的书。
04:38
It was his family's legacy:
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这是他们家族的遗产：
04:39
hundreds of pages covering six decades
of presidential approval data.
of presidential approval data.
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数百页纸涵盖了60年的总统支持率数据。
04:44
I told him the entire book
could be graphed on a single page.
could be graphed on a single page.
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我告诉他整本书可以图表化在一页上。
04:47
"Impossible," he said.
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“不可能”，他说。
04:50
And here it is:
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这就是：
04:52
25,000 data points on a single page.
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一页中展示25,000个数据点。
04:55
At a glance, one sees that most presidents
start with a high approval rating,
start with a high approval rating,
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一眼就可以看出，多数总统
以高支持率开场，
以高支持率开场，
04:58
but few keep it.
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但很少能够维持。
05:00
Events like wars initially boost approval;
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像战争那样的事件最初会提升支持率；
05:02
scandals trigger declines.
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丑闻会引发下降。
05:05
These major events were annotated
in the graphic but not in the book.
in the graphic but not in the book.
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这些重要事件在图表中
被注释，在书中可不行。
被注释，在书中可不行。
05:09
The point is, graphics can transmit data
with incredible efficiency.
with incredible efficiency.
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要点在于，图表可以
以惊人的效率传输数据。
以惊人的效率传输数据。
05:16
Graphicacy --
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书画刻印技能——
05:17
the ability to read and write graphics --
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读和写图的能力——
05:19
is still in its infancy.
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仍然处于早期。
05:21
New chart forms will emerge
and specialized dialects will evolve.
and specialized dialects will evolve.
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新的图表将会出现，
特殊的方言将会发展。
特殊的方言将会发展。
05:25
Graphics that help us think faster
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图表可以帮我们更快地思考
05:27
or see a book's worth
of information on a single page
of information on a single page
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或在一页纸上看到一本书的信息
05:30
are the key to unlocking new discoveries.
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是开启新发现的关键。
05:35
Our visual cortex was built
to decode complex information
to decode complex information
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我们的视觉皮层是用来解码复杂信息的，
05:38
and is a master at pattern recognition.
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它是模式识别的大师。
05:41
Graphicacy enables us
to harness our built-in GPU
to harness our built-in GPU
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图形化可以让我们利用我们的内置GPU
05:44
to process mountains of data
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处理海量数据
05:46
and find the veins of gold hiding within.
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去发现藏在里面的金子。
05:49
Thank you.
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谢谢。
05:50
(Applause and cheers)
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（鼓掌）
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Tommy McCall - Information designerTommy McCall specializes in presenting complex and rich data sets.
Why you should listen
McCall founded and operates Infographics.com, a boutique data visualization agency that specializes in presenting complex and rich data sets. As an infographics designer, editor and producer, McCall brings together three realms of experience to present, visualize and understand complex data. As a designer, he aims to find the natural shape of the data and sculpt it into something captivating and beautiful. As a data editor, he finds the stories and shares the insights hidden within what is often a vast sea of information. As a producer, he oversees programmers, designers, data analysts, animators and illustrators to realize his vision.
McCall believes that graphicacy, the ability to communicate data through charts, diagrams and maps, is an emerging essential skill set, just as literacy and numeracy have been for past generations. He is excited by the opportunities to pioneer new chart forms to communicate specialized data sets as the collection and generation of data exponentially increase.
McCall was the infographics editor for Money Magazine and a graphics editor for the New York Times before launching his studio. He has explored over one hundred countries spanning all seven continents. Recently, he has taken a sabbatical to combine his a passion for travel with filmmaking to produce video "mediations" in ultra-high-definition intended for large-scale projection.
Tommy McCall | Speaker | TED.com