As is often the case, when dealing with data visualization we should start from the final objective to work out the best way to accomplish it. The main objective of data visualization is to effectively communicate an insight contained within a given set of data. We can elaborate a bit more on this. The point here is not to show what your data visualization software is able to do or to impress your audience with bells and whistles. This may seem obvious, but we all know that when the add a neon blinking light to your plot option appears in front of you, it is really hard to resist it.

It is therefore crucial to possess some strong principles when dealing with data visualization, and to try to adhere to them as best we can. Without aiming to be exhaustive, we can find three principles within every good data visualization:

• Less but better 
• Not every chart is good for your message
• Colors are to be chosen carefully