Darker cells mean a higher score for this topic on that metric.
LessMore
Last reviewed Sources & creditsMedia creditsMethodology
Quick answers
When should I pick Arrows & connectors?
When the story is: sequence, cause, download/click targets, map flow.
When should I avoid Arrows & connectors?
Skip it in cases like: every object has an arrow — then none of them mean anything.
Who invented or popularised it?
Heraldic piles and map north arrows; modern CTA chevrons from 20th-c. print ads
What does it encode?
a shaft plus a head that assigns sequence or cause
Is it OK in ads?
Yes if one claim is visible at a glance in Meta, Google and retail print; otherwise link to a full figure.
Will a teacher accept it?
Yes for lab reports and poster boards if axes, units and a source line are present.
Arrows & connectors encodes values as a shaft plus a head that assigns sequence or cause. Heraldic piles and map north arrows; modern CTA chevrons from 20th-c. print ads.
In reports, ads and assignments it fits sequence, cause, download/click targets, map flow. Skip it when every object has an arrow — then none of them mean anything.
Parts
- Mark — The core mark of Arrows & connectors is a shaft plus a head that assigns sequence or cause.
- Scale — The scale must show zero (or a declared break) and units.
- Axis — Axis titles name the variable, not a mood.
- Legend — A legend is weaker than a direct label. Write beside the mark when you can.
- Label — Numbers are optional. If comparison is the job, label the ends only.
- Grid — Keep the grid faint. Data should own the ink.
- Annotation — One annotation sentence. Date the source.
- Frame — A thin frame. Never a 3-D box.
Variants
- Leaders — Variant 1 of Arrows & connectors (Leaders). Same encoding, different layout.
- Directed edges — Variant 2 of Arrows & connectors (Directed edges). Same encoding, different layout.
- CTA chevrons — Variant 3 of Arrows & connectors (CTA chevrons). Same encoding, different layout.
- Arrows & connectors 4 — Variant 4 of Arrows & connectors (Arrows & connectors 4). Same encoding, different layout.
Labels
- Axis — On Arrows & connectors, make Mark readable.
- Legend — On Arrows & connectors, make Scale readable.
- Label — On Arrows & connectors, make Axis readable.
- Grid — On Arrows & connectors, make Legend readable.
- Annotation — On Arrows & connectors, make Label readable.
Arrows & connectors: honour a shaft plus a head that assigns sequence or cause, and switch when every object has an arrow — then none of them mean anything.