15 min read
If you only read one thing
The weekly and quarterly pack — bars, waterfalls and tiles that a manager can read in four minutes.
Key takeaways
Work reports encodes values as a small set of honest encodings repeated every cycle. Corporate reporting culture after DuPont charts and 20th-c. board packs. In reports, ads and assignments it fits recurring reviews, budget bridges, headcount, pipeline. Skip it when a one-off story that needs a custom visual, or an ad that must shout. This page gathers anatomy, fit, craft, failure modes and work / ads / school recipes for Work reports.
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Local systems
BCP-47 + CSV en-US grouping with comma CSV by default.
Number format 1,200-style thousands — not a universal rule.
Studio download SVG/PNG stay in the browser; nothing is uploaded. Local examples Use the locale sample table before importing CSV. Open studio after chooser so the form matches the brief. Local FAQ Does Make upload my CSV? No — parsing stays in the browser for this static site.
Why does my European CSV look wrong? Separators and thousands grouping differ; see the locale note on Make.
Local terms
Chooser Pick a form before you open the studio.
Make Turn a small CSV/table into a starter visual.
Studio Browser editor — download SVG/PNG locally. Local systems
BCP-47 + CSV en-US grouping with comma CSV by default.
Number format 1,200-style thousands — not a universal rule.
Studio download SVG/PNG stay in the browser; nothing is uploaded. Local examples Use the locale sample table before importing CSV. Open studio after chooser so the form matches the brief. Local FAQ Does Make upload my CSV? No — parsing stays in the browser for this static site.
Why does my European CSV look wrong? Separators and thousands grouping differ; see the locale note on Make.
Local terms
Chooser Pick a form before you open the studio.
Make Turn a small CSV/table into a starter visual.
Studio Browser editor — download SVG/PNG locally. Sources Editorial atlas Locale pack Licensed media Local institutions
WCAG contrast guidance Accessibility baselines for color and text on charts.
Org style guides / brand kits Palette and type rules may override studio defaults.
Data ethics / disclosure policies Source notes and truncation honesty belong with the publisher. Myths vs facts 3D always looks more professional → Perspective distortion often hurts comparison; flat encodings read cleaner. More ink = more insight → Chartjunk competes with the data signal. Studio export needs no review → Always check contrast, labels, and source notes before publish. Deeper FAQ Is the studio a full design suite replacement? No. It is a focused viz craft workspace with honest chart/diagram defaults.
Do scores crown the “best” chart? No. They are editorial browsing meters for craft dimensions.
Does studio guarantee WCAG pass? No. Defaults help; final contrast and semantics still need review.
Pie charts always bad? Often misused for many categories; small part-to-whole sets can still work with care.
Checklist
1 State the question the viz must answer.
2 Prefer position/length encodings when comparing.
3 Run a contrast check before publish.
4 Open studio early; iterate marks, not themes. Important caveat Not a compliance stamp. Color, contrast, and data integrity still need human review before publication.
Editor depth Editorial meters compare craft clarity and classroom/studio usefulness — not “best chart” trophies. On VS pages, ask which encoding reduces lies under your data shape — not which looks trendier.
Deeper sources Grammar of graphics / perceptual encoding primers WCAG contrast documentation Tool-Lifes viz studio quality notes Important caveat Not a compliance stamp. Color, contrast, and data integrity still need human review before publication.
Who this is for The weekly and quarterly pack — bars, waterfalls and tiles that a manager can read in four minutes.
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Key scores Clarity 88 Persuasion 70 Density 72 Craft cost 52 School fit 40 Work fit 98 Bar chart Line chart Pie & donut Scatter plot How to pick a viz Choose the form — Start from the question (compare, part-to-whole, flow), not from a pretty template.Encode, then decorate — Position and length first; ink and effects last.Check contrast — Studio defaults help, but WCAG checks still belong before publish.Open studio wide — Use the widened workspace to iterate marks without crowding tool panels.Practical tools Open viz studio
Next tool After this form hub, open Studio or Chooser — labels stay sanitized.
Use this page Choose the form — Start from the question (compare, part-to-whole, flow), not from a pretty template. Encode, then decorate — Position and length first; ink and effects last. Check contrast — Studio defaults help, but WCAG checks still belong before publish.
42 55 48 71 63 Work reports Work reports encodes values as a small set of honest encodings repeated every cycle. Corporate reporting culture after DuPont charts and 20th-c. board packs.
In reports, ads and assignments it fits recurring reviews, budget bridges, headcount, pipeline. Skip it when a one-off story that needs a custom visual, or an ad that must shout.
This page gathers anatomy, fit, craft, failure modes and work / ads / school recipes for Work reports.
How Work reports shows up here
Excel or Google Sheets and PowerPoint share this geometry. Keep one claim per slide; export SVG or PDF rather than a screenshot.
In Meta, Google and retail print, one number and one shape speak first. If Work reports will not fit a banner, keep the number and show the chart on the landing page.
For lab reports and poster boards, pick the form that answers the rubric. Axes, units and a source line are what markers actually read.
Form Work reports
Since 1920s
Encodes a small set of honest…
Best for recurring reviews, budget…
Avoid a one-off story that needs…
Studio Studio
Seven chapters The idea
The weekly and quarterly pack — bars, waterfalls and tiles that a manager can read in four minutes. History. recurring reviews, budget bridges, headcount,…
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Anatomy
The weekly and quarterly pack — bars, waterfalls and tiles that a manager can read in four minutes. Mark. recurring reviews, budget bridges, headcount,…
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When to use
The weekly and quarterly pack — bars, waterfalls and tiles that a manager can read in four minutes. Fit. recurring reviews, budget bridges, headcount, pipeline.
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Craft
The weekly and quarterly pack — bars, waterfalls and tiles that a manager can read in four minutes. Rules. recurring reviews, budget bridges, headcount,…
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Mistakes
The weekly and quarterly pack — bars, waterfalls and tiles that a manager can read in four minutes. Failure modes. recurring reviews, budget bridges,…
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Studio
The weekly and quarterly pack — bars, waterfalls and tiles that a manager can read in four minutes. Work. recurring reviews, budget bridges, headcount,…
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Tools
The weekly and quarterly pack — bars, waterfalls and tiles that a manager can read in four minutes. Software. recurring reviews, budget bridges, headcount,…
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Frequently asked questions When should I pick Work reports? When the story is: recurring reviews, budget bridges, headcount, pipeline.
When should I avoid Work reports? Skip it in cases like: a one-off story that needs a custom visual, or an ad that must shout.
Who invented or popularised it? Corporate reporting culture after DuPont charts and 20th-c. board packs
What does it encode? a small set of honest encodings repeated every cycle
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.
Which tool? Excel or Google Sheets or PowerPoint; export SVG/PDF.
How do I keep it accessible? Do not rely on hue alone. Label directly and check greyscale.
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Which visual?
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