Good graphic, bad graphic

Here are two topical graphics at different ends of the scale. This one, from Canada's National Post, on the number of gun deaths in the US in the month following Sandy Hook, is excellent. The first rule of graphics is to make the information easy to understand. Even without studying the detail you get an immediate understanding of the scale of the very scary problem.
On the other hand, this one on the USA cycling scandal can only be described as infographic hell. Please only take a look if you have headache tablets to hand. As designer David Bailey @surferdwb said on my Twitter account it looks like someone stuck their Panini Sticker collection on the London Underground map. He has a point, except that the underground map is easy to follow. This one is just impossible.

Stop press - cat hops into delivery van

Thanks to David Bailey @surferdwb for sending me this bill from Norwich and for asking "I wonder how many extra copies of the paper this sold?" If the non-story theory works on print as well as on the web, it probably sold thousands. For more weird and wonderful bills and my tips on how to write good ones have a scroll through the training tips here. 

Just don't do it ....

In a response to the 'good taste, dirty minds' rule on my last post, Irish newspaper designer David Bailey sent this web page from Reuters. It's deliberate, I fear, and very tacky. Don't even be tempted.