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Data-Ink Ratio Sculptor

Interactive 3D infographic-design lab: toggle drop shadows, bevels, gradient panels, gridlines and border frames on a bar chart and watch Tufte's data-ink ratio recalculate live as chartjunk is added or removed.

Rendering & Computer Graphics3DEasy60 FPS📱 Mobile-adapted⇄ 2D version

Edward Tufte argued that a well-designed chart should maximize the fraction of its ink that actually encodes data. This simulator renders a real 3D bar chart and lets you add or remove five classic pieces of "chartjunk" — drop shadows, fake 3D bevels, a gradient background panel, gridlines and a border frame — while a live readout recomputes the exact data-ink ratio from the true footprint area of every object in the scene. Watch how quickly decoration can outweigh the data it's supposed to support.

⚙ Under the hood

Toggle drop shadows, 3D bevels, gradient panels, gridlines and border frames on a 3D bar chart and watch Tufte's data-ink ratio recalculate live from the real footprint area of every rendered object.

infographic-designdata-visualizationchartjunktuftecolor-theoryrendering

3D · Three.js / WebGL renderer · 60 FPS target · runs fully client-side, no install