Chartosaur Blog

The NYT Approach to Busy Line Charts

This chart from the NYT tracks global birth rates over 60+ years. It shows 15+ lines without becoming visual chaos. We explore how NYT uses color hierarchy to guide your eye and declutter a busy chart.

Another A.I. Model, Another Chart Sin

Claude Opus 4.5 launched yesterday. The benchmarks look impressive, but the promotion charts might be slightly exaggerating its performance lead.

Visualizing My Journey to 100k followers

Not all posts are created equal. After analyzing 72 posts since I've launched @chartosaur on instagram, a clear pattern emerged: a small number of viral posts drove the majority of growth. Here's what really matters for social media growth.

Two Panel Chart Design

Why Color Choices Matter

This IEA figure shows powertrain mix and regional sales. The layout works, the data is clear. But one design choice quietly suggests connections that aren't there.

Choosing Histogram Bins

A Mathematical Starting Point

Calculate a good starting point for optimal histogram bins from your data. A practical guide to the Freedman-Diaconis rule.

Social Media Usage

When Small Multiples Beat a Single Chart

The win here isn’t the data, it’s the layout. Small multiples for each age group in light blue, plus one dark-blue total. You see the pattern for every segment and the pattern for the world without six lines wrestling on one chart.

Isochrones

Mapping Access in Minutes, Not Miles

Most maps push us to think in distance, but some decisions need minutes. Isochrones swap miles for time and show what you can actually reach.