27. Annotation Example 1

In the image 1 in the video, the following legend is used to depict the annotation anatomy

1. Take away (or action) title, Title case link
2. Date range + more context around the measures used
3. Describes the horizontal axis as simply as possible
4. Calls out key points in the data and associates itself with a specific line
5. Labels each of the lines and creates an association between the color and that category
6. Calls out the datasource and author

In the second image, here is the list of annotation references.

1. Take away (or action) title, Title case link
2. Date range + more context around the measures used
3. Describes the horizontal axis as simply as possible
4. Calls out key points in the data and associates itself with a specific line
5. Labels each of the lines and creates an association between the color and that category
6. Calls out the datasource and author

Annotation Layer

Here are some resources we recommend:

• Medium post by Urban Institute about annotations
• Blog on Visualization Annotation

Annotation should include:

1. Chart labels
   
2. Legends
   
3. Marks
   
4. Sections of a chart
   
   Making it as easy as possible for you audience to understand the data and visualization is always appreciated
   
5. Active titles
   
   In explanatory viz I see a lot of takeaway titles or active titles, but in dashboards I think it’s better to use the question our chart is meant to address as the title
   
6. Adding detail
   
   Adding specifics can help your audience understand the point you’re trying to make
   “The annotation layer is really where the journalism comes into the visual journalism.”