The speculative part of my work is that these particular cognitive tasks - ways of thinking analytically - are tied to nature's laws.

The point of the essay is to change things.

Graphical excellence is that which gives to the viewer the greatest number of ideas in the shortest time with the least ink in the smallest space.

We've drifted into this presentation mode without realizing the cost to the content and the audience in the process.

What is to be sought in designs for the display of information is the clear portrayal of complexity. Not the complication of the simple; rather the task of the designer is to give visual access to the subtle and the difficult - that is, revelation of the complex.

The essential test of design is how well it assists the understanding of the content, not how stylish it is.

Confusion and clutter are failures of design, not attributes of information. And so the point is to find design strategies that reveal detail and complexity - rather than to fault the data for an excess of complication. Or, worse, to fault viewers for a lack of understanding.