The importance of editorial focus

The following is a quote from Edward Tufte (http://adage.com/article/adagestat/edward-tufte-adagestat-q-a/230884/):

"Good content reasoners and presenters are rare, designers are not."

In Chapter 2, Setting the Purpose and Identifying Key Factors, we looked at some of the considerations involved in identifying the purpose behind your visualization project; these are as follows:

• What is the reason for its existence?

• For whom are we creating it and how well defined are the requirements?

• What function is it seeking to fulfill?

• What is the likely tone of the design we're intending to portray?

Over the course of the full design process, it is possible that these initial definitions may need to be modified. As we learn more deeply about the relationship between what we want to do, what we can do and, importantly, what we should do, our creative proposition may be molded into a slightly shape.

That's fine and is to be expected. However, the earlier we can make firm judgments...