Edward Rolf Tufte is Professor Emeritus at Yale University, where he taught courses in statistical evidence, information design, and interface design. He holds degrees from Stanford (BA, MS) and Yale (PhD in political science).

In 1983, Tufte self-published The Visual Display of Quantitative Information, which became a landmark work in data visualization. Rather than rely on traditional publishers, he used his own resources to maintain complete control over the book's design and production—a decision that exemplified his commitment to visual excellence.

His work fundamentally challenged how information was presented in science, journalism, and business. Before Tufte, charts were often decorated with what he termed "chartjunk"—non-data elements that obscured rather than clarified. He advocated for maximizing the data-ink ratio: the proportion of ink dedicated to displaying actual data versus decoration.

Tufte's principles emerged from rigorous study of historical examples, from medieval manuscripts to modern scientific visualizations. He analyzed what worked—and why—drawing lessons from cartography, statistical graphics, and information design across centuries.

His subsequent books—Envisioning Information (1990), Visual Explanations (1997), and Beautiful Evidence (2006)—extended these principles across multiple domains, from understanding the Challenger disaster to designing effective presentations.

Masters

Dieter Rams

Ludwig Mies van der Rohe

Edward R. Tufte