Size & scale

Gratuitous 3D

The slice in front always wins.

a.k.a. perspective pie · the exploded pie

Tilt a pie chart into 3D and perspective inflates whatever sits closest to the viewer, with a thick rim thrown in as bonus ink. 3D bars pull the same trick with parallax — nobody can tell where the tops actually are.

How to spot it

Any pie chart with a shadow and a horizon.
The visually biggest slice is not the numerically biggest.

The honest version

Delete the third dimension. It encodes nothing.

In the gallery

No exhibits charged with this — yet.

The wall is still being hung. When a chart pulls this trick, it'll be exhibited here.

Browse the gallery