Axis crimes

The inverted axis

Up is down. Less is more.

a.k.a. flipped y-axis

Flip the y-axis so larger values plot lower, and every trend reads backwards. Famously used to make a rise in gun deaths look like a decline — at a glance the chart says the exact opposite of its own numbers.

How to spot it

Axis values decrease as you move up the chart.
The shape says “good news” while the labelled numbers say otherwise.

The honest version

Up means more. Any aesthetic a designer wants is achievable without flipping the scale.

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