There are 3 types of people:
- People who can spot that a chart is beautiful or ugly, and can design a beautiful chart in a snap
- People who can spot that a chart is beautiful or ugly, but cannot figure out what it is that makes it that way
- People who have no sense of design
Most of us are in category 2. How to get to number 1? Save screen shots of designs you liked somewhere on your hard drive. Try to mimic techniques the designer used, and see what effect it has on your own chart.
[Commercial break: I am targeting my upcoming presentation design app at segment number 2]