Thana Prasongsin / Getty Images A line ... over time. Demonstrating how different asset classes contribute to the overall performance of a portfolio over a period is a good use of these charts.

Don’t blindly follow rules. Times series are not always best shown using line charts or area charts.

Harvard and MIT released a report, "The Atlas of Economic Complexity," visually mapping ... Diversity is the different things a country can make; high ECI countries have good diversity.