MEMO
To: Annabelle Fournier
From: Vanessa Irvine
Date: October 30, 2013
Re: Critique of a Visual - Production Value by Province, 2010
Total $927 Million
Introduction
The purpose of this memo is to critique a visual found on the Government of Canada's Fisheries and Oceans webpage, in a report on aquaculture sustainability. The report outlines key issues regarding the aquaculture industry and how the government is working to address sustainability, and expand its share in the global market. Aquaculture is a big part of the Canadian economy, providing nearly 1 billion dollars in revenue and 14,500 jobs (Fisheries and Oceans Canada, 2013). The intended audience of this report includes all Canadian citizens.
The pie chart being evaluated (See Appendix A) is presented in the body of the report. It is used to show the total production in dollars, of aquaculture by province in 2010, to a total of $927 million dollars.
Minister of Fisheries and Oceans (Canada)
Charles Ballantyne
Minister of Fisheries and Oceans (Canada)This memo critiques the visual based in regards to the title, caption, effectiveness, and overall design.
Title and Caption
A visual should be clearly labeled with a descriptive title that identifies the point you want to convey to your readers (Graves and Graves, 2012). The title of the pie chart "Production Value by Province, 2010-Total $927 Million" is not an effective title. It states what the pie chart is showing, but without the accompanying report, the viewer has no idea what is being produced. Adding the word 'aquaculture' in the title would make the title more effective.
A figure caption serves as a quick reference to explain to a reader what is being presented in a visual (UNC, 2012). A figure caption is present with the chart, but similar to the title, does not state what each province is producing. The values in the figure caption differ...