“The plane is the mainstay of all graphic representation. It is so familiar that its properties seem self-evident, but the most familiar things are often the most poorly understood. The plane is homogeneous and has two dimensions. The visual consequences of these properties must be fully explored.”

Source: Semiology of graphics (1967/83), p. 44

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Jacques Bertin photo
Jacques Bertin 20
French geographer and cartographer 1918–2010

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Jacques Bertin photo

“A graphic is a diagram when correspondences on the plane can be established among all elements of another component.”

Jacques Bertin (1918–2010) French geographer and cartographer

Source: Semiology of graphics (1967/83), p. 193

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