Isn't it about time for Indesign to have an integrated graph tool?

[StpSinc]

I've tryied some options during the years and lately I'm using Keynote>Illustrator>Indesign to create graphs that are easily adjustable and cratively enhanced for my works. Isn't it about time to have one proper tool at our disposal? What are your thoughts?

[Mike Witherell]

Yes, and the right time would have been the year 2000. <perpetual sigh>

[James Gifford—NitroPress]

I am surprised there are no good graph or equation plugins. Both would seem worth considerable development/support/marketing efforts.

[rayek.elfin]

I suppose marketing people use Powerpoint/Excel graphs, etc., while in academics LaTEX equations, SPSS, MatLab, and so on are used to generate graphs.

If I think about it, graphs are generally delivered to graphic designers/layout people, and hardly ever created by designers themselves. Or perhaps designers will beautify those graphs, but that would require a good design package, and is a custom job. Default graph tools just don't cut it then.

Having a graph tool in InDesign would never satisfy the broad yet deep requirements for all users. And then how are you going to import advanced data? Too much of a hassle, and a hotbed for potential mistakes as well.

Better to stick with the original source app, and generate graphs from there, controlled by the original author who knows the data. Leaving graph design to a designer is just too risky.

Besides, graph tools such as the one in Illustrator are pretty limited anyway.

And then there are occasional users who would rather just produce their graphs in Excel and export those. Or for free in software such as LibreOffice.

So, no; I am not surprised. I believe this market to be smaller than it seems to be.

[James Gifford—NitroPress]

On one hand, I agree completely with almost everything you've said here.

But... you could say there's no real need for designers at all, if the expert just types out his/her material in Word there's no need to prettify it at all from there, and multiply that across the spectrum.

I don't think taking basic data and making an attractive visual display out of it is necessarily an overstep by a designer (as opposed by the great mind that collated the data in the first place). OTOH, a lot of graph prettifying is to try and obscure some grim message — "It can't be all that bad if it's expressed with pink 3D dots!"

And equations... there should be a middle ground between the gray grim things that come out of academic tools and, I dunno, Schoolhouse Rock dancing digits.

But it did occur to me that following your thought all they way to the end, we should take Word away from the masses because so few people can write a novel. Or, for that matter, a memo. 😄

[rayek.elfin]

? I haven't stated at all that designers are not needed (quite the opposite). Infographic design is an essential part to converting raw visual data/graphs into an understandable and visual pleasing presentation. Raw graphs taken from SPSS or MatLab are generally pretty dire looking, because the average data scientist or mathematician isn't a graphics or information designer, or invested in the design of those graphs -- generally.

All I said is that graphs are more often than not delivered in a raw visual format and then (if required or wished for) redesigned. That is exactly the role of a designer, just like you @James Gifford—NitroPress say. I think you've misunderstood my statements there 🙂

The gist of my earlier post is simply that a graph plugin for InDesign --or a native graph tool-- won't prove that useful for the majority of users.

And I don't understand how my writing that users will use what works for them means, when following my line of thought,  that Word ought to be taking away from the masses just because but a few of them will use it to write a novel?

Heck, I use LibreOffice Calc for mundane lists or simple calculations that could be done on paper. 

We use what works for us at a certain time and in a certain context.

In any case, while I remain convinced that a graph plugin or tool for InDesign is not that useful for the majority of users, a good built-in math equation editor presents a different case.

To wit: http://www.mathmagic.com/product/prowin.html

(The pricing for the Pro edition puts it out of reach for most users, unfortunately)

Yet with the abundance of free math equation editing tools I find it hard to justfy even the pricing of the personal edition. Although it would be convenient to have access to a built-in equation editor in InDesign, I agree.

[StpSinc]

As a designer I do create infographics using Illustrator. It is an easy and productive solution for one page big or small illustrations. But when I've got a multipage full of graphs corporate anual report or a data sheet or whatever else I usually work on Indesign and there is a certain need that every element of such an artwork having homogeneous look & feel, I need a tool that can handle a great number of graphs at a way that fast and easily can adjust sizes, fonts, colors etc. the way Adobe products do.
I am not sure that such a tool would be useful only for a minority of users.

[Eugene Tyson]

I don't see a need. Charts should be created in Illustrator and placed as a graphic - that's what they are, graphics.

Cacidi is a plugin for InDesign that allows making charts.

Then have fonts like Chartwell too.

There are some options. 

I create graphs/charts in Illustrator - you can do really powerful things with Illustrator graphs.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66GSgrehDGk&ab_channel=TheComputerWorkshop

Anyway - I don't think InDesign needs graphs/charts tool - Illustrator has it. And there are other places online or other applications that can create graphs/charts.

[TooFriendly]

I think that they need to completely overhaul the Graphing tool in Illustrator.
It is so underpowered and fiddly and does not allow for fine control of placement of text etc. and if you change the placement by hand, the graph completely breaks when you enter new numbers.

Making good looking graphs in Adobe software mainly requires workarounds and they are a nightmare.

I'm sorry but if you think the graphs in the video you posted look good, or that adding graphics like a building or flower to a bar graph is actually useful or a beautiful design element... I don't know what to say.

[Dave Creamer of IDEAS]

This has been requested for some time. Make your voice known: 

https://indesign.uservoice.com/forums/601021-adobe-indesign-feature-requests?query=graphshttps://ill...

[Edited to remove senior moment...]

As an aside, I use Excel to create my charts. I either copy-and-paste into Illustrator or save directly as PDF. The PDFs are RGB, but I can convert them to CMYK in Acrobat Pro, including converting the RGB black to 100K.