A New Perspective on Drawing Venn Diagrams for Data Visualization

A new paper spins the classic Venn diagram into fan‑blade shapes, and the internet instantly split into camps. The method, called VennFan, draws wavy, blade‑like regions and promises smarter labels, plus a [Python package](this https URL) to try it at home. But is it clarity—or just curvy chaos?

The prior‑art police arrived first. One user called it “a twist on Edwards’ cogwheel,” while another pointed to older ideas like Hierarchical Edge Bundles (2006) and the Sunflower metaphor from the ’90s. Translation: cool look, but this fan club might be more cover band than breakthrough.

Then came the readability brawl. Critics said these spinner charts are “hard to read” unless you already know the shapes, joking “everyone get ellipses” like an Oprah giveaway. The toughest verdict? “Impressive but useless” after more than three sets—aka the eternal Venn curse: past three, everything turns into spaghetti art.

Defenders countered that the customization and auto‑labels could reduce overlap mess, and that even if it’s artsy, it’s a fresh way to show complex overlaps. But the comments told a louder story: it’s Fan Service vs. Fan Fail, with design lovers swooning over the aesthetic—and data pragmatists shouting “just use bars!”