There are standard French fried potato designs commonly available, but they are different. Why? What advantages do certain designs offer that others do not?
Chris Williams is a data visualization and interface design expert. That sounds like he makes infographics, but his resume is actually impressive. His interactive visualization of fry designs is thus appropriately sharp. It’s predicated on the ratio of surface area to volume, which he calls the “fried ratio”. If you prefer heavy frying, then you want a lot of surface area, as you might see in a potato chip. If you prize volume, then an actual potato is best. Roughly in the middle is the conventional thin French fry, which balances the two priorities.
-via Kottke