I have a deep appreciation for aesthetics, and will always work to move toward a relevant, engaging, and appealing presentation. I believe that UI is critical to making a usable interface, and that good aesthetics help a user to connect with and understand your data.
That said, my approach is functional-first. I make really ugly sketches, we get clear on the need, and then we design something that supports the user task, within the constraints provided by the data. If that happens to be a bar chart, then so be it. Flashy graphics, gratuitous visual noise, and eye-catching but unreadable graphics are not my area of expertise. I’ve written about this here and here.
If you just want someone to add a visual layer without thinking too much, asking questions or raising objections, then you’re not getting the full value that I provide.