What's in a chart?
A chart communicates data visually. Make the most of your data by using all the chart parts that help communicate your message.
Parts of a chart
- Series.
- Plot. The area bounded by the axes. This is where data is plotted.
- Grid lines. Horizontal and vertical lines that span the plot area between axes. A grid line begins at a tick mark (major or minor tick mark).
- Tick marks
- X-axis
- Y-axis
- Z-axis
Annotating a chart
- Chart title.
- Chart legend. Symbols and text explaining what each series represents. Each symbol is a color, pattern, or marker that corresponds to one data series in the chart.
- Axis title. A line of text displayed below or beside an axis. The text of the axis title typically indicates the type of data plotted, or describes the axis units.
- Labels provide detailed information about the data.
- Series labels can be the actual value of the data point in the series, or the percentage.
- Axis labels provide information about the axis, such as type of data ("Sales"), or axis units ("Years").
- Tick mark labels identify values associated with an axis.
- Chart note. One to three lines of descriptive text.