Designing effective charts

What makes a chart effective?

Choosing the right data and using the right chart type are a good start. Adding descriptive text can make a chart easier to read and understand. Colors and backgrounds can also provide a consistent and professional appearance.



Make the right choice

Choose the chart type that works best for your data.

Minimize extraneous words and chart parts. Use the chart to convey only the most important information.

Often, less is more. Be selective. Present the important data.



Use words

Text makes a chart easier to read and understand. Here are some places where you can use text:



Designing bar charts

Bar charts come as three types:



Designing area charts

Area charts emphasize trends and totals over time.



Designing line charts

Line charts trace the changes in sets of data over time. Line charts are the best choice when there are a lot of data points.



Designing pie charts

Pie charts show the relationship of parts to the whole.

For more information about designing pie charts, see x.



Designing mixed charts

Mixed charts combine parts from a line chart, a bar chart, or an area chart to show a comparison between different types of data.



Designing radar charts

Radar charts compare data series that consist of several different variables.