Presenting Data  
 
Tips for Creating Charts and Graphs
 

Chart Types
• Line Charts. Line charts are useful for displaying continuous data over time. They are well-
suited for showing trends in data. Each line in the graph shows the changes in the value of
one set of data. For example, a line graph could be used to show how a business’s debt is
shrinking while its assets are growing.
• Bar Charts. Bar charts can be used to show comparisons among individual items. Each
column in the chart represents the value of one number. For example, a bar chart could be
used to show the number of items of each product in a business’s inventory.
• Pie Charts. Pie charts are used to show the proportion of a whole that each number
represents. Pie charts should not be used to show data over time. For example, a pie chart
could be used to show what percentage of your company’s revenue comes from buyers in
each country to which you export.
• Area Charts. Area charts are based on line charts. The area chart is a good way to show
changes of multiple series of data over time. Area charts show the proportion of each
individual series to the whole. For example, an area chart could be used to show profits
from different products over time to emphasize how much each product contributed to
your total profit.
• Scatter Charts. Scatter charts are similar to line charts. They are used to show how one
variable is affected by another. In scatter charts, individual points are not connected
together by lines. Scatter charts are often used to show large sets of data. For example, a
scatter chart could be used by a personnel department to compare employees’ salary
levels to the results of a motivation survey to determine where to target a motivation
program.
• Other Charts. Spreadsheet software allows you to create many other types of specialized
charts, including doughnut charts, bubble charts, and radar charts. For more information,
visit the Next Steps portion of this topic.

Chart Styles
• Chart Layout. Spreadsheet software often provides a variety of useful predefined layouts
and styles. These layouts will instantly change the look of a chart when they are applied.

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     Presenting Data  
 
• Color. You can use colors to indicate different categories of data in your graphs. Be sure to
use contrasting colors and label the colors and meanings clearly. Be aware that some
viewers may be colorblind; it is important to label information with text in addition to color.
Also, be aware of the meaning that different colors have in different cultures.
• 3-D Charts and 2-D Charts. When creating charts, you have the option to make a chart 3-
dimensional or 2-dimensional. Typically, 2-dimensional charts are easier to read and
understand. Avoid using 3-dimensional charts unless your data require it. For more
information, visit the Next Steps portion of this topic.

Other Tips and Tricks

• Save Chart as a Template. You can save any chart you create as a template to create
future charts from. Click on the “Save chart as template” button in the Chart Design
window.
• Switch Row/Column. When you create a chart, you may find that you accidentally assign
the horizontal and vertical axes of the charts to the wrong rows or columns. The “Switch
Row/Column” button in most spreadsheet software will allow you to change how the
horizontal and vertical axes of the chart are assigned to the chart.

For more tips, visit the Next Steps portion of the Presenting Data topic on HP LIFE e-Learning
at e-learning.life-global.org.
 

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