www.kasapidi.

com

Table of contents

ΠΕΡΙΕΧΟΜΕΝΑ

WHAT ARE GRAPHS OR CHARTS AND HOW TO CREATE THEM ........................................ 2

TYPES OF CHARTS ............................................................................................................... 4

DIFFERENT TYPES OF GRAPHS AND CHARTS FOR PRESENTING DATA ............................. 5

1. Column Chart ....................................................................................................................................5

2. Bar Graph ...........................................................................................................................................6

3. Line Graph ..........................................................................................................................................8

4. Dual Axis Chart ..................................................................................................................................9

5. Area Chart ....................................................................................................................................... 10

6. Stacked Bar Chart .......................................................................................................................... 11

7. Pie Chart .......................................................................................................................................... 12

1. Do ou want to compare values? .............................................................................................. 13

2. Do ou want to show the composiƟon of something? ......................................................... 13

3. Do ou want to understand the distribuƟon of our data? ................................................ 13

4. Are ou interested in analzing trends in our data set? ..................................................... 14

5. Do ou want to beƩer understand the relaƟonship between value sets? ...................... 14

Page 1
 www.kasapidi.com

GRAPHS AND CHARTS

What are Graphs or Charts and how to create them

If a picture tells a thousand words, what about a graph or a chart? The can show us as much as several

paragraphs of words…

OrganizaƟons of all sizes and across all industries use Excel to store data. While spreadsheets are crucial

for data management, the are oŌen cumbersome and don’t provide team members with an eas-to-

read view into data trends and relaƟonships. Excel can help to transform our spreadsheet data into

charts and graphs to create an intuiƟve overview of our data and make smart business decisions.

Graphs and charts are graphical representaƟon of data, in which "the data is represented b smbols,

such as bars in a bar chart, lines in a line chart, or slices in a pie chart". A chart can represent tabular

numeric data, funcƟons or some kinds of qualitaƟve structure and provides diīerent info. (Wikipedia)

1. Graphs are the most basic wa to represent data visuall, and tpicall displa data point values

over a duraƟon of Ɵme.

2. Charts are a bit more complex, as the allow ou to compare pieces of a data set relaƟve to the

other data in that set. Charts are also considered more visual than graphs, since the oŌen take

a diīerent shape than a generic x- and -axis.

It’s eas to create charts and graphs in Excel, especiall since ou can also store our data directl in an

Excel Workbook, rather than imporƟng data from another program.

Page 2
 www.kasapidi.com

To create a graph or another chart tpe, follow the steps below and select the appropriate graph tpe.

1. Select Range to Create a Graph from Workbook Data

Highlight the cells that contain the data ou want to use in our graph b clicking and dragging our

mouse across the cells.

Your cell range will now be highlighted in gra.

Once the text is highlighted ou can select a graph (which Excel refers to as chart). Click the Insert tab

and click Recommended Charts on the toolbar. Then click the tpe of graph ou wish to use.

But how do ou choose which stle of graph to use?

Page 3
 www.kasapidi.com

Types of Charts

There are several diīerent tpes of charts and graphs. The four most common are probabl line graphs,

bar graphs and pie charts. The are generall used for, and are best for quite diīerent things.

You would use:

Bar graphs to show numbers that are independent of each other. Example data might include things

like the number of people who preferred each of Chinese takeawas, Indian takeawas and Įsh and

chips.

Pie charts to show ou how a whole is divided into diīerent parts. You might, for example, want to

show how a budget had been spent on diīerent items in a parƟcular ear.

Line graphs show ou how numbers have changed over Ɵme. The are used when ou have data that

are connected, and to show trends, for example, average night Ɵme temperature in each month of the

ear.

Cartesian graphs have numbers on both axes, which therefore allow ou to show how changes in one

thing aīect another. These are widel used in mathemaƟcs, and parƟcularl in Algebra.

Axes

Graphs have two axes, the lines that run across the boƩom and up the side. The line along the boƩom

is called the horizontal or x-axis, and the line up the side is called the verƟcal or y-axis

The x-axis ma contain categories or numbers. You read it from the boƩom leŌ of the graph.

The y-axis usuall contains numbers, again starƟng from the boƩom leŌ of the graph.

Page 4
 www.kasapidi.com

The numbers on the -axis generall, but not alwas, start at 0 in the boƩom leŌ of the graph, and

move upwards. Usuall the axes of a graph are labelled to indicate the tpe of data the show.

Beware of graphs where the -axis doesn't start at 0, as the ma be tring to fool ou about the data

shown (and there is more about this on our page, Everda MathemaƟcs).

Different Types of Graphs and Charts for Presenting Data

To beƩer understand each chart and how the can be used, here's an overview of each tpe of chart.

1. Column Chart

A column chart is used to show a comparison among diīerent items, or it can show a comparison of

items over Ɵme. You could use this format to see the revenue per landing page or customers b close

date.

Design Best Prac ti c es for Column Charts:

• Use consistent colors throughout the chart, selecƟng accent colors to highlight meaningful data

points or changes over Ɵme.

• Use horizontal labels to improve readabilit.

• Start the y-axis at 0 to appropriatel reŇect the values in our graph.

Page 5
 www.kasapidi.com

2. Bar G ra p h

A bar graph, basicall a horizontal column chart, should be used to avoid cluƩer when one data label is

long or if you have more than 10 items to compare. This tpe of visualizaƟon can also be used to dis-

pla negaƟve numbers.

Design Best Prac ti c es for B ar Grap hs :

• Use consistent colors throughout the chart, selecƟng accent colors to highlight meaningful data

points or changes over Ɵme.

• Use horizontal labels to improve readabilit.

• Start the y-axis at 0 to appropriatel reŇect the values in our graph.

Page 6
www.kasapidi.com

Page 7
 www.kasapidi.com

3. Line G ra p h

A line graph reveals trends or progress over Ɵme and can be used to show man diīerent categories of

data. You should use it when ou chart a conƟnuous data set.

Design Best Prac ti c es for Li n e Graph s :

• Use solid lines only.

• Don't plot more than four lines to avoid visual distracƟons.

• Use the right height so the lines take up roughl 2/3 of the -axis' height.

Page 8
 www.kasapidi.com

4. Dual Axis Chart

A dual axis chart allows you to plot data using two y-axes and a shared x-axis. It's used with three data

sets, one of which is based on a conƟnuous set of data and another which is beƩer suited to being

grouped b categor. This should be used to visualize a correlaƟon or the lack thereof between these

three data sets.

Design Best Prac ti c es for Dual Axis Charts:

• Use the y-axis on the leŌ side for the primary variable because brains are naturall inclined to look

leŌ Įrst.

• Use diīerent graphing styles to illustrate the two data sets, as illustrated above.

• Choose contrasƟng colors for the two data sets.

Page 9
 www.kasapidi.com

5. Area Chart

An area chart is basically a line chart, but the space between the x-axis and the line is Įlled with a

color or paƩern. It is useful for showing part-to-whole relaƟons, such as showing individual sales reps'

contribuƟon to total sales for a ear. It helps ou analze both overall and individual trend informaƟon.

Design Best Prac ti c es for Area C h ar ts :

• Use transparent colors so informaƟon isn't obscured in the background.

• Don't display more than four categories to avoid cluƩer.

• Organize highl variable data at the top of the chart to make it easy to read.

Page 10
 www.kasapidi.com

6. S t a c ke d B ar Chart

This should be used to compare many diīerent items and show the composiƟon of each item being

compared.

DESIGN BEST PRACTICES FOR S TA C K E D BA R GRAPHS:

• Best used to illustrate part-to-whole relaƟonships.

• Use contrasƟng colors for greater clarit.

• Make chart scale large enough to view group sizes in relaƟon to one another.

Page 11
 www.kasapidi.com

7. Pie Chart

A pie chart shows a staƟc number and how categories represent part of a whole -- the composiƟon of

something. A pie chart represents numbers in percentages, and the total sum of all segments needs to

equal 100%.

Design Best Prac ti c es for Pi e Charts:

• Don't illustrate too many categories to ensure diīerenƟaƟon between slices.

• Ensure that the slice values add up to 100%.

• Order slices according to their size.

Page 12
 www.kasapidi.com

5 Questions to Ask When Deciding Which Type of Chart to Use

1. Do yo u want to compare va l u e s ?

Charts are perfect for comparing one or man value sets, and the can easil show the low and high

values in the data sets. To create a comparison chart, use these tpes of graphs:

• Column

• Bar

• Pie

• Line

2. Do yo u want to show the composition of s o m et h i n g ?

Use this tpe of chart to show how individual parts make up the whole of something, such as the de-

vice tpe used for mobile visitors to our website or total sales broken down b sales rep.

To show composiƟon, use these charts:

• Pie

3. Do yo u want to u n derstan d the d i st r ib u t io n of yo u r d at a ?

DistribuƟon charts help ou to understand outliers, the normal tendenc, and the range of informaƟon

in our values.

Use these charts to show distribuƟon:

• Line

• Column

• Bar

Page 13
 www.kasapidi.com

4. Are yo u i nt e r e s t e d in a n a l yz i n g trends in yo u r d ata s et ?

If ou want to know more informaƟon about how a data set performed during a speciĮc Ɵme period,

there are speciĮc chart tpes that do extremel well.

You should choose a:

• Line

• Dual-Axis Line

• Column

5. Do yo u want to b ette r u n d erstan d the r e l at i o n s h i p b et we e n va l u e s et s ?

RelaƟonship charts are suited to showing how one variable relates to one or numerous diīerent varia-

bles. You could use this to show how something posiƟvel eīects, has no eīect, or negaƟvel eīects

another variable.

When tring to establish the relaƟonship between things, use these charts:

• Line

Sources:

Page 14
www.kasapidi.com

Page 15