The 10-Second Chart Decision
| You want to show… | Use | Never use |
|---|---|---|
| Comparison across categories | Clustered bar / column | Pie (beyond 5 slices), 3D anything |
| Trend over time | Line (continuous) / column (few periods) | Pie |
| Part of a whole (≤5 parts) | Doughnut / stacked 100% bar | Pie with 9 slices |
| Relationship (price vs sales) | Scatter + trendline | Line (implies time order) |
| Two scales (sales + margin %) | Combo: column + line on 2nd axis | Two overlapping columns |
Build Each One Right
Clustered column (comparisons)
Keep ≤7 categories, sort descending unless order is meaningful (months, grades), start the value axis at zero, and put numbers on the bars with Data Labels.
Line (trends)
One line per series (max 3–4), markers on monthly data, dashed forecast segment after "today", direct labels at line ends instead of a legend where possible.
Doughnut (composition)
≤5 slices, percentages on slices, largest slice at 12 o'clock, muted colors with one accent. If you have 8+ parts → group the tail as "Other" or switch to a bar.
Scatter + trendline (relationships)
Right-click series → Add Trendline → tick "Display R²". One sentence under the chart stating the R² and what it means is what earns the analysis marks.
Combo chart (two measures)
Select data → Insert → Combo → Column for sales, Line on Secondary Axis for margin %. Label both axes — unlabelled secondary axes confuse every reader.
The Formatting Checklist (2 Minutes per Chart)
- Descriptive title that states the finding: "West region drove 42% of Q1 growth" beats "Sales chart".
- Delete gridlines or fade them to 25% grey; delete the border.
- Axis titles only where units aren't obvious; format currency/thousands consistently.
- One accent color for the story (your finding), greys for the rest.
- Source line under every chart: "Source: coursework dataset, n=500".
Charts looking flat? Send your data — we return publication-grade visuals with finding-led titles and a figure list for your report.
