4.2 Formatting Charts
Learning Objectives
- Apply formatting commands to the X and Y axes.
- Enhance the visual appearance of the chart title and chart legend by using various formatting techniques.
- Assign titles to the X and Y axes that clarify labels and numeric values for the reader.
- Apply labels and formatting techniques to the data series in the plot area of a chart.
- Apply formatting commands to the chart area and the plot area of a chart.
- Employ series lines and annotations to enhance trends and provide additional information on a chart.
You can use a variety of formatting techniques to enhance the appearance of a chart once you have created it. Formatting commands are applied to a chart for the same reason they are applied to a worksheet: they make the chart easier to read. However, formatting techniques also help you qualify and explain the data in a chart. For example, you can add footnotes explaining the data source as well as notes that clarify the type of numbers being presented (i.e., if the numbers in a chart are truncated, you can state whether they are in thousands, millions, etc.). These notes are also helpful in answering questions if you are using charts in a live presentation. We will demonstrate these formatting techniques using the column chart and stacked column chart from the previous section.
X and Y Axis Formats
There are numerous formatting commands we can apply to the X and Y axes of a chart. Although adjusting the font size, style, and color are common, many more options are available through the Format Axis pane. The following steps demonstrate a few of these formatting techniques on the Grade Distribution Comparison chart:
- Switch to the Grade Distribution worksheet and click anywhere along the X axis (horizontal axis) of the Grade Distribution Comparison chart.
- Right click and select Font.
- Change the font to Arial, the Font Style to Bold, and the Size to 11 (see Figure 4.26).
- Click anywhere along the Y axis to activate it and repeat steps 2 and 3.
- Click on the chart title and repeat steps 2 and 3, but set the Size to 14.
- The final appearance of the axes is shown in Figure 4.27 Formatted X & Y Axes.
Next we want to make some changes to the percentage numbers on the Y (vertical) axis.
- Right click the vertical (value) axis. Select Format Axis. This opens the Format Axis pane.
- Click Number from the list of options. The commands in this section of the Format Axis pane are used to format numbers that appear on the selected axis of the chart.
- Click in the Decimal places input box and change the value to 1.
- Select Axis Options. Change the Minimum Bound to .05 to make the differences in the columns more dramatic. The Format Axis pane should match Figure 4.28.
- Click the Close button at the top of the Format Axis pane.
- Save your work.
Skill Refresher
Formatting the X and Y Axes
- Click anywhere along the X or Y axis to activate it.
- Click either the Home tab or Design tab of the ribbon.
- Selec