Excel Tutorial: Telling Informative Stories with Line Charts

Line charts are powerful tools for visualizing trends and changes over time. Whether you’re tracking website traffic, stock prices, or even temperature fluctuations, lines bring your data to life, revealing patterns and relationships that might otherwise be hidden. This tutorial will guide you through creating and customizing line charts in Excel.

Scenario: You have monthly sales data for the past year for your online store. You want to visualize the sales trend and identify any seasonality or outliers.

Steps:

1. Prepare your data:
   • Organize your data in a table with two columns: one for dates (e.g., Month) and another for values (e.g., Sales).
   • Ensure your dates are formatted as dates in Excel.
2. Create the chart:
   • Select your data range (including both date and value columns).
   • Go to the “Insert” tab in the ribbon.
   • Click on the “Charts” group and choose a line chart type. Depending on your preference, you can choose a simple line chart, a stacked line chart (for multiple data series), or even a line chart with markers.
3. Customize the chart:
   • Chart title: Click on the chart title and add a descriptive title.
   • Axis labels: Right-click on the date axis and select “Format Axis”. Adjust the date format and other settings as needed. Do the same for the value axis, focusing on clarity and scale.
   • Data labels: To show exact values on data points, right-click on any point and select “Add Data Labels”. Choose a placement that doesn’t clutter your chart.
   • Legend: If you have multiple data series, use the legend to identify each line. You can adjust the legend position and customize its appearance.
   • Colors and Line Styles: Experiment with different colors and line styles for each data series to improve visual distinction and clarity. Access these options by right-clicking on a line and selecting “Format Data Series”.
4. Enhance readability:
   • Gridlines: Add gridlines to the value axis for easier comparisons. Find this option under the “Chart Design” tab.
   • Borders and background: Add borders or change the background color for a more polished look. Access these options through the “Chart Design” tab as well.
5. Highlight key points:
   • Trendlines: Add a trendline to show the overall trend in your data. Right-click anywhere on the chart area and select “Trendline”. Choose the appropriate trendline type (linear, exponential, etc.)
   • Annotations: Add annotations or callouts to highlight specific data points or trends. Click the “Insert” tab and choose “Shapes” to add arrows, text boxes, etc.

Tips:

• Use clear and concise labels for dates and values.
• Choose colors that are easy to distinguish and don’t clash with each other.
• Don’t overload your chart with too many data series or dates, as it can become cluttered.
• Consider using markers for emphasis and to differentiate data points.
• Use consistent formatting throughout your chart for a professional presentation.