Chart guides
Short, practical guides to making charts that are right — not just colourful. Each one answers a question people actually ask before pasting their data.
How to choose the right chart type
Start from the question your data has to answer, not from the chart. A decision guide with examples, a quick-reference table, and the mistakes that make a chart misleading.
8 min read
How to make a chart from Excel or Google Sheets
Three ways to turn a spreadsheet range into a chart, the data-layout rules that prevent most paste problems, and when to export an editable .xlsx instead of an image.
7 min read
Stacked vs grouped bar charts
Both show several series side by side, but they answer different questions. When to use each, when 100% stacked is the better answer, and why stacked bars can hide the comparison you wanted.
6 min read
Chart colours that stay readable
Categorical, sequential and diverging palettes do different jobs. How to choose colours that survive colour blindness, greyscale printing and small screens — and the mistakes that make series indistinguishable.
7 min read
How to read a chart without being misled
Axes, time windows, denominators, averages, dual axes and correlation: a thirty-second checklist for catching the choices that make real data say the wrong thing.
8 min read
How to show survey results without losing the answers
Single choice, multi-select, ratings, Likert scales and NPS each need a different chart. Including what to do with neutral answers and small samples.
7 min read
Charts for presentations
A slide gets seconds, not minutes. Title the takeaway, size the text for the back of the room, label directly, and keep scales consistent across slides.
7 min read
When a table beats a chart
Charts show patterns; tables show values. When a handful of numbers, mixed units or an invalid comparison means a table — or no chart at all — is the right answer.
6 min read
Excel, online tool, or editable .xlsx?
Three routes to a chart, and how to choose by what happens to the file next: a slide, a report someone else maintains, or your own workbook.
7 min read
New guides are added regularly. If there is a question you want covered, tell us.