Chart Type

A chart is a visual representation of data that tells a specific story. You need to choose the chart that most clearly communicates the main insight you want to convey.

Chart functions

In order to find a good chart it is useful to figure out what you want to show about the data. In other words, what function the chart should serve.

The most common functions are:

• Comparison. Compare two or more values
• Correlation. See the relationship between two or more values
• Distribution. See how values are spread out within one variable
• Trend over time. See how values change over time
• Part to whole. See the composition of a whole
• Geolocation. See the geographical distribution of a particular variable.

TIP

For a full overview of different chart types you can use for different functions, have a look at the DataViz Project.

Most common chart types

Here you'll find a few of the most common chart types.

Vertical column chart and horizontal bar chart

A vertical column chart can be used for:

• Comparison. Compare two or more values
• Trend over time. See how values change over time

A horizontal bar chart can be used for:

• Comparison. Compare two or more values

• Do: The distance between the bars should be about 20-40 % of the width of the bars.
• Don’t: include more than 30 bars in one chart. Consider combining bars into larger units (for example days into weeks) or use a line chart instead.

Line chart

A line chart can be used for:

• Distribution. See how values are spread out within one variable
• Trend over time. See how values change over time