Using Charts and Graphs for Information Conveyance

If designed with tact and taste, charts and graphs can be very useful and powerful for information conveyance. In this article, we will delve into when to use a chart, what kinds of charts are out there, the components of a chart, how to gather data for a chart, and how to create a chart.

Why Use a Chart or Graph

Before we get into the nuts and bolts of effective chart creation, let's talk about what makes a chart useful in the first place. Charts are most useful for packaging overwhelming information into a simple and easy to understand format for comparisons and for discerning trends in a dataset. You can also apply charts to show proportional relationship. They will help you become more persuasive in your business report, essay or papers as well as teaching and so on.

Many readers tend to be visual learners or time-crunched so they often don't spend much time on plain text. You may miss about 90% of chances to convey your point to the audience without infographics.

Types of Charts

Visual chart and graphs are more popular just because they are easier to absorb information and ideas visually. The followings are some popular types of charts and graphs for data visualization.

Pie Chart

A pie chart (circle graph) is a circular chart that is divided into slices to illustrate proportion.

Bar Chart

A bar chart (bar graph) is a chart with horizontally-arranged bars (rectangular or cylinder) - the lengths of which are proportional to the values that they represent.

Column Chart

A column chart (column graph) is a chart with vertically-arranged columns - the height of which represents the value.

Scatter Plot

A scatter plot displays data as a collection of points. Each point on the chart is plotted with two variables on the horizontal and vertical axes.

Line/Area Chart

An area chart (which is a variation of a line chart) is made by a series of data points that are connected by a line.

Spider Chart

Spider chart is a graphical way to compare data by displaying data in a "web-like" form looking like spider web.

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Components of a Chart

There are three basic components to most charts:

1. the labeling that defines the data: the title, axis titles and labels, legends defining separate data series, and notes (often, to indicate the data source),
2. scales defining the range of the Y (and sometimes the X) axis, and
3. the graphical elements that represent the data: the bars in bar charts, the lines in times series plot, the points in scatterplots, or the slices of a pie chart.

Chart and Graph Solutions

You can gain solutions for all of the above mentioned charts in only 1 program - Edraw.Itisunparalleledforitsautomaticfunctionality.Totally11kindsofchartsandgraphscanbegeneratedfrompredefinedtemplateswhichcontainfloatingactionbuttons.Withsuchbuttons,userscaneasilymodifythetemplateandquicklygainabrandnewchart.Whatismore,afterthedataischanged,theshapewilladjustitselfautomatically.Soitdoesn't have to be hard to make charts and graphs. See how cool this tool is in Charts and Graphs Solutions.

How to Create Vectorial Charts

Before drawing, gather data you need. It is viable to prepare data a tidy table format. If so, it's easier to create a chart at that point. The next step is using Edraw to make vectorial charts extremely fast.

In Edraw, only a few steps are needed to gain characteristic charts for information conveyance. You can make the most of the well-designed examples to get started instead of starting from scratch. Click relevant link below to see more detailed guide.

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