3. Highlight data and insert your graph.

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excel chart types

I choose the type that best tells my story. For example, when comparing things, I go for bar graphs. When emphasizing percentages or scatter plots for trends, I tend to use pie charts.

There’s no hard and fast rule here. I’d say, consider your audience and whether you want to keep it simple or add a creative flair. (More on this below.)

Once I’ve organized my data and decided on my chart type, I highlight the cells I want to visualize (including the headers). Next, I click on the Insert tab and select the chart type I’ve decided on in the previous step.

highlight data in excel

I’ve chosen a clean, two-dimensional column chart here armenia phone number material because flat bars look sharp and professional. See below:

two dimensional chart in excel

But hey, this isn’t always set in stone. I also sometimes customize based on the audience.

For example, I once used a three-dimensional chart to mimic skyscrapers when creating charts for a construction client. This made the data visually relevant and memorable, and they loved it.

Case in point: Small tweaks go a long way.

4. Switch your axes if needed.
Sometimes, after inserting my graph, I feel the X and Y axes may need to be swapped for clarity. When this happens, I right-click on the graph, select Select Data, and hit the Switch Row/Column button.