Line Chart: Recommended Style and Tips

 

Use a Line Chart:

 

• To show changes over time, trends, relationships, and predictions;

• To show the trend in one variable;

• To show multiple variables with multiples lines;

• To show the same variable for multiple observations with multiple lines.

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Recommended Style 

 

1. Lines: Do not add symbols or data points to line segments, such as circles, squares, triangles or numbers.

2. Line Weight: Do not make lines too thick. 1 - 1.5 pt is sufficient.

3. Baseline: The baseline of your line chart should start at zero.

4. Color: Use contrasting colors to identify lines. Contrasting colors help the reader to identify and visually separate data sets. See approved colors.

5. Labeling: When appropriate, the X and Y axis should be clearly labeled. The Y axis label should be turned 90 degrees, reading from bottom to top (see chart below). The X axis should not be labeled at an angle. Font type: Calibri Light. Font Size: 11.

6. Values: When possible, remove excessive zeros from values. 

7. Legend: The legend should be placed middle, right of the line chart (see chart below). Font type: Calibri Light. Font size: 11.

8. Grid Lines: Grid lines should be used sparingly. When appropriate, use either horizontal or vertical grid lines, never both. 

9. Title: Begin your title with the portion mark classification, followed by Figure #: Title. Font type: Calibri Regular. Font size: 14.

10. Classification and Sourcing: Below the line chart, bottom left, list the overall classification of the chart and directly below the classification, list the source and source stream/s. Font type: Calibri Light Italic. Font size: 9. 

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Tips

 

• Use natural increments when creating line charts (e.g., 2, 4, 6, 8, 10) vs. (3, 6, 9, 12, 16, 20). 

• Plot four or fewer lines. Charting too many lines is visually confusing. If there are more than four lines, consider using a panel of line charts.

• Use comparable scales when contrasting two or more sets of data. 

• Do not use different line weights to distinguish data sets. The reader may interpret different line weight as ranking.