This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
Creating Chart Styles
You can choose from many types of charts. By default, placeholder data has generic labels. In the chart you created, the x-axis is now marked in months; the y-axis displays the correct figures, but has no dollar units. You will change that now.
In this set of exercises, you’ll change many of the format options for charts, learning techniques you can apply in Numbers and Keynote.
In the Format inspector, click the Axis tab, and then click the Value (Y) tab.
In the Value Labels section, change the format to Currency. Set Decimals to 0, and Currency to US Dollar ($). Select or deselect the Thousands Separator checkbox to suit yourself.
In the Format inspector, click the Series tab. Change the Data Symbols to squares and set their Size to 11.
With five data symbols to choose from (and the ability to scale them), you can customize your charts.
Although this chart doesn’t call for them, feel free to experiment with Value Labels and Trendlines in the Series pane.
In the Format inspector, click the Axis tab, and then click the Category (X) tab.
Change the Gridlines to dots.
- In the Format inspector, click the Chart tab.
In Chart Options, select Title.
The legend and title overlap, so let’s move the legend.
- Click to deselect the table, if necessary, and then drag the legend beneath the chart.
Double-click the title, and type Cash Flow.
Giving charts and tables specific titles helps identify what’s what.
The chart now displays the key information required. As a finishing touch, let’s change the chart colors.
With the chart selected, click the green data line.
In the Style tab of the inspector, click the color wheel for Stroke to open the Colors window.
Click the eyedropper icon.
Your pointer changes to an eyedropper.
Click the dark green of the Sophia Larkinson logo. The data symbols change color.
In the Connection Line options, click the color wheel button. In the Colors window, resample the dark green of the logo.
The chart’s green now matches Sophia’s business signature color.
Pages, Numbers, and Keynote can make great-looking charts. There are lots of options to explore, so that you can display your data clearly and quickly.
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