Table of contents

  1. Charts, tables and colours
  2. Line styles
  3. Keep it simple (KISS)
  4. Chart size
  5. Diagrams
  6. Introduction
  7. Number of lines per chart
  8. Introduction to colour
  9. Choosing the correct chart
  10. Dataset titles and summaries
  11. Axis labels and tick marks
  12. Using colour in bar charts
  13. Choice of data
  14. Location of y-axis
  15. Data order in tables
  16. Identifying user needs
  17. Legends or keys
  18. Important notes and usage information
  19. Formatting a dataset
  20. Long category names
  21. Using colour in line charts
  22. Gridlines and unit intervals
  23. Design principles for diagrams
  24. Hierarchy and grouping
  25. Comparing data sets – shared horizons
  26. Subcategories
  27. Using colour in pie charts
  28. Gaps between bars
  29. Column spacing
  30. Process for publishing diagrams
  31. Comparisons of magnitude (size)
  32. Chart titles
  33. Using colour to connect information
  34. Borders and backgrounds
  35. Time series
  36. Fonts
  37. Chart labels
  38. 3D and other chart effects
  39. Bar charts for time series
  40. Bold text in tables
  41. Choosing the right colours
  42. Number alignment
  43. Line charts for time series
  44. Labelling values in a chart
  45. Tools
  46. Number rounding
  47. Colour association
  48. Dot plot with line for time series
  49. Annotation and footnotes
  50. Effective rounding
  51. Branding with colour
  52. Multiple time series
  53. Totals
  54. Accessibility and colours
  55. Small changes over time, not starting the y-axis at zero
  56. Colour combinations
  57. Measures
  58. Ranking
  59. Using red and green
  60. Shading, gridlines and other lines
  61. Part-to-whole
  62. Units
  63. Deviation
  64. Further information about colour theory
  65. Distribution
  66. Titles and subtitles
  67. Correlation
  68. Annotations
  69. Source

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Charts, tables and colours

This guide will advise on best practice and house style for three areas of data visualisation:

  • tables
  • charts
  • colour

Use this guidance to decide when and where to use these to produce quality content, tailored to your audience.

This guidance covers the basics of chart and table design. Additional considerations may be needed in some situations, for example, responsive design.