Table of contents

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