Table of contents

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