Diagrams have become indispensable in many presentations. They allow you to visualize your data, figures, or facts more effectively than pure blocks of text.
Furthermore, charts visually enhance your slides and appeal to your audience. Today, we'll show you specifically how to better prepare bar charts for your slides.
Bar chart: What is it?
Many people confuse bar charts with column charts. Column charts represent data using a vertical bar, while bar charts are simply column charts rotated around their axis: they represent data horizontally .
The major advantage of this chart is that the horizontal arrangement of the columns allows for the use of long labels or information, such as survey questions. Nevertheless, you should keep the labels as short as possible for better readability. This chart type is also excellent for displaying rankings.
When a bar chart is useful
The horizontal bar chart is the best chart for displaying comparisons between multiple data categories . This data visualization makes it possible to compare companies with each other, for example, to show the performance of different companies or their statistics.
The use of horizontal bar charts instead of vertical column charts also has these three advantages :
✔️ Long category names are easier to read and display.
✔️ Many categories are easier to display.
✔️ Labels for many bars can be displayed more easily without collisions.
Optimize bar charts: 8 tips for better bar charts
To make your chart stand out from your previous designs and stick in your audience's mind, we've compiled 8 tips and tricks for you. Discover these 8 tips for creating a more appealing and understandable bar chart:
1. Sort your data horizontally
Horizontal bar charts are ideal for displaying data when you have many different categories with long, verbose labels . They are easy to read and understand and can be used to compare data (e.g., frequencies or counts) between different categories .
2. Sort your data in descending order.
In general, it is recommended to sort the data so that the most interesting element or the element with the highest value is displayed first .
3. Use the correct beam widths
The distance between the beams should be half the width of the individual beams themselves.
4. Use colors wisely.
You can use different colors to distinguish different data sets . Alternatively, you can use one color to highlight specific bars for your storytelling .
5. Use value notes
Annotations can help to indicate values where they are important . Annotations are normally placed at the end of the bars . There they are most visible and easier to identify.
6. Pay attention to order.
Remove background shadows and grid lines. A grid is distracting and unnecessary when the goal is a larger image. Place the diagram itself in the foreground as the image.
7. Don't forget the title.
The bar chart labels should also be short and descriptive . Avoid using multiple words and choose a clear keyword . Also, provide a source for your information – this will lend your data more credibility.
8. Use animations
Animations can help show how data sets interact with each other or how they change over time . Furthermore, animations are visually appealing and make your charts more engaging.
You can find a detailed article about animations on our blog. ► To the article
Conclusion: Use bar charts for better data visualizations
For your next presentation where you want to illustrate data, use bar charts instead of column charts . They offer distinct advantages for visualization. Follow our 8 tips to create even better bar charts. Your audience will be impressed!
Are you looking for professionally designed (bar) charts ? Feel free to browse our shop. We have many different types of charts available for download. For example, these:
Many more diagrams can be found in the shop . ► To the shop
Do you have questions about bar charts or PowerPoint in general? Don't hesitate to contact us by email at becker@presentationload.de . We're happy to help!
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