Show the Composition of Data: Area Charts

Show the Composition of Data: Area Charts

Build an area chart to show the composition of data. 

When to use

We use an area chart, also known as an area graph, to represent quantitative data visually. It is similar to a line chart but with the area between the line and the x-axis (or between multiple lines) filled in with color or shading. This filled area helps to emphasize the magnitude of the values over time or across different categories.

Instructions

Create an Area Chart

• Select the data. 
• From the Insert tab, in the Charts group, click the diagonal arrow in the corner of the group. 
• Click the All Charts tab. 
• Choose Area from the list. 
• Choose the first area chart. 
• Click OK. 

By default, this area chart will show the series overlapping. This can be quite hard to read. 

A stacked area chart is sometimes a better option. 

• Press CTRL+D to duplicate the chart. 
• From the Chart Design tab, in the Type group, click Change Chart Type. 
• Choose Stacked Area from the options. 
• Click OK. 

We can now see the comparison data clearly. 

Format the Area Chart

Change the Chart Colors

• From the Chart Design tab, click Change Colors. 
• Choose a palette from the list. 

Remove Gridlines

We can make our charts look cleaner by removing the gridlines. 

• Click on the gridlines to select. 
• Press the Delete key. 

Change the Plot Area

We can make customizations to the plot area of the chart. 

• Click on the plot area in the middle of the chart. 
• From the Format tab, in the Shape Styles group, click the drop-down next to Shape Fill. 
• Choose a dark color from the Theme Colors palette. 

Combine an Area and a Line Chart (Combo Chart)

We can combine more than one chart type together to create a combo chart. In this example, we are going to combine a line and an area chart to achieve a different effect. 

• Select the data. 
• From the Insert tab, in the Charts group, click 2-D Line Chart. 

We can make our line chart more interesting by adding gradient shading underneath the line. To achieve this, we need to add a new series to our dataset. 

• In column D, type the heading 'Shade'. 
• Type = in cell D4 and then click on cell C4 to create a link. 

• Press Enter. 
• Use the Autofill handle to copy the link down to the other cells. 

Now we have a new series we can copy into the chart. 

• Click on the line chart. 
• From the Chart Design tab, in the Type group, click Change Chart Type.
• Click Add. 
• In the Series name box, select the heading 'Shade'. 
• In the Series values box, select the values in the same column. 
• Click OK and OK again.

It won't look like anything has changed in the chart as we have effectively just created another line with the exact same values on top. 

• Click Change Chart Type. 
• Click Combo from the list. 
• Change the Chart Type for 'Profit' to Line. 
• Change the Chart Type for 'Shade' to Area. 

We now have a filled area underneath the line. 

Format the Combo Chart

• Click on the line and press CTRL+1 to open the Format Data Series pane. 
• Click on Fill & Line. 
• From the Line area, choose Solid line. 
• Change the color to a dark blue.
• Reduce the width of the line. 
• Click on the area chart. 
• Expand Fill and choose Gradient Fill. 
• Select each gradient stop and change them to different shades of blue/green.

• Double-click in the chart title text box and type 'Profit by Company'. 
• Press CTRL+B to make the title bold. 

Hints & tips

• We can remove gradient stops by dragging them off of the slider.