Making The Right Chart

Carl Shank • March 14, 2023

Making the Right Chart. With more than forty (40) chart types out there and the chart making capabilities of Microsoft in either Excel or Word or PowerPoint, some basic guidance would be helpful from a typographical standpoint. Charts and graphs are mostly used in presentations, be they slides or paper proposals. However, they can be confusing, boring and generally uninviting or unclear to the audience. There are a few always used charts, and some chart types that should be used, but are ignored or neglected. Let's take a look at a few and some suggestions.*


The Bar Chart

This chart is commonly used to plot categorical data, show trends or patterns, or demonstrate nominal data. The chart on the right is from what is called a natural church development analysis, a measurement of eight factors that make up a healthy church anywhere. Note the shaded bar to indicate what they call a "minimum factor" which the church needs to seriously consider for health and continued growth and development. The numerical values are added to the bars to give precision to the chart.


The Pie Chart

The pie chart is used to show relative proportions and percentages of an entire dataset. It can be used up to six categories and used when the data is nomial not ordinal. Variations can be used on the pie chart to help it stand out in your presentations. Note the cut slices to the charts on the left. Also, note the money symbol used in the bottom pie chart since the charts are demonstrating company monetary income, and again the pie piece to the left. The pieces in the chart below need proper identification since they are not color coded. When using a pie chart, consider creating a separate slide with a stacked bar chart showing the component parts.

The Line Chart

Line charts are used to indicate continuous data that changes over time. If the data is too big for a bar chart, use a line chart. Line charts visualize trends rather than exact values, though the chart on the right has data points included for the years indicated below. The point of the chart is to visualize attendance changes in this church over a five year period, beginning with where they are now as contrasted to five years ago. A line chart should have no more than four lines to keep it easy to read.

A Scatter Chart

A scatter chart is used to show correlation and clustering in big datasets. It is often used when the order of points is not essential. In the chart to the left, the three data points are normally not enough to use in a scatter chart, though this example is from Microsoft itself.

A Bubble Chart

A bubble chart is primarily used to depict and show relationships between numeric variables. They are a great tool to establish the relationship between variables and examine relationships between key business indicators, such as cost, value and risk. A bubble chart is a variation of a scatter chart in which the data points are replaced with bubbles, and an additional dimension of the data is represented in the size of the bubbles. Just like a scatter chart, a bubble chart does not use a category axis – both horizontal and vertical axes are value axes.


A Polar Chart

A Polar chart is used to plot data points as described by their distance from the center of a circle (radius) and their relative angle in degrees from a reference point. This example is from a staff retreat where personalities were measured and plotted to see how they correlated with one another and the overall mix of staff in the company. In this particular case, the company's motto ("make the impossible possible") is going to prove difficult. Most of the top leaders are "beavers" which mean they are processors, while two leaders are "persuaders." There are no "lions," and they have to depend on the persuaders to move the company forward, while the beavers are naturally cautious and are the company's "doers."

Area Chart

An area chart is used to portray part-to-whole relationships. You can see the volume of your data, not just the relation to time. An area chart is based on a line chart, with the area between the line and the x-axis colored to illustrate volume. This sample is a stacked area chart.

Flow Chart

A Flow Chart is a diagram that shows the relationships and steps involved in the development of a process. Often special symbols and colors are used to represent specific kinds of processes. This flow chart on the right derived in LucidChart shows how a support request is handled by the company. There is usually a "yes" or "no" option which then leads to other options. Note the different colors and symbol forms used.

A Mekko Chart

A Mekko chart (also known as a Marimekko chart or mosaic plot) is a two-dimensional stacked chart where the chart column width usually represents the dollar amount or relative size of a market segment while the chart column height breaks down each segment, revealing the key players as well as their respective company shares. The graph provides a detailed overview of the target market for different car makes, all in one place which is why it has been used for decades by strategy consultants.


Chart Take Offs

Rather than just dull charts with numbers on the x and y axes, consider dressing up your basic charts with typographical and graphical flair. Consider the wonderful charts and graphs made in USA Today, as well as a telling sports chart below made by DisplayR. They demonstrate what can be done with a chart to make it eye-catching and interesting to even children in a classroom.

Most of these charts are available on the Microsoft platforms. They can also be made in a layout program like Adobe's InDesign. Specialized programs like DisplayR and Lucid Chart as well as Jan V. White's Using Charts and Graphs (R.R. Bowker Co., NY, 1984) can help make the chart making process less daunting. Knowing when and how to use them effectively is important in visualizing what you want people to take away from a presentation.


*A number of these descriptions adapted from Sara A. Metwalli, https://towardsdatascience.com/data-visualization-101-how-to-choose-a-chart-type-9b8830e558d6, Sep 7, 2020, as well as MacWorld, April 1988 and Windows Magazine, Winter 1995, by Irfan Salim.


Successful Layout & Design

Advances in Typography: Twentieth Century A Historical Sketch (Part 2)

By Carl Shank • December 1, 2025
Mid-Century Modernism & Corporate Typography (1945–1980) Designers like Jan Tschichold were foundational to many of the Swiss design principles. This style evolved from Constructivist, De Stijl and Bauhaus design principles, particularly the ideas of grid systems, sans-serif type and minimalism. Emerging in Switzerland during the 1940s and 1950s, this typography, also known as the International Typographic Style, directly responded to the type chaos of Dada and the stylization of Art Deco. The International Typographic Style (or the Swiss Style) in the 1950s and 1960s focused on grid systems, objective communication and sans-serifs. Key figures were Josef Muller-Brockmann, Emil Ruder and Armin Hofmann. The Swiss style emphasized readability, visual harmony and universality. Clarity, objectivity and functionality were key components. Contributors included Max Miedinger, creator of the Helvetica typeface (1957 by Miedinger & Eduard Hoffmann), and Adrian Frutiger, creator of the Univers typeface in 1957, and Hermann Zapf, creator of Optima in 1958. Swiss style became the dominant graphic language of postwar corporate identity. Other Blogs I have written noted the development of Helvetica ( “Helvetica’s Journey” July 13, 2024 ). Adrian Frutiger (1928–2015) was a Swiss typeface designer whose career spanned hot metal, phototypesetting and digital typesetting eras. Frutiger’s most famous designs, Univers, Frutiger and Avenir, are landmark sans-serif families spanning the three main genres of sans-serif typefaces —neogrotesque, humanist and geometric. Univers is a clear, objective form suitable for typesetting of longer texts in the sans-serif style. Starting from old sketches from his student days at the School for the Applied Arts in Zurich, he created the Univers type family. Folded into the Linotype collection in the 1980s, Univers has been updated to Univers Next, available with 59 weights. This lasting legible font is suitable for almost any typographic need. It combines well with Old Style fonts like Janson, Meridien, and Sabon, Slab Serif fonts like Egyptienne F, Script and Brush fonts like Brush Script, Blackletter fonts like Duc De Berry, Grace, San Marco and even some fun fonts. Univers is not a “free” font and must be purchased from Linotype. Other faces by Frutiger are Frutiger and Avenir. These fonts were designed to be legible, versatile and anonymous, avoiding stylistic “noise” to focus on clear communication. Swiss type used a systematized approach to typography, enabling consistent spacing, alignment and hierarchy, crucial for multilingual and complex layouts. Typography was seen as part of a harmonious, modern composition. Generous white space facilitated clarity and focus.

Advances in Typography: Twentieth Century (Part 1)

By Carl Shank • December 1, 2025
Advances in Typography: Twentieth Century A Historical Sketch (Part 1 ) Early Twentieth Century: Form Follows Function Bauhaus Precursor The Deutscher Werkbund (German Work Foundation, est. 1907, Munich) was a pivotal German association of artists, architects, designers, and industrialists that advanced rational, industrial design and laid the foundation for modernist sans-serifs. The Werkbund emphasized functionalism, simplicity, honest use of materials, and alignment with industrial production, rejecting unnecessary ornamentation and anticipating the principle “form follows function.” Its purpose was to elevate German industrial products by integrating artistic excellence, technical innovation, and industrial manufacturing, summarized by the motto: “From work to form”—good design as a cultural and economic asset. Key founders included Hermann Muthesius, Peter Behrens, Fritz Schumacher, and Karl Schmidt. Their goals were to enhance everyday objects through quality design, foster a unified visual culture in Germany, partner artists with industrial manufacturers, promote standardization and modern production techniques, and compete internationally in design excellence. The Werkbund is recognized as a precursor to the Bauhaus and modern industrial design. Notable members included Walter Gropius, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, and Peter Behrens. The organization established principles of functional, simplified forms, standardized mass production, and the concept of design as a cultural force. They hosted influential exhibitions, notably the 1914 Cologne Exhibition, as well as publishing journals and defining standards for high-quality design. Futura & Geometric Modernism (1920s–1930s) As we saw in my last post, between 1500 and 1900 typography evolved from Renaissance humanist forms to industrial mass production and artistic revival. Old style typefaces (like Garamond) moved to Transitional faces (like Baskerville) to Modern/Didone faces (like Didot and Bodoni) to Industrial display types (fat faces, slab serifs, sans serifs) to the Arts & Crafts revivals. Art Nouveau was a reaction against the academicism, eclecticism and historicism of nineteenth century architecture and decorative art. The new art movement had its roots in Britain, in the floral designs of William Morris, and in the Arts and Crafts movement founded by the pupils of Morris.
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