We were showing patterns over time.

Pretty easy, right?

Let’s pretend your line chart has tons of lines. I’ve got plenty of resources about fixing spaghetti line charts.

But what if your line chart only shows a single variable??

A single line is so… lonely.

Before: Lonely Line Chart

There’s not much to look at.

It’s just a line.

Competing for attention with the gray grid lines.

Not terrible. But not great either.

(This report was for a lay audience, so we didn’t need to label all the percentages along the line. Those details belong in tables in the appendix. We purposefully labeled the first and last point – plenty of info for this audience – and kept the light gray grid lines so our readers could estimate the other values if they wanted to.)

After: Shading Under the Line

Whenever I have a single line, I add shading underneath it.

(Behind the scenes in Excel, this is called an “area chart.”)

Now, there’s more to look at.

(In technical terms, the shading gives us more preattentive attributes. The line isn’t competing with the grid lines for attention anymore; there’s more color to see.)

I used a 50% transparency, not a solid fill, so that readers can still see the grid lines peeking through.

Ann’s Favorite: Line + Shading Together

My personal fav is combining the line and shading together.

(Behind the scenes in Excel, this is called a “combo chart.”)

All 3 Options Together

What do you think?? Comment and let me know.

Download My Excel File

Want to explore how I made these charts?

It’s available for free here.

The post Lonely Line Chart? Try Shading Under the Line appeared first on Depict Data Studio.

Last week, I applied the optimist vs. pessimist style to a map during Office Hours.

(The real version of the map was about a different topic in a different state, but you get the idea.)

The Traditional Map

I’ve written about traditional and storytelling approaches before. You’re probably familiar with this terminology already?

The traditional version would have a topical title and regular ol’ brand colors.

The Storytelling Map: Optimist Version

In this optimist version, we’ve got a:

• “good” takeaway title;
• “good” brand color;
• “good” icon; and a
• call-out box highlighting a superstar.

The Storytelling Map: Pessimist Version

In this pessimist version, we’ve got a:

• “bad” takeaway title;
• “bad” brand color;
• “bad” icon; and a
• call-out box highlighting a laggard.

Which Version Should You Use?

That obviously depends on your audience and context.

You’re welcome to comment here with your own insights. I read every response.

Download These Maps

Want the Excel file that I used to create these maps? You can download it here.

The post Optimist vs. Pessimist Maps appeared first on Depict Data Studio.

…and you’ve seen heat tables…

…but have you tried tables with bubbles?!

There are obviously pros and cons of each approach – like everything with data visualization.

Comment below with your own insights into the pros and cons.

How to Make Tables with Bubbles in Excel

You’ll set up a Helper Table with x, y, and z values.

Then, you’ll insert a bubble chart.

Finally, you’ll adjust the axes, grid lines, colors, and labels, just like you normally would.

Let me know if you’d like a more detailed tutorial.

Download the Excel File

Or, you can download my Excel file and explore it yourself.

This is just the file I used for this blog post (not step-by-step instructions).

The post Tables with Bubbles appeared first on Depict Data Studio.

…why not try bubble charts?

Bar charts depict data with length.

Bubble charts depict data with area.

If you want to try bubble charts, you can make them in good ol’ Excel with this tutorial.

The post Bubble Charts (An Alternative to Bars) appeared first on Depict Data Studio.

(Not Jacob-Elordi-in-Frankenstein cute. But a monstrous mess.)

A mix of font sizes, colors, alignment, spacing, and graph styles.

Text heavy.

Boring graphs.

Barely alive.

You deserve Jacob-Elordi-as-Heathcliff gorgeous slides!

Professional. Streamlined. Intentional. Visuals on every slide. Skimmable. Accessible.

Slide Templates help you avoid Frankensteined Slides

Templates also eliminate the “stare at a blank slide” tax. You start with a ready-made structure that does the heavy lifting for you.

Templates save hours of formatting time. A good template bakes in hierarchy, spacing, and structure—so you can focus on your message, not nudging text boxes pixel by pixel.

Templates scale your best design practices across the whole org. Even non‑designers can produce clean, on‑brand slides because the template does the heavy lifting.

Do you really have slide templates…?

Most companies I work with think they have templates – but they don’t.

Here’s how to check: When you insert a new slide, do you see Microsoft’s defaults? Or your custom-designed slides?

Setting Up the Slide Master

Templates live behind the scenes, in the Slide Master.

Go to View –> Slide Master and make sure you’ve got ’em there.

Heads up: The Slide Master is a massive pain. Counterintuitive. All sorts of quirks.

Your Turn

What sorts of questions do you have about the Slide Master?

Comment here and let me know.

I might even make a new blog post or YouTube video for you.

The post No more Frankensteined slides! appeared first on Depict Data Studio.

DON’T “save” the same file over and over and over.

All programs crash, especially Excel.

All files get corrupted sometimes, especially Excel.

Saving the same file over and over = more likely to lose your work.

Instead, “SAVE AS” a new file each work session.

I put the dates in the file name, not “v1” or “v2” or “final-final.”

I use YYYY-MM-DD format so they line up chronologically, not “Jan, Feb, Mar” or “3-2026” accidentally preceding “4-2025.”

I also write brief notes to myself about the focus of that work session (in case I mess something up and need to go back to a previous version).

A coworker taught me the “SAVE AS” technique almost 20 years ago, and when my files get corrupted and garbled and lost entirely, I’m so grateful – because I’ve only lost a single work session of time, not the entire project.

The post File Naming Tips appeared first on Depict Data Studio.