Change the look of a chart

The thumbnail images at the top of the Chart tab represent predesigned chart styles that are specifically made to look good with the theme you’re using. You can apply a different style to a chart at any time.

You can change the look of all the chart text at once, or you can change just the chart title and value label text so they look different from the other text.

1. Click the chart.

2. Click the Chart tab at the top of the sidebar on the right.

   If you don’t see a sidebar, or the sidebar doesn’t have a Chart tab, click in the toolbar.

3. Do any of the following:

   • Change the font: Click the Chart Font pop-up menu and choose a font.

   • Change the character style: Click the pop-up menu below the font family name and choose an option.

   • Make the font smaller or larger: Click the small A or the large A.

     All text in the chart increases or decreases proportionally (by the same percentage).

You can change the chart title and value label text so it looks different from the other text by using the controls in the sidebar.

You can change the look of any data series in a chart to differentiate it from other series. For bar charts, for example, you can fill the bars in different series with a different color or a color gradient, apply a different outline (stroke) style, and more. For scatter charts, you can change the symbol that represents each point and add connection lines between the points.

1. Click the chart to select it, then click one element of a data series (for example, one bar or column, pie wedge, or scatter point).

   The entire data series is selected.

2. Click the Style tab at the top of the sidebar on the right.

   If you don’t see a sidebar, or the sidebar doesn’t have a Style tab, click in the toolbar.

3. Use the controls to make changes; to see all options, you may need to click the disclosure triangle next to the name of each section.

   The changes affect only the selected data series. To change another series, click one of its elements, then make changes.

   To select multiple series, click a series element, then Command-click an element in another series. To select all series, click a series element, then press Command-A.

   

4. To change the colors of the whole chart, click the Chart tab in the sidebar, then click the and select colors. Hold the pointer over a color combination to preview what it looks like.

For a bar or column chart, you can set the amount of space between the columns or bars.

1. Click the chart to select it.

2. Click the Chart tab at the top of the sidebar on the right.

   If you don’t see a sidebar, or the sidebar doesn’t have a Chart tab, click in the toolbar.

3. Click the disclosure triangle next to Gaps, then set the desired amount of space.

   

1. Select the pie chart.

2. Do one of the following:

   • Move only selected wedges: Double-click the wedge, or Command-click multiple wedges, then drag.

   • Move all wedges: Click the Wedges tab at the top of the sidebar on the right.

     If you don’t see a sidebar, or the sidebar doesn’t have a Wedges tab, click in the toolbar.

     Click the disclosure triangle next to Position, then drag the Distance from Center slider to separate the wedges.

     

You can also move the Rotation Angle control to change the orientation of pie wedges. You may want to make a point, for example, by positioning certain wedges at the top or bottom of the chart.

You can add a border to any 2D bar, column, area, scatter, or bubble chart.

1. Select the chart.

2. Click the Chart tab at the top of the sidebar on the right.

   If you don’t see a sidebar, or the sidebar doesn’t have a Chart tab, click in the toolbar.

3. In the Chart Options section, select the Border checkbox.

4. To change the border’s look, click the disclosure triangle next to Background & Border Style, then use the controls to make changes.

You can change the chart depth, lighting style, bar shape, bevels, and rotation of 3D charts.

1. Click the 3D chart to select it.

2. Click the Chart tab at the top of the sidebar on the right.

   If you don’t see a sidebar, or the sidebar doesn’t have a Chart tab, click in the toolbar.

3. Click the disclosure triangle next to 3D Scene, then use the controls to make adjustments.

You can increase the distinction between series in 3D stacked bar or column charts and 3D pie charts by beveling the edges where the series meet.

1. Click the chart to select it.

2. Click the Chart tab at the top of the sidebar on the right.

   If you don’t see a sidebar, or the sidebar doesn’t have a Chart tab, click in the toolbar.

3. Click the disclosure triangle next to 3D Scene, then select the Show Bevels checkbox.