How to Make Bar Graphs in Illustrator

Create bar graphs in Illustrator to visually display your data.

Displaying data visually in a bar graph can help to better illustrate the relationship between information contained in raw data. Because a bar graph represents data graphically, you will want it to have a professional look and integrate well with the other graphics in your presentation. Unfortunately, while the programs used to compile the data are great at calculating raw data, many are lacking in design capabilities. Creating a bar graph in Adobe Illustrator will provide the functionality you need to present a well-designed bar graph.

Instructions

1. Launch Adobe Illustrator and click on the "Column Graph" tool until the submenu appears. Select the "Column Graph" tool or the "Bar Graph" tool.

2. Draw a box inside the artboard that corresponds to the desired size of the graph.

3. Enter the data for your graph in the spreadsheet that appeared when you released the mouse.

4. Click the check mark to apply the data to the graph.

5. Double-click on the "Bar Graph" tool. Apply the desired options to the graph and the axis.

6. Select the graph. Click on the "Object" menu and select "Ungroup."

7. Modify the graph the same as you would any other artwork in Illustrator.

Tips & Warnings

• You can cut and paste data from Excel or import a text file.

References

• FlowingData; How to Make a Graph in Adobe Illustrator; December 2008
• Ecommerce Developer; Create Bar Graphs in Adobe Illustrator CS4; Drew Coffin; February 2010