How to Create Graph Charts

Create graphs

Create graph charts for free using online graph chart software or you can purchase Adobe Illustrator or Microsoft Excel. The best solution is to use ChartGizmo, since it provides a free online account that allows you to design, customize, save and publish charts on your website. Adobe Illustrator and Microsoft Excel create graph charts in documents that can be saved on your computer. The Illustrator and Excel graph charts can also be emailed to recipients or colleagues via the Internet.

Things You'll Need

• Software

Instructions

Create Graph Charts in ChartGizmo

1. Open your web browser and go to the "ChartGizmo" website (see Resources).

2. Click "Create Account," type in your email address and password and then click "Signup."

3. Click "New Chart" and you are ready to design your chart.

4. Using the "Chart Type" drop-down menu select "Pie." You can change the "Chart Title," "Size, px," "Background Color," "Plot Color," "Legend" and "Item Labels." If you would like you can choose another "Chart Type" like "Bar" and change the "Design" attributes listed.

5. Click "Import" to import your data from an Excel spreadsheet or simply type the data in the "Source data" section. Use the plus and minus signs to add or delete data.

6. Click "Save Chart" and this creates a graph chart.

Create Graph Charts in Microsoft Excel

1. Launch Microsoft Excel.

2. Type in the values "1," "3," "5" in columns "A," "B," and "C" respectively, in row "1." Type in the values "2," "4," "6" in columns "A," "B," and "C" respectively, in row "2."

3. Select the rows and columns with the values just typed. Click "Insert," "Column" and then select "2-D Column." You can also select another graph chart, like "Bar" and then select the kind of "Bar" graph chart you would like.

4. After selecting the type of chart and the design, the graph chart is displayed.

5. Click "File," "Save" and click the "Save" button in the "Save As" dialog box to save the graph chart created.

Create Graph Charts in Adobe Illustrator

1. Launch Adobe Illustrator.

2. Click "New Document" and then click "OK" in the "New Document" dialog box.

3. Select "Column Graph Tool (J)" on the tool bar menu.

4. Click in the "New Document" window and the "Graph" dialog box is displayed.

5. Click "OK" and the graph and the spreadsheet values are displayed for you to customize. Type in the values, and click the check mark in the spreadsheet window and the graph chart you created is displayed in your illustration window.

References

• ChartGizmo: Welcome to the online chart builder
• Microsoft: Demo--Create Charts in Excel 2007
• University of Illinois at Chicago: Adobe Illustrator for Urban Planning

Resources

• North Carolina State University: Bar Graphs and Histograms in Microsoft Excel