From the course: PowerPoint Data Visualization: High-Impact Charts and Graphs
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Legends vs. direct labeling
From the course: PowerPoint Data Visualization: High-Impact Charts and Graphs
Legends vs. direct labeling
- [Instructor] Every chart you create in PowerPoint or Excel starts with a legend. So it's really easy to fall into the trap of just leaving a legend in place, and not thinking too much about it. Right here for example, we're looking at a couple of charts with legends. One's at the top, one's at the bottom. And you can move that bottom legend to the top but your audience still has to work a little bit harder with a legend than they do with direct labels. And it doesn't necessarily get any better even if you put the legend on the right. I mean, you'd think it would work because the legend's closer to the chart. But look, in this case, the legend is in the order of the first data point, not necessarily the last. So if you ask me, it becomes even more difficult it's a little bit of a brain vendor. The whole idea is you're better off if you can integrate the labels in any explanatory text within the graphics of the chart…
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