Excel Charts Mastery: Make It Professional & Practical Used

Learn to customize default charts in Excel to have professional looking charts in excel.

What you'll learn

Prepare professional looking charts in Excel

Learn to customize default charts in excel - bar, column, line, pie, etc.

Butterfly charts, Container Chart, Stacked chart with total, actual vs budget chart, Dumbbell Chart, etc.

User will learn to make dynamic and interactive charts in Excel

Some of the charts which are not available as default in Excel can now be created without any programming

Requirements

Person enrolling in this course should have basic understanding of Excel formula and should be working with data visualisation

Description

Excel Charts Mastery: Customization for Professional & Practical UseIntroductionData visualization is one of the most important aspects of data analysis, and Excel charts play a crucial role in presenting insights in a meaningful and visually appealing way. However, default Excel charts often lack the professional polish required for reports, presentations, and dashboards. This 7+ hour comprehensive course is designed to help you customize, enhance, and optimize Excel charts to make them more professional, impactful, and tailored to your audience's needs.Whether you are working in finance, marketing, sales, HR, or any other data-driven field, this course will equip you with the skills to transform ordinary charts into visually compelling stories that drive better decision-making.Who Should Enroll in This Course?This course is designed for anyone who wants to take their Excel charting skills to the next level. If you fall into any of the following categories, this course is perfect for you:Business Analysts who need to create clear and insightful dashboards.Finance & Accounting Professionals who want to visualize financial data effectively.Marketing & Sales Professionals who need to present KPIs, trends, and survey results professionally.Consultants & Strategists who prepare business reports for stakeholders.Students & Researchers looking to improve their data presentation skills.Managers & Executives who want to improve their decision-making with better data visualization.What You Will Learn in This Course?This course is packed with hands-on tutorials and real-world examples to help you master Excel chart customization. Here’s what you can expect:1. Understanding the Fundamentals of Chart CustomizationBefore diving into specific chart types, we start by covering the essential principles of professional charting. You will learn how to:Select the right chart type based on your data.Modify chart elements like titles, legends, gridlines, axes, and data labels.Use consistent color schemes for clarity and impact.Apply themes and templates to create polished reports.2. Enhancing Standard Bar Charts for Professional UseBar charts are one of the most commonly used visualizations, but their default appearance in Excel often lacks clarity and professionalism. In this course, you will learn how to:Adjust bar width, spacing, and colors for better visibility.Format data labels and annotations to make insights clearer.Use conditional formatting to highlight key trends.Create container bar charts, which are great for comparing performance against targets.3. Budget vs. Actual & Variance Analysis in a Single ChartComparing actual performance against budgeted figures is critical in business reporting. You will learn how to:Create a single bar chart that compares budget vs. actual values.Include variance indicators (positive or negative) using error bars or custom markers.Enhance the chart with clear labels and color coding.4. Stacked Bar & Stacked Line Charts for Layered InsightsStacked charts allow you to break down data into subcategories. You will explore:Stacked bar charts with totals, showing cumulative results at a glance.Stacked bar charts with custom labels, improving readability.Horizontal stacked bar charts, useful for category-heavy datasets.Stacked line charts, perfect for trend analysis across multiple categories.5. Handling Long Labels & Improving Chart ReadabilityOne of the most common issues in Excel charts is handling long category labels. This course will teach you techniques such as:Rotating and wrapping text.Using leader lines to connect labels to data points.Applying combo charts for improved presentation.6. Advanced Business Charts for Better StorytellingThis course goes beyond basic charts to introduce powerful business visualization techniques, including:Butterfly Chart (Tornado Chart)Used for side-by-side comparisons, such as sales vs. expenses or male vs. female survey results.Customizing axis labels and data series formatting.Survey Results VisualizationUsing stacked bar/column charts to display survey responses.Creating Likert scale charts for better interpretation.Bullet Charts for KPI TrackingBullet charts are compact and highly effective for performance tracking.You will learn to create bar and target indicators to compare actual vs. target performance.Dumbbell Chart for Before-After ComparisonsLearn to compare two data points (e.g., sales before and after a campaign).Use connectors and markers to enhance visibility.7. Statistical Charts for Data AnalysisUnderstanding distribution and statistical insights is key for data professionals. This course covers:Histograms for Data DistributionSetting up bins and frequency ranges.Customizing histogram bars for better interpretation.Box & Whisker Charts for Statistical AnalysisUnderstanding quartiles, medians, and outliers.Formatting boxes and whiskers for professional reports.Waterfall Charts for Financial AnalysisShowing progressive impact of financial data (e.g., revenue breakdowns).Formatting to highlight increases, decreases, and net totals.8. Advanced Visualization Techniques for Impactful DashboardsPareto Chart (80/20 Rule Visualization)Understanding cumulative impact of factors.Sorting data to highlight key contributors.Funnel Charts for Sales & Process AnalysisMapping customer conversion journeys.Customizing for marketing and sales analytics.Treemap Charts for Hierarchical DataVisualizing nested data structures in an interactive way.Applying colors and labels for better insights.Progress Circle & Waffle Charts for Visual KPIsCreating circular progress indicators for dashboards.Designing waffle charts for compact KPI visualization.Key Benefits of Enrolling in This CourseBy the end of this course, you will be able to:> Transform dull default charts into professional-grade visuals.> Create customized charts tailored to specific business needs.> Understand best practices for color schemes, formatting, and labeling.> Present data more effectively in reports, dashboards, and presentations.> Impress stakeholders with polished and insightful charts.> Enhance your Excel skills, making you a more valuable professional.Course Format & Learning ApproachStep-by-step video tutorials with hands-on demonstrations.Practice files & templates for each chart type.Real-world case studies to apply concepts in business scenarios.Q&A support to help you with doubts and queries.ConclusionThis course is not just about making charts—it’s about telling compelling data stories. By mastering Excel chart customization, you will elevate your data visualization skills, making your reports and dashboards more insightful, clear, and impactful.If you are ready to take your Excel charting skills to the next level, enroll now and start creating professional, practical, and stunning charts today!

Overview

Section 1: Customizing vertical column & horizontal bar charts setting in Excel

Lecture 1 Introduction to column charts with default setting and after customization

Lecture 2 Supporting files to be downloaded

Lecture 3 Changing default setting of simple column chart - Categories

Lecture 4 Changing default setting of simple column chart - Monthly Sales

Lecture 5 Dynamically highlighting minimum and maximum value

Lecture 6 Interactive chart in Excel with Slicer highlighting lowest & highest sales month

Lecture 7 Vertical Column chart with reference line

Lecture 8 Horizontal bar chart with reference line

Lecture 9 Changing default setting of column chart with multiple items

Lecture 10 Container column chart to show total value along with individual values

Lecture 11 Simple stacked column chart after customization

Lecture 12 Dynamic legends placement in Stacked column charts

Lecture 13 Customizing 100% stacked column chart in Excel

Lecture 14 Adding total value in stacked column chart

Lecture 15 Adding total value in 100% stacked column chart

Lecture 16 Introduction to Small multiple stacked column chart - best alternative

Lecture 17 Small multiple stacked column chart in Excel

Lecture 18 Alternative of confused line chart - small multiples stacked line chart

Lecture 19 Small multiple stacked area chart in Excel

Lecture 20 Horizontal small multiple stacked bar chart in Excel

Lecture 21 Long Labels above horizontal bar charts

Lecture 22 Butterfly Chart or Pyramid Chart in Excel - Single items

Lecture 23 Stacked butterfly chart or pyramid chart in Excel

Section 2: Presenting Actual vs. Budgeted / Forecasted / target data alongwith variance / d

Lecture 24 Introduction to various visualization to present actual vs budgeted data

Lecture 25 Simple column chart and column inside / overlapped another column chart

Lecture 26 Target line and actual values column chart

Lecture 27 Focusing only on the variance chart and multiple charts stacked up

Lecture 28 Target line, variance and actual values as column chart

Lecture 29 Vertical column chart with actual, budgeted / forecasted and variance values & %

Lecture 30 Horizontal bar chart with actual, budgeted / forecasted and variance values & %

Lecture 31 Horizontal Bar Chart of Actual Sales and variance chart with connected line

Lecture 32 Horizontal Bar chart with negative values - Introduction

Lecture 33 Customised Horizontal bar chart with negative values - Static sorting

Lecture 34 Bullets charts in Excel - An Introduction

Lecture 35 Bullet Charts in Excel - Vertical with single item

Lecture 36 Bullet Chart in Excel - Vertical with multiple items

Lecture 37 Bullet Chart in Excel - with absolute values - single flavour

Lecture 38 Bullet Chart in Excel - with absolute values - multiple flavour

Lecture 39 Dumbbell Chart - Introduction

Lecture 40 Horizontal Dumbbell Chart in Excel - understand all the steps to create in Excel

Lecture 41 Vertical Dumbbell Chart in Excel

Section 3: Understanding distribution / movement / correlation in given dataset

Lecture 42 What is Histograms chart, why and on which dataset it should be used.

Lecture 43 Histogram - using default options of Excel and its limitation

Lecture 44 Histogram - with customized bin size and number of bins

Lecture 45 Box and Whisker Chart in Excel

Lecture 46 Box and whisker plot with flat table - changing column references

Lecture 47 Box and whisker plot - interactive using pivot table slicer & dynamic arrays

Lecture 48 Pareto Chart in Excel - An introduction

Lecture 49 Pareto Chart in Excel - Simple way to present 80 / 20 rule

Lecture 50 Pareto Chart in Excel - Using step wise presentation for 80 / 20 rule

Lecture 51 Pareto Chart in Excel - Combine Waterfall and Step wise presentation

Lecture 52 Waterfall Chart in Excel - An Introduction

Lecture 53 Waterfall Chart in Excel - Single month using inbuilt chart

Lecture 54 Waterfall Chart in Excel - Dynamic selection of month using drop down list

Lecture 55 Introduction to Funnel Charts

Lecture 56 Funnel chart in Excel 365

Lecture 57 Funnel Chart in using bar charts in old Excel version

Lecture 58 Funnel Chart using Conditional formatting

Lecture 59 Introduction to Treemap

Lecture 60 Tremap Chart in latest version of Excel

Section 4: Track the completion of tasks or projects using these charts

Lecture 61 Progress Charts using Donut Chart - Minimalistic Approach

Lecture 62 Progress Circle Chart with sections inside Donut Chart

Lecture 63 Waffle Chart to show progress or percent completion

Lecture 64 Waffle Chart with multiple categories

Lecture 65 Vertical Progress Bar Chart Inside Excel

This course is useful for all Excel users who are creating dashboards or charts using Excel. User who wants to customize default charts in Excel so that there looks are more professional.