{"id":275,"date":"2023-09-20T00:23:39","date_gmt":"2023-09-20T00:23:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/content.one.lumenlearning.com\/businesscommunication\/chapter\/tables-charts-and-infographics\/"},"modified":"2024-07-23T21:07:02","modified_gmt":"2024-07-23T21:07:02","slug":"tables-charts-and-infographics","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/content.one.lumenlearning.com\/businesscommunication\/chapter\/tables-charts-and-infographics\/","title":{"raw":"Learn It 5.3.1 Choosing and Using Graphics","rendered":"Learn It 5.3.1 Choosing and Using Graphics"},"content":{"raw":"<section class=\"textbox learningGoals\">\r\n<ul>\r\n\t<li>Learn when to use tables, charts, diagrams, and infographics<\/li>\r\n\t<li>Determine the best visual aid to present your data<\/li>\r\n\t<li>Understand how the placement, style, and color of graphics affect your message<\/li>\r\n\t<li>Learn about the importance of using descriptive captions and titles with graphics<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/section>\r\n<h2>Types of Graphics<\/h2>\r\n<p>In this age of information, there are huge amounts of data to process and an equally impressive number of graphs and charts you can use to tell the data\u2019s story. This is often called <strong>data visualization<\/strong>. Here are some of the more commonly used graphs and the kinds of stories they can help you tell.<\/p>\r\n<h2>Numerical Data Charts<\/h2>\r\n<h3>Bar Graphs<\/h3>\r\n<p>Bar graphs are used to compare categories. The <em>x<\/em>-axis (the horizontal line at the bottom of a graph) is usually used to show the categories: in this case, various countries. The <em>y<\/em>-axis (the vertical line) isn\u2019t marked here, but it shows the employment rate of people with disabilities and those without. The taller the bar, the higher the percentage of people who are employed. This chart shows that the United States has a larger employment gap than most other countries displayed. This is identified on this chart with bars in contrasting colors.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"1200\"]<a title=\"Infographic: The Employment Gap for People With Disabilities | Statista\" href=\"https:\/\/www.statista.com\/chart\/32005\/people-with-vs-without-disabilities-employment\/\"><img style=\"width: 100%; height: auto !important; max-width: 960px;\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.statcdn.com\/Infographic\/images\/normal\/32005.jpeg\" alt=\"Infographic: The Employment Gap for People With Disabilities | Statista\" width=\"1200\" height=\"1200\" \/><\/a> Figure 1. An example of a bar graph. You will find more infographics at Statista<span style=\"font-size: 16px;\">\u00a0<\/span>[\/caption]\r\n\r\n<h3>Line Graphs<\/h3>\r\n<p>Like bar graphs, line graphs compare categories, but they\u2019re most often used to show trends. With the\u00a0<em>x<\/em>-axis frequently showing the passage of time, the graphed data points will show an upward or downward trend of the categories in question.<\/p>\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"1200\"]<a title=\"Infographic: Earth Is Heating Up | Statista\" href=\"https:\/\/www.statista.com\/chart\/19048\/global-warming-monthly-divergence\/\"><img style=\"width: 100%; height: auto !important; max-width: 960px;\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.statcdn.com\/Infographic\/images\/normal\/19048.jpeg\" alt=\"Infographic: Earth Is Heating Up | Statista\" width=\"1200\" height=\"1200\" \/><\/a> Figure 2. An example of a line graph. You will find more infographics at Statista<span style=\"font-size: 16px;\">\u00a0<\/span>[\/caption]\r\n\r\n<p>The line graph above illustrates changes in annual temperature trends over time. Each year is represented by a different colored line. The <em>x<\/em>-axis shows the passage of time (months of the year), and the <em>y<\/em>-axis shows the difference from the average temperature. The graph shows that average temperatures in every month of the year are rising over time.<\/p>\r\n<h3>Pie Charts<\/h3>\r\n<p>Pie charts show the composition of data or the pieces of a whole.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"1200\"]<a title=\"Infographic: How Many Cups of Coffee Do Americans Drink Each Day? | Statista\" href=\"https:\/\/www.statista.com\/chart\/19524\/cups-of-coffee-drunk-by-americans-per-day\/\"><img style=\"width: 100%; height: auto !important; max-width: 960px;\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.statcdn.com\/Infographic\/images\/normal\/19524.jpeg\" alt=\"Infographic: How Many Cups of Coffee Do Americans Drink Each Day? | Statista\" width=\"1200\" height=\"1200\" \/><\/a> Figure 3. An example of pie charts. You will find more infographics at Statista<span style=\"font-size: 16px;\">\u00a0<\/span>[\/caption]\r\n\r\n<p>In Figure 3, the whole pie (the whole circle) represents the total number of people who drink coffee. On the left, the pieces represent the percentage of people who consume different amounts of coffee at home on a weekday. On the right, the sections represent the percentage of people who get their coffee to go during the week.<\/p>\r\n<p>Some comparison charts aren\u2019t shaped like a circle. Sometimes they\u2019re shaped like donuts, and other times they\u2019re shown using bars, as we\u2019ll see next.<\/p>\r\n<h3>Stacked Comparison Charts<\/h3>\r\n<p>You can compare categories with a \u201cpie chart\u201d approach, incorporating the composition factor in a variety of ways. The categories in this chart, people who lived in different sizes of homes, are represented by bars, but the bars themselves are composition charts. Each bar is valued at 100%, and the colored blocks represent different types of pet ownership within the population.<\/p>\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_7164\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"2016\"]<img class=\"wp-image-7164 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/courses-images\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2785\/2018\/06\/03192230\/petsbargraph.png\" alt=\"A stacked bar graph with sections consisting of no pets (purple), cat owner (green) and dog owner (blue).\" width=\"2016\" height=\"1094\" \/> Figure 4. An example of a stacked bar graph[\/caption]\r\n\r\n<p>Similarly, the line graph below is \u201cstacked\u201d to show the level of sales based on product type.\u00a0You\u2019re seeing a trend as well as a portion of a whole \u2013 comparing and viewing composition.<\/p>\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3872\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"512\"]<img class=\"wp-image-3872 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/content-cdn.one.lumenlearning.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/35\/2023\/09\/26183534\/5.3.1.L.Graph_.png\" alt=\"A stacked line graph depicting sales to date. Lines include clothes (orange), decor (blue), accessories (yellow), and books (gray). \" width=\"512\" height=\"523\" \/> Figure 5. An example of a stacked line graph[\/caption]\r\n\r\n<section class=\"textbox tryIt\" aria-label=\"Try It\">\r\n<p>[ohm2_question height=\"500\"]14741[\/ohm2_question]<\/p>\r\n<\/section>","rendered":"<section class=\"textbox learningGoals\">\n<ul>\n<li>Learn when to use tables, charts, diagrams, and infographics<\/li>\n<li>Determine the best visual aid to present your data<\/li>\n<li>Understand how the placement, style, and color of graphics affect your message<\/li>\n<li>Learn about the importance of using descriptive captions and titles with graphics<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/section>\n<h2>Types of Graphics<\/h2>\n<p>In this age of information, there are huge amounts of data to process and an equally impressive number of graphs and charts you can use to tell the data\u2019s story. This is often called <strong>data visualization<\/strong>. Here are some of the more commonly used graphs and the kinds of stories they can help you tell.<\/p>\n<h2>Numerical Data Charts<\/h2>\n<h3>Bar Graphs<\/h3>\n<p>Bar graphs are used to compare categories. The <em>x<\/em>-axis (the horizontal line at the bottom of a graph) is usually used to show the categories: in this case, various countries. The <em>y<\/em>-axis (the vertical line) isn\u2019t marked here, but it shows the employment rate of people with disabilities and those without. The taller the bar, the higher the percentage of people who are employed. This chart shows that the United States has a larger employment gap than most other countries displayed. This is identified on this chart with bars in contrasting colors.\u00a0<\/p>\n<figure style=\"width: 1200px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a title=\"Infographic: The Employment Gap for People With Disabilities | Statista\" href=\"https:\/\/www.statista.com\/chart\/32005\/people-with-vs-without-disabilities-employment\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"width: 100%; height: auto !important; max-width: 960px;\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.statcdn.com\/Infographic\/images\/normal\/32005.jpeg\" alt=\"Infographic: The Employment Gap for People With Disabilities | Statista\" width=\"1200\" height=\"1200\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Figure 1. An example of a bar graph. You will find more infographics at Statista<span style=\"font-size: 16px;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3>Line Graphs<\/h3>\n<p>Like bar graphs, line graphs compare categories, but they\u2019re most often used to show trends. With the\u00a0<em>x<\/em>-axis frequently showing the passage of time, the graphed data points will show an upward or downward trend of the categories in question.<\/p>\n<figure style=\"width: 1200px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a title=\"Infographic: Earth Is Heating Up | Statista\" href=\"https:\/\/www.statista.com\/chart\/19048\/global-warming-monthly-divergence\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"width: 100%; height: auto !important; max-width: 960px;\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.statcdn.com\/Infographic\/images\/normal\/19048.jpeg\" alt=\"Infographic: Earth Is Heating Up | Statista\" width=\"1200\" height=\"1200\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Figure 2. An example of a line graph. You will find more infographics at Statista<span style=\"font-size: 16px;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The line graph above illustrates changes in annual temperature trends over time. Each year is represented by a different colored line. The <em>x<\/em>-axis shows the passage of time (months of the year), and the <em>y<\/em>-axis shows the difference from the average temperature. The graph shows that average temperatures in every month of the year are rising over time.<\/p>\n<h3>Pie Charts<\/h3>\n<p>Pie charts show the composition of data or the pieces of a whole.\u00a0<\/p>\n<figure style=\"width: 1200px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a title=\"Infographic: How Many Cups of Coffee Do Americans Drink Each Day? | Statista\" href=\"https:\/\/www.statista.com\/chart\/19524\/cups-of-coffee-drunk-by-americans-per-day\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"width: 100%; height: auto !important; max-width: 960px;\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.statcdn.com\/Infographic\/images\/normal\/19524.jpeg\" alt=\"Infographic: How Many Cups of Coffee Do Americans Drink Each Day? | Statista\" width=\"1200\" height=\"1200\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Figure 3. An example of pie charts. You will find more infographics at Statista<span style=\"font-size: 16px;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>In Figure 3, the whole pie (the whole circle) represents the total number of people who drink coffee. On the left, the pieces represent the percentage of people who consume different amounts of coffee at home on a weekday. On the right, the sections represent the percentage of people who get their coffee to go during the week.<\/p>\n<p>Some comparison charts aren\u2019t shaped like a circle. Sometimes they\u2019re shaped like donuts, and other times they\u2019re shown using bars, as we\u2019ll see next.<\/p>\n<h3>Stacked Comparison Charts<\/h3>\n<p>You can compare categories with a \u201cpie chart\u201d approach, incorporating the composition factor in a variety of ways. The categories in this chart, people who lived in different sizes of homes, are represented by bars, but the bars themselves are composition charts. Each bar is valued at 100%, and the colored blocks represent different types of pet ownership within the population.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_7164\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-7164\" style=\"width: 2016px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-7164 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/courses-images\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2785\/2018\/06\/03192230\/petsbargraph.png\" alt=\"A stacked bar graph with sections consisting of no pets (purple), cat owner (green) and dog owner (blue).\" width=\"2016\" height=\"1094\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-7164\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Figure 4. An example of a stacked bar graph<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Similarly, the line graph below is \u201cstacked\u201d to show the level of sales based on product type.\u00a0You\u2019re seeing a trend as well as a portion of a whole \u2013 comparing and viewing composition.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3872\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3872\" style=\"width: 512px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-3872 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/content-cdn.one.lumenlearning.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/35\/2023\/09\/26183534\/5.3.1.L.Graph_.png\" alt=\"A stacked line graph depicting sales to date. Lines include clothes (orange), decor (blue), accessories (yellow), and books (gray).\" width=\"512\" height=\"523\" srcset=\"https:\/\/content-cdn.one.lumenlearning.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/35\/2023\/09\/26183534\/5.3.1.L.Graph_.png 512w, https:\/\/content-cdn.one.lumenlearning.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/35\/2023\/09\/26183534\/5.3.1.L.Graph_-294x300.png 294w, https:\/\/content-cdn.one.lumenlearning.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/35\/2023\/09\/26183534\/5.3.1.L.Graph_-65x66.png 65w, https:\/\/content-cdn.one.lumenlearning.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/35\/2023\/09\/26183534\/5.3.1.L.Graph_-225x230.png 225w, https:\/\/content-cdn.one.lumenlearning.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/35\/2023\/09\/26183534\/5.3.1.L.Graph_-350x358.png 350w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3872\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Figure 5. An example of a stacked line graph<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<section class=\"textbox tryIt\" aria-label=\"Try It\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" id=\"ohm14741\" class=\"resizable\" src=\"https:\/\/ohm.one.lumenlearning.com\/multiembedq.php?id=14741&theme=lumen&iframe_resize_id=ohm14741&source=tnh&show_question_numbers\" width=\"100%\" height=\"500\"><\/iframe><br \/>\n<\/section>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"menu_order":13,"template":"","meta":{"_candela_citation":"[{\"type\":\"original\",\"description\":\"Tables, Charts, and Infographics: Overview\",\"author\":\"Freedom Learning Group\",\"organization\":\"Lumen Learning\",\"url\":\"\",\"project\":\"\",\"license\":\"cc-by\",\"license_terms\":\"\"},{\"type\":\"cc\",\"description\":\"Bar chart comparing healthcare costs as percentage of GDP across OECD countries\",\"author\":\"Farcaster\",\"organization\":\"Wikimedia\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:Healthcare_costs_to_GDP_OECD_2015_v1.png\",\"project\":\"\",\"license\":\"cc-by-sa\",\"license_terms\":\"\"},{\"type\":\"cc\",\"description\":\"Venn Diagram\",\"author\":\"Dflamini\",\"organization\":\"Pixabay\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/pixabay.com\/en\/infographic-web-safe-venn-2722977\/\",\"project\":\"\",\"license\":\"cc0\",\"license_terms\":\"\"},{\"type\":\"pd\",\"description\":\"Flowchart\",\"author\":\"Wellington Grey\",\"organization\":\"Wikimedia\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:Scientific_Theory_Flowchart.png\",\"project\":\"\",\"license\":\"pd\",\"license_terms\":\"\"},{\"type\":\"cc\",\"description\":\"Pert example gantt chart\",\"author\":\"Dbsheajr\",\"organization\":\"Wikipedia\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/File:Pert_example_gantt_chart.gif\",\"project\":\"\",\"license\":\"cc-by-sa\",\"license_terms\":\"\"},{\"type\":\"cc\",\"description\":\"Super Bowl infographic and chicken wing facts\",\"author\":\"U.S. Department of Agriculture\",\"organization\":\"Flickr\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/usdagov\/24700496851\",\"project\":\"\",\"license\":\"cc-by\",\"license_terms\":\"\"},{\"type\":\"original\",\"description\":\"Complex Table\",\"author\":\"\",\"organization\":\"Lumen Learning\",\"url\":\"\",\"project\":\"\",\"license\":\"cc-by\",\"license_terms\":\"\"},{\"type\":\"original\",\"description\":\"Stacked Line Graph\",\"author\":\"\",\"organization\":\"Lumen Learning\",\"url\":\"\",\"project\":\"\",\"license\":\"cc-by\",\"license_terms\":\"\"},{\"type\":\"original\",\"description\":\"Stacked Bar Chart\",\"author\":\"\",\"organization\":\"Lumen Learning\",\"url\":\"\",\"project\":\"\",\"license\":\"cc-by\",\"license_terms\":\"\"},{\"type\":\"original\",\"description\":\"Pie chart\",\"author\":\"\",\"organization\":\"Lumen Learning\",\"url\":\"\",\"project\":\"\",\"license\":\"cc-by\",\"license_terms\":\"\"},{\"type\":\"original\",\"description\":\"Pictographs\",\"author\":\"\",\"organization\":\"Lumen Learning\",\"url\":\"\",\"project\":\"\",\"license\":\"cc-by\",\"license_terms\":\"\"},{\"type\":\"original\",\"description\":\"Organizational Hierarchy Chart\",\"author\":\"\",\"organization\":\"Lumen Learning\",\"url\":\"\",\"project\":\"\",\"license\":\"cc-by\",\"license_terms\":\"\"},{\"type\":\"original\",\"description\":\"Line Graph\",\"author\":\"\",\"organization\":\"Lumen Learning\",\"url\":\"\",\"project\":\"\",\"license\":\"cc-by\",\"license_terms\":\"\"}]","pb_show_title":"on","pb_short_title":"","pb_subtitle":"","pb_authors":[],"pb_section_license":""},"chapter-type":[],"contributor":[],"license":[],"part":264,"module-header":"learn_it","content_attributions":[{"type":"original","description":"Tables, Charts, and Infographics: Overview","author":"Freedom Learning Group","organization":"Lumen Learning","url":"","project":"","license":"cc-by","license_terms":""},{"type":"cc","description":"Bar chart comparing healthcare costs as percentage of GDP across OECD countries","author":"Farcaster","organization":"Wikimedia","url":"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:Healthcare_costs_to_GDP_OECD_2015_v1.png","project":"","license":"cc-by-sa","license_terms":""},{"type":"cc","description":"Venn Diagram","author":"Dflamini","organization":"Pixabay","url":"https:\/\/pixabay.com\/en\/infographic-web-safe-venn-2722977\/","project":"","license":"cc0","license_terms":""},{"type":"pd","description":"Flowchart","author":"Wellington Grey","organization":"Wikimedia","url":"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:Scientific_Theory_Flowchart.png","project":"","license":"pd","license_terms":""},{"type":"cc","description":"Pert example gantt chart","author":"Dbsheajr","organization":"Wikipedia","url":"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/File:Pert_example_gantt_chart.gif","project":"","license":"cc-by-sa","license_terms":""},{"type":"cc","description":"Super Bowl infographic and chicken wing facts","author":"U.S. Department of Agriculture","organization":"Flickr","url":"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/usdagov\/24700496851","project":"","license":"cc-by","license_terms":""},{"type":"original","description":"Complex Table","author":"","organization":"Lumen Learning","url":"","project":"","license":"cc-by","license_terms":""},{"type":"original","description":"Stacked Line Graph","author":"","organization":"Lumen Learning","url":"","project":"","license":"cc-by","license_terms":""},{"type":"original","description":"Stacked Bar Chart","author":"","organization":"Lumen Learning","url":"","project":"","license":"cc-by","license_terms":""},{"type":"original","description":"Pie chart","author":"","organization":"Lumen Learning","url":"","project":"","license":"cc-by","license_terms":""},{"type":"original","description":"Pictographs","author":"","organization":"Lumen Learning","url":"","project":"","license":"cc-by","license_terms":""},{"type":"original","description":"Organizational Hierarchy Chart","author":"","organization":"Lumen Learning","url":"","project":"","license":"cc-by","license_terms":""},{"type":"original","description":"Line Graph","author":"","organization":"Lumen Learning","url":"","project":"","license":"cc-by","license_terms":""}],"internal_book_links":[],"video_content":null,"cc_video_embed_content":{"cc_scripts":"","media_targets":[]},"try_it_collection":null,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/content.one.lumenlearning.com\/businesscommunication\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/275"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/content.one.lumenlearning.com\/businesscommunication\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/content.one.lumenlearning.com\/businesscommunication\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/chapter"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/content.one.lumenlearning.com\/businesscommunication\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"version-history":[{"count":18,"href":"https:\/\/content.one.lumenlearning.com\/businesscommunication\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/275\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4169,"href":"https:\/\/content.one.lumenlearning.com\/businesscommunication\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/275\/revisions\/4169"}],"part":[{"href":"https:\/\/content.one.lumenlearning.com\/businesscommunication\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/parts\/264"}],"metadata":[{"href":"https:\/\/content.one.lumenlearning.com\/businesscommunication\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/275\/metadata\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/content.one.lumenlearning.com\/businesscommunication\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=275"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"chapter-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/content.one.lumenlearning.com\/businesscommunication\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapter-type?post=275"},{"taxonomy":"contributor","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/content.one.lumenlearning.com\/businesscommunication\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/contributor?post=275"},{"taxonomy":"license","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/content.one.lumenlearning.com\/businesscommunication\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/license?post=275"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}