Here is a quick tip to reduce the time you spend on chart formatting – use chart styles & color themes.
Excel offers various pre-defined color schemes and chart styles. Using them is very simple.
- Select your chart
- Go to Chart Design ribbon
- Click on the style or color scheme you want.
- Your chart changes instantly.
Check out below screencast to learn more.
Using predefined styles is a great way to polish your chart. Keep in mind that not all predefined styles look gorgeous. So choose wisely.
Do you use chart styles?
I use chart styles or templates to speed up chart formatting.
What about you? Do you use these features? Share your experience in the comments section.
More chart formatting tips:
- Use arrow keys to select small / unreachable items on your charts
- Create a line chart with bands
- Set up meaningful titles on charts with this simple trick
- Work with charts faster using selection pane & select object tools
- More chart formatting tips & Quick excel tips
4 Responses to “Format charts quickly with chart styles & color themes [quick tip]”
If I'm in a hurry for formatting, then I start from one of the predefined formats, and then change the elements that I don't like.
But if I'm building a dashboard, I generally design all charts based off of my own design so that I have the company colors, etc.
Good morning my name is John, I am writing because I would like to know how to fix this problem. Using a Chart I created an analog clock, Now my problem is this: I want to figure out how to color with red dots that symbolize the end of minutes (Five; Ten; Fifteen) etc. ...! Let me explain: In this Chart I entered a series of codes of (Radians) to symbolize the minutes and hours. For here that said, I wish every time the chronograph minute match the cue ball for example: of the 15 minutes, the cue ball is he colored red; All this as you do; Thanks in advance for any help you offer me on, sincere greetings from a. Maurizio
Select the series for each marker
Then use the right / left arrow keys to select the end of the series you want
Then Color it using Ctrl+1
Nice tip Chandoo this can save a lot of time, I also find the recommended charts feature (Excel 2013>) great for quickly putting something visual together.
Does anyone have a solution for creating the illusion of conditional formatting on charts i.e. red when under target, green when above?