Microsoft Office

Getting Started Making Charts 19
Area charts
Think of an area chart as a line chart in which the area below the line has been colored in. Figure 19.25
shows an example of a stacked area chart. Stacking the data series enables you to see clearly the total, plus
the contribution by each series.
ON the CD-ROM
A workbook that contains the charts in this section is available on the companion CD-ROM.
The file is named area charts.xlsx.
FIGURE 19.25
A stacked area chart.
Figure 19.26 shows the same data, plotted as a 3-D area chart. As you can see, it’s not an example of an
effective chart. The data for products B and C are obscured. In some cases, the problem can be resolved by
rotating the chart or using transparency. But I think the best way to salvage this particular chart is to select a
new chart type.
FIGURE 19.26
This 3-D area chart is not a good choice.
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