Bar chart encodes values as length of rectangles on one baseline. William Playfair, Commercial and Political Atlas, 1786.
In reports, ads and assignments it fits comparing a handful of categories at one time. Skip it when too many categories, 3-D extrusion, or dual-axis tricks.
This page gathers anatomy, fit, craft, failure modes and work / ads / school recipes for Bar chart.
Profile
Seven chapters
The idea
Compare categories on a shared baseline — the default honest chart for reports, ads and assignments. History. comparing a handful of categories at one time.
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Anatomy
Compare categories on a shared baseline — the default honest chart for reports, ads and assignments. Mark. comparing a handful of categories at one time.
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When to use
Compare categories on a shared baseline — the default honest chart for reports, ads and assignments. Fit. comparing a handful of categories at one time.
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Craft
Compare categories on a shared baseline — the default honest chart for reports, ads and assignments. Rules. comparing a handful of categories at one time.
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Mistakes
Compare categories on a shared baseline — the default honest chart for reports, ads and assignments. Failure modes. comparing a handful of categories at one…
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Studio
Compare categories on a shared baseline — the default honest chart for reports, ads and assignments. Work. comparing a handful of categories at one time.
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Tools
Compare categories on a shared baseline — the default honest chart for reports, ads and assignments. Software. comparing a handful of categories at one time.
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Frequently asked questions
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When should I avoid Bar chart?
Who invented or popularised it?
What does it encode?
Is it OK in ads?
Will a teacher accept it?
Which tool?
How do I keep it accessible?
Related
📈 Line chart
Show change through time with a continuous path — the workhorse of reports and science homework.
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📶 Waterfall
How a total was built — start, pluses, minuses, end. The finance slide that still earns its keep.
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📁 Work reports
The weekly and quarterly pack — bars, waterfalls and tiles that a manager can read in four minutes.
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