Line chart in : Audience

In reports, ads and assignments it fits trends, seasonality and a few series over time. Skip it when unordered categories, or more than about four overlapping series. This page gathers anatomy, fit, craft, failure modes and work / ads / school recipes for Line chart. When the story is: trends, seasonality and a few series over time.

Skip it in cases like: unordered categories, or more than about four overlapping series. William Playfair, 1786 — later refined for meteorology and markets position of a polyline through ordered time Yes if one claim is visible at a glance in Meta, Google and retail print; otherwise link to a full figure.

Yes for lab reports and poster boards if axes, units and a source line are present. Excel or Google Sheets or PowerPoint; export SVG/PDF. Do not rely on hue alone. Label directly and check greyscale. Line chart: honour position of a polyline through ordered time, and switch when unordered categories, or more than about four overlapping series.