A chart template system for a firm that publishes data on social media
A small firm turned large datasets into charts by hand, and every chart looked different. I built a set of Excel chart templates with one consistent look, a source line on every chart, and a short video so the team could use them on their own.
- Client
- Firm publishing data on social media
- Tools
- Excel, video walkthrough
- Timeline
- 2 weeks
The problem
The firm writes short articles, 200 to 300 words, built around a chart about market share or growth, and shares them on social media. Each chart was made by hand in Excel from large datasets, so colours, fonts and layouts changed from post to post. They wanted their charts to be recognisable at a glance, easy to update, and harder to copy without credit.
What I built
- Excel chart templates for the chart types they use most, starting with bar and pie charts, all sharing one set of colours, fonts, spacing and layout.
- A source and copyright line built into every chart, so the data stays credited when the image is shared.
- Made for social media. The charts are laid out to be saved as images and posted.
- Easy for non-experts. The team described themselves as "Excel rookies", so the templates are made to take new data without breaking the formatting.
- A recorded walkthrough showing how to paste in new data, change colours and export a chart.
The result
- Every chart now looks like it comes from the same company, which is what makes a feed recognisable.
- A new chart starts from the template, not from a fresh round of formatting.
- The client's first reaction to the drafts was "These charts look a lot nicer than mine".
Making the same chart by hand every week? Book a free rant session.