· Grid lines should be light and thin.
· Make sure that grid lines are behind data lines or bars.
· Use solid colored lines or fills for screen shows or 35-mm slides. Reserve hatched patterns for black-and-white printed materials only. Hatched patterns are very difficult to see when projected.
· Don’t frame a graph. If axes are needed on all sides to help the viewer to distinguish the information, all axes must have scales.
· X and Y axis lines should end at the last data point.
· Use tick marks to show general trends. Use grid lines to stress exact values. Figs. 19 and 20 illustrate the above points, with Fig. 20 being better. Placement of Labels
· Place the legends on the bars, lines, wedges of a pie, or the illustration rather than having an actual legend. This avoids double scanning involved in finding a relevant part of the key and then referring to the graphic. If a key is used, put it within the picture area of the graph. Avoid enclosing the key in a box.
· Labels should run horizontally from left to right whenever possible, except for the Y-axis label. A vertical Y-axis label saves space. Vertical text is harder to read so make it large and simple enough to read when rotated. Place axis labels outside the graph. Center the X-axis label
under the X axis. Center the Y-axis