Introduction

Excel offers a wide variety of chart formats from its lists of built in choices: Nine marker styles; 56 colors to be applied to marker foregrounds and backgrounds; 56 colors and a handful of line thicknesses and styles for lines and borders; innumerable gradient effects and fill patterns.

Despite this wide variety of formatting choices, there are times when the same old same old won't cut it. Here are some examples of formatting choices that add character to your charts. Warning: a little funky formatting goes a lo-o-ong way! See the Introduction to the Charting Tutorial for a few reminders.

Apply Custom Markers to a Line, Scatter, or Bubble Chart

Stacking Pictures in Column and Bar Charts

Apply WordArt Labels to a Column or Bar Chart