Master Data Storytelling Infographic: Choose The Right Chart Every Time

Feeling lost in a sea of data? Not sure how to bring your insights to life? This guide breaks down which chart types to use so you can present data like a pro. 

Dive in, choose the right visuals, and let your data do the talking.

Want a complete reference tool that breaks down every chart type by use case? Download our full infographic—a must-have for any data storyteller ready to create visuals that truly resonate.

KPI & Monitoring: Keep Your Eyes On The Prize 

KPI Card: Keep key metrics, like revenue or traffic, right in front of your audience. These cards ensure essential data never gets lost.

Gauge Chart: Show progress toward a goal, whether it’s a project milestone, customer satisfaction, or even how close you are to inbox zero.

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Relationship: Connect The Dots

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Scatter Plot: Want to reveal how two factors relate? Scatter plots are perfect for displaying connections, like the correlation between sales and profitability.

Bubble Chart: Need more depth? Add a third variable with bubble size—ideal for showing dimensions like revenue and cost side by side.

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Distribution: Spread The Word

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Histogram: Show the frequency of data points within certain ranges. Perfect for spotting trends in any dataset.

‍Box Chart: Want a quick summary of your data's spread? Box charts show medians, quartiles, and outliers in a single glance.

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Composition: Pieces Of The Puzzle

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Donut Chart: Showcase how two key segments combine into a larger whole. Great for displaying high-level data splits.

‍Pie Chart: Highlight proportions at a glance. Perfect for visualizing where time goes in a day—or how a budget breaks down across categories.

Tree Map: For hierarchical data, tree maps provide an easy way to visualize proportions, making it clear how each piece fits within the whole.

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Process: Go With The Flow

Funnel Chart: Track data as it moves through stages, ideal for sales pipelines or tracking user journeys through a site.

Waterfall Chart: Show cumulative changes, perfect for breaking down shifts in financials, project costs, or budget allocations.

Sankey Diagram: Highlight the flow of resources, like energy or funds, from one area to another. Great for journey mapping.

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Comparison: Spot The Differences 

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Bar Chart: Compare categories side by side to show who’s leading or lagging behind. Ideal for competitive analysis.

Line Chart: Show data over time to reveal trends, seasonality, or patterns in growth or decline.

Combo Chart: Combine bars and lines to compare related datasets in a single, efficient view.

Area Chart: Similar to line charts but with a fill that makes trends even more visible—ideal for tracking metrics like sales or cumulative growth.

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Geography: Map It Out

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Point Chart: Geographically scatter data, showing insights by region. Perfect for tracking sales locations or mapping customer bases.

Geography Map: Take your data global. Geography maps make it easy to see patterns by region, ideal for showcasing change over geographic areas.

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Ready to Create Stunning Visuals?

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Turn data into insights with the right chart. Whatever story you’re telling, there’s a visualization here to help make it shine. Download our full infographic to keep all these powerful visual options at your fingertips — because choosing the perfect chart can be the difference between data that tells a story and data that just sits there. 

Make your data work harder, so you don’t have to.

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