Create a chart with clear data and labels
Make a chart with four fictional categories. Give it a meaningful title, unit, source and visible values, then compare every row with your original data.
This video was made by SkrivSikkert, which also sells its own reading and writing tool. Canva has not made, paid for or approved the video. Canva is a trademark of Canva Pty Ltd.
Written steps
Step 1
Start with a blank 1920 by 1080 presentation slide. Choose Elements, search for chart, and select Categorical bar. Use the editable chart component rather than a static graphic.
Step 2
Click Data to open the editable table; Canva may remember Customize from a previous chart. Double-click Season, type Herb and press Enter. Change Sales to Pots in the same way. Finish each cell with Enter.
Step 3
Replace the four sample rows with Basil 12, Thyme 8, Mint 6 and Parsley 4. These are fictional course values. Check each label and number in its own row.
Step 4
Choose Customize, enable Data labels and select Outside. Confirm that the values appear above the bars and remain readable.
Step 5
Set the title to Herbs for the garden day, the subtitle to Number of pots · fictional example, and the source to Source: course exercise. For real work, name the actual source and measurement unit.
Step 6
Expand Y Axis and scroll down inside the side panel to reveal its settings. Add Number of pots as the axis title. Scroll further down if typing moves Minimum below the visible panel. Set Minimum to 0, press Enter and check the scale. Comparing bars from a truncated baseline can exaggerate differences.
Step 7
Open Position. On this 1920 by 1080 slide, set Width 1600, Height 800, X 160 and Y 140. Select the old number and press Enter after each replacement. Use suitable dimensions for your own page size.
Step 8
Close the panel and inspect the finished chart. Recheck every category and number, the zero baseline, title, unit and source. Supply an equivalent table or text list when needed for accessibility.
What you need
Prepare a small set of fictional figures and open your Canva presentation. The recording shows the English interface.
Read the video transcript
A bar chart helps people compare quantities. Here we compare four herbs for a community garden day: twelve pots of basil, eight of thyme, six of mint, and four of parsley. These are fictional practice numbers. We will replace the sample data and add the labels that explain the chart. Start on a blank presentation slide. Click Elements. Type chart in Search elements and press Enter. Wait for the results. Choose an editable chart, rather than a picture of a chart. An editable chart lets you replace the categories and values in a data table. Click Categorical bar in the chart results. Wait for the chart. Click Data to open its table. Canva supplies sample categories and numbers. Before using the chart, replace these with your own data. Our first column will name the herb, and the second will give the number of pots. Double-click Season, replace it with Herb, and press Enter. Double-click Sales, replace it with Pots, and press Enter. The first row names the columns. Clear column headings help you keep the categories and numbers in the correct places while editing. Double-click Winter, replace it with Basil, and press Enter. In the same row, replace sixty with twelve and press Enter. Check that Basil and twelve are on the same row. Each bar uses the category and value from its corresponding row. Edit the remaining rows in the same way. Replace Spring with Thyme and press Enter. Replace forty-five with eight and press Enter. Replace Summer with Mint and press Enter. Replace seventy-eight with six and press Enter. Replace Fall with Parsley and press Enter. Replace thirty with four and press Enter. Check that all four rows now match the practice data. Click Customize in the chart panel. Turn on Data labels. Choose Outside so the values appear above the bars. Category names and numeric labels make the meaning clearer without relying only on color. Check that none of the labels overlap or disappear. In Add title, write Herbs for the garden day. In Add subtitle, write Number of pots, fictional example. In Add source text, write Source: course exercise. These three lines explain the subject, the unit, and where the numbers come from. Do not present practice data as real results. Open Y Axis. Scroll down inside the side panel to see the axis settings. In Add Y axis title, write Number of pots. Scroll further down to Minimum. Set Minimum to zero and press Enter. Bar lengths should be compared from the same zero baseline. A cut-off axis can exaggerate differences. Check that the visible scale begins at zero. Click Position. Set Width to sixteen hundred and press Enter. Set Height to eight hundred and press Enter. Set X to one hundred and sixty and press Enter. Set Y to one hundred and forty and press Enter. Select the old value before typing each new one. These dimensions fit our wide presentation slide and leave space around the chart. Close the side panel to review the chart. Check every value: Basil twelve, Thyme eight, Mint six, and Parsley four. The title, axis and source explain what the bars mean. Provide the values as text or a table too when a chart alone is not accessible. Now try four fictional categories of your own and check each number against your source.
