Part III: Creating Charts and Other Visualizations
The easiest way to add a chart title is to use the Chart Elements button (the plus sign),
which appears to the right of the chart. Activate the chart, click the Chart Elements but-
ton, and enable the Chart Title item. To specify a location, move the mouse over the Chart
Title item and click the arrow. You can then specify the location for the Chart Title. Click
More Options to display the Format Chart Title task pane.The same basic procedure applies to axis titles. You have additional options to specify
which axis titles you want.After you add a title, you can replace the default text and drag the title to a different posi-
tion. However, you can’t change the size of a title by dragging its borders. The only way to
change the size of a title is to change the font size.The chart title or any of the axis titles can also use a cell reference. For example, you can create a link so the chart
always displays the text contained in cell A1 as its title. To create a link, select the title, type an equal sign (=), point
to the cell, and press Enter. After you create the link, the Formula bar displays the cell reference when you select the
title.Adding Free-Floating Text to a Chart
Text in a chart is not limited to titles. In fact, you can add free-floating text anywhere you want. To do
so, activate the chart and choose Insert ➪ Tex t ➪ Text Box. Click in the chart to create the text box
and enter the text. You can resize the text box, move it, change its formatting, and so on. You can also
add a shape to the chart and then add text to the shape (if the shape is one that accepts text). Refer
to Figure 21.6 for an example of an inserted shape with text.Working with a Legend
A chart’s legend consists of text and keys that identify the data series in the chart. A key is
a small graphic that corresponds to the chart’s series (one key for each series).To add a legend to your chart, activate the chart and click the Chart Elements icon to the
right of the chart. Place a check mark next to Legend. To specify a location for the legend,
click the arrow next to the Legend item and choose a location (Right, Top, Left, or Bottom).
After you add a legend, you can drag it to move it anywhere you like.