Part III: Creating Charts and Other Visualizations
Because charts automatically adopt number formatting, a chart created from this data will
show the symbols as part of the labels. Simply use this data as the source for the chart.
This is just one way to use symbols in your reporting. With this basic technique, you can
insert symbols to add visual appeal to tables, pivot tables, formulas, or any other object
you can think of.
Using Shapes and Icons as Visual Elements
Microsoft Office, including Excel, provides access to a variety of customizable graphics
images known as shapes. You might want to insert shapes to create simple diagrams, dis-
play text, or just add some visual appeal to a worksheet.
Keep in mind that shapes can add unnecessary clutter to a worksheet. Perhaps the best
advice is to use shapes sparingly. Ideally, shapes can help draw attention to some aspect of
your worksheet. They shouldn’t be the main attraction.
Inserting a shape
You can add a shape to a worksheet by choosing Insert ➪ Shapes from the Illustrations
group. The Shapes gallery, shown in Figure 23.11, opens to show you the choices.
FIGURE 23.11
The Shapes gallery
