Creating a funny competition chart

Excel 2013
This tip shows how to create funny competition chart with gradient fill.
The Gradiented Competition Chart Excel 2013

The trick of this chart is to show different colors for different parts. If you create a simple competition chart, you will see the same colors for any data:

The Simple Competition Chart Excel 2013

To create the chart like this one, do the following:

   1.   Add additional data:

  • Cells for every colors - in this example cells C17:D20.
  • Cells for very small data for labels (in this example cells C16:D16)
Data Gradiented Competition Chart Excel 2013

   2.   Select cells C4:D4, C16:D20.

   3.   On the Insert tab, in the Charts group, choose the Bar button:

Bar Charts in Excel 2013

Choose Stacked Column:

Stacked Column Charts in Excel 2013

   4.   If it is necessary, change data in the Select Data Source dialog box:

  1. Right-click in the chart area. In the popup menu select Select Data...:
    Select Data in Excel 2013
  2. In the Select Data Source dialog box:
    1. Click the Switch Row/Column button (to see 5 series).
    2. Move series for very small data to the end of list. To do that, select the series and then click to the Move Down or Move Up buttons (in this example, series 1 should be in the bottom of the list of series).
Edit data series in Excel 2013

   5.   Open the Format Data Series, for example, by right-clicking in the data series and choosing Format Data Series... in the popup menu:

popup data series in Excel 2013

   6.   In the Format Data Series task pane, on the Fill & Line tab for every data series choose the fill you prefer (in this example was chose Gradient fill, for very small data was chose No fill).

Choose data series in Excel 2013

   7.   Select the very small data series and for it, in the popup menu select Add Data Label and again Add Data Label:

Add Data Label in Excel 2013

   8.   Select one of labels and then open the Format Data Label task pane (for example, by selecting in the popup menu Format Data Labels...).

   9.   On the Format Data Label task pane, on the Fill & Line tab, in the Fill group, check Picture or texture fill and then click on the File... button (if you have the picture already), Clipboard or Online... (if you would like to upload picture from Internet).

   10.   Make changes for the second data label (repeat steps 8 and 9 for it).

Make any other adjustments to get the look you desire, see also Creating a chart with dynamic labels.

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