Chart details Annotations
Overview
Use annotations to help explain your chart and provide context to help users understand and interpret the data.
Using annotations
Keep annotations concise. Limit them to around 50 characters (10 to 12 words) and a single sentence.
Place annotations as close as possible to the part of the chart they relate to.
There should be white space between your annotation text and other text or parts of your chart. Make sure your annotation text does not overlap with other chart elements.
Check how the annotations display for different screen types and sizes. Annotations may not display on mobile devices in certain chart templates.
Make sure any essential information you include in annotations is also included in the main text or footnotes.
Point annotations
The most common type of annotation is a point annotation. Use point annotations to provide commentary on a specific data point or part of your chart.
In our current Chartbuilder tool, point annotations do not have an arrow. Use text without an arrow
Line and range annotations
Use a line annotation to mark a specific point in time or a threshold value on an axis. For example, the date of a specific event.
The following chart uses line annotations to indicate important context:
In our current Chartbuilder tool, use a narrow-shaded band to create a line annotation
Use a shaded range to highlight a specific time period or range of values.
The following chart uses range annotations to indicate important context:
Line and range annotations should always include text explaining the annotation.
Read more about how to write clear and effective footnotes and other text for your chart in the chart text guidance.
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