: What characteristics make a graph look professional? I'm documenting a technical/scientific project, in which I'm needing an extensive amount of graphs to represent the data. I would like this

@Speyer780

For bar charts:


If there are data labels above the bars or at the end of the bars,
center them and make sure they are all the same distance from the end
of the bar.
Your axes should be named. Center the label.
Use a key if you have more than one set of data. Center the key
dingbat on the key label. (That is, the little green square should be centered vertically on the first letter of the key label.)
If you have a series of bar charts comparing the same things, make
sure your key colors are consistent from chart to chart.
Your axis labels should be legible. Don't put them at 45
degrees. Make them smaller if they need to fit, or go every other
item if necessary.
Use $ or % on every tick mark of an axis, not just the first one.


For line charts:


Most of the same rules as bar charts. If you have labels above the
data points, make them all the same distance from the point dingbat.
If you have two lines and two sets of labels, color-key the labels if
possible. (It's easier to follow a red set of numbers and a blue set
than to pick out two sets of black.)


For pie charts:


Put the label in the center of each pie slice. If it doesn't fit, put
it outside with a line. The "whisker" connecting the label to the
slice can go at an angle, but then should become an underline under
the label.
Try to make all the outside labels align to left and right rather
than floating randomly.

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@Murphy569

I think the number one thing that will make the graphs look professional is how consistent they are with the other material they are presented with. Here's some things to look at:


Colors - Make sure the colors are in keeping with the rest of the project
Type - Use the same font as the rest of the project
Spacing - Keep the same margins and distances between graphs as you use between paragraphs


Those are some thoughts to keep in mind when placing and designing them.

The actual theme or whatever you want to call it is pretty subjective... The common trend right now is flat (look at the design of this site). Here's a few info graphic templates that are around just do a google image search for infographic and pick a style that fits with the style you've got for your project.

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