Chart choice
Column or bar for comparison across categories. Line for change over time. Scatter for the relationship between two numeric variables. Stacked bar for composition, sparingly.
Avoid 3-D charts entirely — the perspective distorts the values they are supposed to convey. Avoid pies past three slices.
Removing clutter
Excel defaults add a lot of ink that carries no information. Delete gridlines unless people need to read values off them, drop the legend when there is one series, and remove chart borders.
Sort bars by value rather than leaving them in source order — a sorted bar chart answers "who is biggest" instantly. Label directly on the bars where you can, so readers do not have to travel to an axis.
Combo charts
Insert → Combo lets you set a different type per series and put one on a secondary axis. Revenue as columns with margin percent as a line is the standard pattern.
Use it only when the units genuinely differ. Two same-unit series on independent axes can imply any relationship you like.
Sparklines and small charts
Insert → Sparklines puts a miniature line, column or win/loss chart inside a single cell. In a table with one row per product, a sparkline column shows every trend at once without twenty separate charts.
For dashboards, size charts consistently and align them on a grid — inconsistent sizing reads as carelessness before anyone looks at the numbers.