Are your spreadsheets looking a bit boring? Perhaps too busy? Do you find yourself struggling to make them visually appealing? If so, you're not alone. Many people use spreadsheets as a way to organize and analyze data, but they often overlook the importance of design. A well-designed spreadsheet not only looks better but can also make it easier to understand and interpret your data.

In this article, you'll find 13 tips for creating visually appealing spreadsheets that will help you take your data visualization to the next level. From choosing the right fonts and colours to using borders and shading effectively, you'll learn how to make your spreadsheets both functional and beautiful. Whether you're a beginner or an experienced user, these tips will help you create spreadsheets that are not only easy to read and understand, but also visually appealing.

Hi, I'm Lindsay! I have been using Microsoft Excel daily for nearly 20 years and making visually appealing spreadsheets is kind of my thing! I found early on that a table of data is just a table of data unless you a) organize the data to mean something, and b) make it visually appealing so people will want to look at it. If you've read some of my other blogs where I've said that spreadsheets can be fun, we're starting to get into it with this blog! The spreadsheet nerd in me is exploding!

So if you're ready to take your spreadsheet game to the next level, read on for 13 tips on how to create visually appealing spreadsheets that will impress your colleagues and make your data easier to understand.

Understanding Spreadsheets

If you have worked with numbers, then you have probably used a spreadsheet before. A spreadsheet is a tool that allows you to organize and analyze data in a structured way. It consists of rows and columns that form cells where you can input data. Spreadsheets are used for a variety of tasks, from simple calculations to complex data analysis.

If you're looking for more information on the basics of Excel, check out this Introduction to Excel before going any further.

Importance of Visually Appealing Spreadsheets

When it comes to creating spreadsheets, it's important to not only focus on the data you're presenting but also on how you're presenting it. A visually appealing spreadsheet can help you communicate your data more effectively and make it easier to read and understand. Here are a few reasons why visually appealing spreadsheets are important:

Visually Appealing Spreadsheets are More Engaging

When you're presenting data, you want to make sure that your audience is engaged and interested in what you're saying. A visually appealing spreadsheet can help you achieve this by making your data more interesting to look at. By using colours, icons, and other visual elements, you can draw your audience's attention to the most important parts of your data and make it easier for them to follow along.

Visually Appealing Spreadsheets are Easier to Read

One of the biggest challenges when presenting data is making sure that it's easy to read and understand. A visually appealing spreadsheet can help you achieve this by using formatting techniques that make your data more readable. For example, you can use bold text to highlight important information, or you can use tables to organize your data in a more structured way.

Consider using empty space as a way to prevent data from appearing squished together. Straining to read the data because it is so close together is not going to lead to a positive experience for your users. An easy way to do this is to insert rows and columns to create this space.

Visually Appealing Spreadsheets Help with Data Visualization

Data visualization is the process of presenting data in a visual format, such as a chart or graph. A visually appealing spreadsheet can help you with data visualization by making it easier to create these types of visualizations. By using colours and other visual elements, you can create charts and graphs that are more engaging and easier to understand.

Overall, creating visually appealing spreadsheets is an important part of presenting data effectively. By focusing on the visual elements of your spreadsheet, you can make your data more engaging, easier to read, and more effective at communicating your message.

How to Create Visually Appealing Spreadsheets

Ok let's do this, here are the 13 tips for creating visually appealing spreadsheets!

1. Keep it Simple

We've all heard this before, for many things; keep things simple. I mean, there's even an acronym for it: KISS – Keep It Simple Stupid. The point is not to call you stupid, the point is that starting out with a simple layout and avoiding cluttering up your spreadsheet with too much extraneous or unnecessary data will make it easier to read and understand.

This isn't to say that you should not record certain data. If it's important, record it. If it's something that doesn't need to be shown for certain analysis, hide it. For example: Let's say you have a table that has the names of students, with their ages and grades from their last exam. If you're presenting data on exam grades, their ages are irrelevant. While you may need that data for something else, in this case, you don't, so you would hide that information in your spreadsheet.

2. Use Contrasting Colours

Use contrasting colours to make your data stand out. For example, use a dark background with light text or vice versa. The last thing you want is to have a great spreadsheet but make it nearly unreadable by having a medium blue background with blue writing that is only 1 or 2 shades lighter (or darker) than your background. Look at column D below, the background and the font are so close in colour it's hard to read. Same with column C. Columns E and F have more contrast and are easier to read.

Creating Visually Appealing Spreadsheets - this example uses varying background vs font colours to show that contrasting colours increase readability.
Creating Visually Appealing Spreadsheets – showing the importance of using contrasting colours for readability

Also, keep in mind, how people see colour is very individual. Blue and greens are a great example. My mom and I rarely see the same thing when it comes to blues and greens (especially the lighter variations). I'll swear that this fantastic kitchen wall is a beautiful shade of light sky blue, and she'll think it's light aqua green.

Using the same colours for the background and writing is not necessarily the worst thing, just make sure that one is very dark, and the other is very light – contrast. Remember, while you may see something easily, others may not if it's too close in colour and shading.

3. Align Your Data

Align your data to make it easier to read. There is no hard and fast rule on whether to use left, center or right aligning. Does right aligning one column make the information easier to read because it's not up against the information in the next row or column? If so, great, use that alignment. If not, try left or center. Use the one that looks the best.

Remember, you're aiming for a visually appealing spreadsheet, try out different alignments and see what looks the best. This will likely change for each spreadsheet as the data you're showing will be different.

Creating Visually Appealing Spreadsheets - Examples of what to do and what not to do for cell alignment
Creating Visually Appealing Spreadsheets – Examples of what to do and what not to do for cell alignment

Note that Excel will automatically right-align numbers and left-align text.

4. Use the Appropriate Font and Font Size

Make sure your font is readable and the size is appropriate for the data you are presenting. I would avoid cursive fonts for spreadsheets as they are harder to read and lots of people don't know how to read cursive which limits your audience.

Use larger fonts for headers and titles and smaller fonts for data. So just like in this blog post, the main headers are in a larger, bolded font, the sub-headers are in a smaller font but still bolded, and then the general text is in the smallest font and not bolded. The same should be for your spreadsheets. Headers should be larger and maybe even bolded, while your data should be smaller and regular (not bolded).

5. Use Headers and Titles

Use headers and titles to clearly label your data. This will make it easier to navigate your spreadsheet and find the information you need. All tables should be titled and all columns/rows should be labelled so it's very clear what the data is.

6. Bold your Headers

I made reference to this in the using appropriate font and font size section, but I wanted to make sure you caught this point. Headers should be bolded. Again, reference this blog post. Even in normal writing headers are bolded.

Making Visually Appealing Spreadsheets - an example of a table with a bolded header. The sub-headers, while not bolded, are made more visually appealing with colour
Making Visually Appealing Spreadsheets – an example of a table with a bolded header. The sub-headers, while not bolded, are made more visually appealing with colour

Now, you might be saying, but what if I want to accentuate certain data points, can't I bold them? Yes, you could. But, there are other ways that you could do that which we'll discuss further down like colours.

7. Use Consistent Formatting

Make sure that all headers are the same size, font, and bold, for a uniform look. This goes for your general data as well. You don't want to have different fonts, colours and sizes that will only serve to confuse your reader.

Also, NO OnE WANTS to rEaD data like this. Be consistent with your capitals. If you want your headers to be all capitalized, then that's fine. Just be consistent.

8. Use Conditional Formatting

Do you have information that you want to people to focus on? For example, you have an your budget spreadsheet and you want to track all expenses that are less than $500.00. You can set conditional formatting to highlight any cells that have a dollar figure of less than $500.00.

Create Visually Appealing Spreadsheets - example of conditional formatting
Create Visually Appealing Spreadsheets – example of conditional formatting

The great thing about conditional formatting is that as you update those inventory numbers the conditional formatting will continue to alert you to items that require ordering. Not only does this make for a visually appealing spreadsheet, but it's also very functional.

9. Use Colour

Use colour to add visual interest and make your spreadsheet easier to navigate. However, don't go overboard – too many colours can be distracting. You can also apply a fill colour to cells to make them stand out or to group related data together.

Another way to differentiate your data with colour is by using a dip-dye effect. This involves gradually changing the background colour of a column or row to create a visual gradient. Again, use this sparingly so as not to overwhelm the reader.

10. Use Tables to Organize Data

Tables are an excellent way to organize large amounts of data. Use them to group related data together and to make it easier to read and understand. If you're unsure where to start, the table function in Excel is a powerful tool that allows you to quickly and easily create tables. Use it to create tables that are easy to read and understand.

One visual item I want to note about the table function is its pre-built colour templates and the use of zebra stripes. Zebra stripes are a simple but effective way to make your data easier to read. By alternating the background colour of every other row, you create a visual pattern that helps the eye follow along with the data.

Creating tables is such a large topic, that I have a whole blog post dedicated to just that. Check out my Creating Basic Tables in Excel post.

11. Use Pivot Tables

I mentioned earlier that you shouldn't avoid recording data just because you may not want to show it every time. Enter the pivot table.

A pivot table is going to take your current data set and allow you to choose what information you want to show. It's like taking a table and making another table, but only showing certain data. And you can easily change what data you show with the click of a mouse.

12. Use Charts

Microsoft Excel has so many chart options to make visually appealing spreadsheets that I will make a whole blog post just about this topic. Stay tuned and I'll link it here. For now, just know that choosing the right chart is going to make a huge impact on whether your spreadsheets properly portray your data in a visually relevant way.

Creating Visually Appealing Spreadsheets - an example of using charts for visual appeal
Creating Visually Appealing Spreadsheets – an example of using charts for visual appeal

13. Use Images

If you have an important piece of information that you want to draw attention to, consider using an image to highlight it. For example, if you have a graph that shows an increase in sales, you could use an image of a rocket ship to emphasize the upward trend.

If you're going to use images, use high-quality images that are clear and crisp. Low-quality images can make your spreadsheet look unprofessional.

While images can be visually appealing, too many can be overwhelming and make your spreadsheet look cluttered. Use images only when they add value to the data you are presenting.

Enhancing Spreadsheets with Templates

Using templates can save you a lot of time and effort when creating visually appealing spreadsheets. Templates come pre-designed with formatting, layout, and formulas, making it easy to create visually appealing Excel spreadsheets quickly. Here are a few tips for enhancing your spreadsheets with templates:

Choose the Right Template

When selecting a template, make sure it matches your needs. There are templates available for various purposes, such as budgeting, project management, and inventory tracking. Choose a template that fits your specific requirements.

Customize the Template

Once you've selected a template, don't be afraid to customize it. Add or remove columns, change formatting, and adjust formulas to suit your needs. This will make the template more personalized and useful for you.

Use Table Styles

Table styles can help you make your data more readable and visually appealing. Apply different table styles to your data to make it stand out and easier to understand.

Save Your Own Templates

If you frequently use a particular format or layout, save it as a template for future use. This will save you time and effort in the long run. Check out this guide on 5 Excel spreadsheets that you should try.

Download Templates from Reputable Sources

When downloading templates from the internet, make sure you're using a reputable source. Some templates may contain viruses or malware that can harm your computer.

Stay tuned! I am going to have some Done-For-You spreadsheets soon.

Creating Visually Appealing Spreadsheets - this is an Excel budget template I created.
Creating Visually Appealing Spreadsheets – this is an Excel budget template I created.

Congratulations!

You've made it to the end of our guide on creating visually appealing spreadsheets. By following the tips we've outlined, you should be well on your way to creating spreadsheets that are both functional and aesthetically pleasing. Good luck!

I'd love to hear from you! Please leave a comment or question below.

Image of Lindsay, author of the site

Hi! I'm Lindsay!

My nearly 20 years of experience working in various office settings have made me intimately familiar with the power and versatility of Microsoft Excel and I’m here to empower individuals who may not have had the opportunity to gain hands-on experience with Excel through traditional means.

Follow me as I share basic Excel tips and tricks, and answer common questions to master the essentials of Excel.

Similar Posts

One Comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *