How to Use Adobe Illustrator for Data Presentation

Adobe Illustrator has often been called the most versatile app in Adobe’s Creative Cloud suite – perhaps second only to Adobe Firefly, which technically is less a part of the Creative Cloud, and more a part of every app within the Creative Cloud!

Being a vector-based design application, Illustrator can be used to create anything from high-resolution illustrations to logos, icons, and fonts that can easily be resized to fit on anything from ‘business cards to billboards’, according to Adobe themselves.

But did you know that you can also use Adobe Illustrator for data presentation purposes? With Illustrator’s Graph Tool and other data visualisation tools, you can design charts, maps, and informational graphics that can be used for a wide variety of applications, spanning from formal presentations to detailed brochures, pamphlets, and contracts.

Illustrator is also an industry standard tool, so building proficiency can not only help with data presentation projects for existing clients, but may also help attract new business. This also rings true for freelancers who may be juggling study with ad-hoc industry projects. If you’re currently enrolled in a tertiary course, you can also take full advantage of Adobe Illustrator for students, allowing you to access Illustrator at a reduced cost and thus, making it even easier to master Illustrator’s graph and data presentation capabilities as you hone your industry skills.

Not sure where to start? Here are some of the best ways to use Adobe Illustrator for data presentation projects.

Use the Graph Tool to create custom graphs and charts

The Graph Tool feature allows Illustrator users to create the following types of graphs and charts:

• Column graphs
• Stacked column graphs
• Bar graphs
• Stacked bar graphs
• Line graphs
• Area graphs
• Scatter graphs
• Pie graphs
• Radar graphs

You can find all of these graph types under Illustrator’s specially designed corresponding icons. These icons also make it a lot easier to pinpoint exactly what graph style best fits your data visualisation project.

Selecting any of the graph and chart options within the Graph Tool then opens up a small spreadsheet window where users can input their data sets and define the graph’s X-axis and Y-axis.

If you’re working with raw data, this means that all you have to do is input your metrics into the spreadsheet window, and then watch your raw data transform into a fully customisable graph design in your Illustrator project.

Pro tip: you can import data from Excel or via .csv or .txt files with Illustrator as well, so if you’re working with third-party data tools, try exporting your data in any of these formats to help you generate easy data visualisations in just seconds.

Customise charts with the Direct Selection tool

Once your raw data has been inputted and your basic graphs have been generated, you can then use Illustrator’s Direct Selection tool to select specific elements or sections (i.e. individuals bars or labels) across your graphs in order to change their colour, size, line thickness, and other design elements.

Illustrator’s graph design features under the Direct Selection tool are unique to the graph or chart style you’re working with. For example, you can expect different graph customisation options for a bar graph (i.e. size, colour, and pattern in bars, etc.) than you would for a pie chart (i.e. colour of pie slices) or a scatter graph (i.e. colour and size of Cartesian coordinates, thickness of trend line, trend line vs. no trend line etc.).

Pro tip: use high-contrast colours when designing your graph to support visibility and accessibility of your data presentations. This is especially crucial for graphs with a greater number of data points, where you’re more likely to use similar colours to denote five or more different data points. Your viewer should be able to see at a glance the difference between one slice of your pie chart versus another.

Use the Graph Designs feature for brand and icon inclusions

Adobe Illustrator is widely used by commercial users (i.e. business professionals, account managers, etc.). As a result, Illustrator has been updated over time to include more brand design inclusions for business users. This focus on accommodating business users has also influenced the evolution of Illustrator for data visualisation over time.

Today, Illustrator users can use the platform’s Graph Designs feature to fully replace bars, slices, and other elements in their designs with their own custom icons and logo branding. This enables business users to prepare data visualisations that can be organically included into business reports and presentations where that extra personal touch will be sure to impress.

Pro tip: use vector image files when uploading icons and logos to use within your Graph Designs feature. With vector-based brand and icon inclusions, your image resolution won’t be distorted in the process of including them into your graph designs.

Reuse graph designs by creating your own templates

Finally, Adobe Illustrator also allows individual and commercial users to reuse existing graph designs to create their very own customisable graph templates. To save your graph design in Illustrator, simply select the graph, then select Object > Graph > Design > Save Design, and give your new graph design template a title that suits it best.

This feature is a certified game changer for enterprise clients who want to keep their reporting processes as efficient and cohesive as possible. With the ability to save graph designs for future use, you can generate consistent reports (i.e. weekly, monthly, quarterly, etc.), that maintain a familiar format and layout. This in turn, gives your reports a strong brand feel, and keeps them accessible to your clients, leads, and other figures that may be perusing through your findings.

Pro tip: be thoughtful and application-focused with your graph design template names. For instance, prep different graph designs for reports and presentations versus brochures and pamphlets, which may require more simple graph designs to take full advantage of the format’s limited space.

Use Adobe Illustrator to elevate your data reporting

To recap, here are just a few ways you can use Adobe Illustrator to strengthen your data visualisation and presentation tasks:

• Create custom graphs by inputting raw data via .csv or .txt files, or via copy-pasting directly from an Excel spreadsheet
• Customise graphs using the Direct Selection tool to ensure your visualised data is easy to read and understand
• Customise graphs using the Graph Designs tools to ensure graphs and charts align with branding and project themes
• Create your own customisable graph design templates per each data visualisation project to make it even easier to produce repeat reports (i.e. weekly, monthly, quarterly, etc.).

Adobe Illustrator’s graph generation and data presentation tools are definitely underrated, to say the least. These data visualisation tools are designed to be easy to use and possess a very limited learning curve and streamlined user experience, which makes integrating Illustrator into your presentation and reporting processes an effortless and organic endeavour.

Try using Adobe Illustrator to elevate the data presentation and reporting capabilities for your organisation or enterprise.

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