Graphs are often created with graphing software like Microsoft Excel, Octave or Python. But you can create professional and customizable graphs within Adobe Illustrator. We show you how in our Illustrator courses.First create a new Illustrator document and select the Graph tool. Click and drag to create the width and height you want the graph to display; it can be changed later if necessary. You are presented with a grid into which you enter your data. It’s also an easy matter to copy & paste from Excel into Illustrator at this point. Note that if you want numbers in an axis, you have to put it in inverted commas, eg. “2012”. When all the data is entered click the tick box on the top right corner of the grid box. The default greyscale bar chart will appear.
Right click on the graph and select Type. Select a type from the menu, for example Area Graph, and your graph will change accordingly. At any point you can right-click to edit the Data or change the Style. Use the Group Selection tool (stacked behind the White Arrow) to change colours or add patterns. Use Scale tool to scale up.
Right-click > Type > tick Add Drop Shadow, and tick Legend Across Top > Column width 100 > Cluster width 80. Type > change Graph Options to Value Axis > Tick Marks > Length: Full Width > Prefix: $M or approx (for example).
To make a 3-D graph: first Copy to one side > Ungroup. Note that once ungrouped you can’t regroup to edit the data –  that’s why you copy it first. Pull the graph apart with the Selection tool > Effect > 3-D > Extrude & Bevel.
Whether you’re a complete beginner or self-taught, our courses will help you gain self-confidence in your Illustrator workflow, as well as adding to your professional skill-set. See many examples of our Illustrator clients’ work on our Facebook page.
Other related Illustrator Blog Posts:
Illustrator workspace
Illustrator basics
Illustrator clipping masks
Illustrator live trace
Illustrator brushes