Question

‘In MS Excel, charts can be formatted and customised to make them more attractive and meaningful.’ Explain the procedure to change the shape style of a chart element. Also state various shape fill options available to the user for enhancing the appearance of a chart.

Answer 1

A. Procedure to change the shape style of a chart element.

• Select the chart, then click the specific chart element you want to change (or use the Chart Elements drop-down on the Format tab → Current Selection to pick the element).
• On the Chart Tools → Format tab, locate the Shape Styles group. Click the desired style in the gallery (or click the More button to see all styles). Hovering previews a style; click to apply. 
• For finer control, click Format Selection (or double‑click the element) to open the Format Shape pane, where you can further edit Fill, Line (outline) and Effects.

B. Shape fill options available to enhance a chart.

• Solid fill - Single colour with adjustable transparency; good for clear, flat areas.
• Gradient fill - Two or more colour stops (linear, radial, etc.) to add depth and visual interest.
• Picture or texture fill - Fill with an image or built‑in texture (useful for branding or thematic backgrounds).
• Pattern fill - Repeated foreground/background pattern swatches for subtle texture or emphasis.
• No fill/Automatic - Remove fills or let Excel use theme defaults for a cleaner look; transparency control lets you de‑emphasize elements.