
CHART STARTER SERIES
Tasked with making simple, clear, easy-to-understand charts and graphs but intimidated by the software?
Graphing software can feel mystifying and user-UNfriendly, but you can master graph-making in it with the Chart Starter Series of tutorials.
Use the tools you have to make compelling visualizations for reports, slides, handouts, and dashboards.

The Chart Starter Series equips you with the 10 lessons you’ll most need to massively improve your graph-making skills in the shortest amount of time. You can emerge from self-isolation with a whole new skill set.
The Evergreen Data Visualization Academy has dozens and dozens of chart tutorials but I packaged together the graphs I implement most commonly with the organizations I consult with around the world.
You’ll get a quick jumpstart on charts and graphs with the Chart Starter Series.
Audiences rave about the beauty of the visuals I’ll show you how to make in these tutorials. People who take our training series get recognition, become an indispensable resource around the office, and even get promoted.
Step by step we’ll walk together through what you are even looking at when you open Excel, Tableau, or R. We’ll hold hands through making the highest impact charts and you’ll learn when to use which to tell your data story. This is content you can only find here – I don’t share these secrets in my blog or my books.
You’ll even get my Chart Chooser Cheat Sheet that most people pin to their office walls (or home office walls) for easy reference.
And you’ll have my tried-and-true structured process for making great visuals to follow any time.
Here are my highest recommended tutorials that I’ve packaged for you in each Chart Starter Series:
Excel
Four Step Visualization Process
How to Use Excel
Customize Colors
Embed Legends
Efficiency Tricks & Shortcuts
Dot Plots
Horizontal Dumbbell Dot Plot
Overlapping Bars
Diverging Stacked Bars
Basic Bar
Tableau
Four Step Visualization Process
How to Use Tableau
Customize Colors
Embed Legends
Efficiency Tricks
Basic Bar
Diverging Stacked Bars
Horizontal Dumbbell Dot Plot
Overlapping Bars
Slides and Story Points
R Code
Four Step Visualization Process
How to Use R
Customize Colors
Embed Legends
Efficiency Tricks with R
Horizontal Dumbbell Dot Plot
Overlapping Bars
Diverging Stacked Bars
Basic Bar
Line and Area Graphs
Each Tutorial Includes:
- A step-by-step video, walking you through how to make the graph (except R – it’s code and no one really needs a video on how to paste code.)
- Written step-by-step instructions with screenshots
- Templates of completed graphs, ready for your data
- Worksheets of data to practice alongside the video
- Research behind why this chart type works
- A forum for asking questions
- Something fun with each tutorial
You can access this knowledge and skill for $299. Watch, practice, rewind, practice again until you feel like a pro.
When you are ready for more advanced content, you can apply your Chart Starter Series payment toward full Data Visualization Academy enrollment, where we have 60 tutorials, plus a new tutorial each month. When you join the Academy, your Chart Starter Series cost will be discounted. Read more about how our programs compare.
Excel, Tableau, and R are so powerful! They are the engines driving many companies. And each software can do so much: data validation, 3D models, predictive analytics – in the Chart Starter Series, we aren’t going to use any of that!
To tame these programs into making high impact visuals, we will stay focused on specific parts that make great graphs and ignore everything else. As intimidating as Excel or Tableau or R might seem, this series of tutorials will give you power and confidence.
The Chart Starter Series is perfect for people who have to present data to funders, clients, executives, or the public.
Aggravated by your annual report? We can help.
Stressing your sales meeting? We’ve got you.
Stumped by your survey software graphs? We’ll show you how to do it better.

Need a custom,
hands-on Academy experience?
In the Graph Guide program, we will tailor a learning path through the Academy tutorials, based on a preassessment of your skills.
You’ll get a dataviz expert coach who will help you tackle the curriculum. Earn certification and grow your skills in one year.
The technical stuff
The Excel tutorials are based in Excel 2016 and later on a PC. Most menus and buttons are in a similar place on older versions of Excel on a PC and we tell you what to expect if you are using an older version. We do not provide instructions for Excel on a Mac (why do they have to be so different?). The Tableau tutorials are shown on a Mac. The forum is always there for you to ask a question if you run into trouble. Upload a screenshot and we will help you navigate.
We know you’ll love our content – thousands of people do. In the event that we just aren’t working for you, you can request a refund within 24 hours of purchase by emailing uhoh@Academy.StephanieEvergreen.com.
How Our Programs Compare
- 10 video tutorials in Excel OR Tableau OR R (you pick one software)
- Worksheets and templates Research behind the chart choice
- Written step-by-step instructions
- Community forum for your questions
- Digital Certificate of Participation
- One-time payment
Upgrade to the Evergreen Data Visualization Academy or Graph Guide Program for full access to all tutorials, office hours, assessments and personalized help
- 60+ tutorials in Excel, Tableau, and R
- Worksheets and templates
- Research behind the chart choice
- Written step-by-step instructions
- Community forum in each tutorial, in a private Facebook group and in a private Slack Channel
- Office hours once a month
- Help on work projects
- New content delivered semi-monthly
- Digital Certificate of Participation
- Renews annually
Upgrade to the Graph Guides Program if you need more intensive coaching in a one-on-one learning environment
- 60+ tutorials in Excel, Tableau, and R
- Worksheets and templates
- Research behind the chart choice
- Written step-by-step instructions
- Community forum in each tutorial, in a private Facebook group and in a private Slack Channel, plus ongoing conversation with your graph guide
- Office hours once a month
- New content delivered semi-monthly
- Pretest, checklist of milestones to accomplish, portfolio review, and posttest
- Customized learning path through our tutorials
- Intensive coaching with your Graph Guide
- Paper & Digital Certificate of Completion
- One-time payment – you complete in one year
- A free year of the Data Viz Academy upon completion
What our Academy Members are Saying

Hey friend!
I’m Dr. Stephanie Evergreen, author, data nerd, and founder of the Evergreen Data Visualization Academy. I have written three books on data visualization and intentional reporting. I have the best job – travelling all over the world to work with organizations, from county level health departments to Fortune 100s, on how they can achieve their mission with better data communication. I originally created the Academy as a way to offer my sold-out workshop content to more people than I could ever see in person. The data visualization strategies and training in the Academy have grown so large, it is now way more than we could pack into a multi-day workshop.