How can you design charts and graphs that impress investors in your pitch deck?

To impress investors, ditch data dumps for clear, concise charts. Highlight wow factors like explosive growth with color gradients and focus on storytelling, using visuals to paint a picture of your market dominance or problem-solving prowess. Keep it consistent, label with intention, and ensure they flow with your narrative, and you'll have investors captivated by your data story.

In my view, a chart effectively conveys data insights. It should be precise while selecting the right tool for a job. When presenting trends, like financial performance over time, a line chart's simplicity clarifies the trajectory. A scatter plot unveils patterns that might otherwise go unnoticed for intricate relationships. The size and position of bubbles in a bubble chart can add another layer of information. However, restraint is key, overcomplicating visuals risks alienating your audience. A fundamental principle is aligning the chart with your story. If your story revolves around distribution, a box plot can be clarity aids understanding. Complex charts might be tempting, but simplicity often triumphs.

Leave the jargon out and simplify things. Investors won’t invest in something they cannot easily understand. Don’t over complicate things

Experience says impactful colours and concise labels elevate visual communication in charts. A tuneful colour scheme, aligned with brand identity, promotes coherence. Strategic labelling, sparingly applied, emphasizes crucial data without overwhelming the audience. However, excess colours or labels risk visual clutter and detract from the message. Consistency is key, avoiding clear distracting legends ensures seamless information absorption. Striking the right balance enhances readability and augments the overall appeal of charts and graphs.

While representing your data is the primary purpose of charts and graphs, it also provides an equal opportunity to showcase how well you understand both your product and the market by creating a narrative around your facts. Guiding investors through your figures will not only showcase how you strategized to achieve your current traction but also how well you understand how to tackle what is ahead to grow and scale your startup. At the end of the day, investors invest in stories, with numbers serving as building blocks. Not the other way around.

In my experience I dont think you should really try to avoid showing too much. You do need to keep it at a fairly highlevel and focus on the most important data / charts that supports your story. Also be consistent thorughout the pitch deck