As a designer of numerous web and mobile applications that require different types of data to be summarized and presented in the clearest possible way, I’ve spent more than 2,000 hours designing in Sketch since making the switch from Adobe Fireworks. Most of that time was spent messing around with the visuals of tables, line charts, pie charts and other graphs.In this article I want to share my insights and some time saving techniques for use when designing data-heavy interfaces with Sketch. Creating Pie & Donut ChartsOne of the most common chart type used to illustrate numerical proportions is the pie chart. While simple in theory, it is sometimes a bit tricky to design, especially when real-life data needs to be used.

• Blank Organizational Chart Template

I currently use two different techniques, each of which has its advantages. Segmented Circles PluginThe first technique requires the amazing Sketch Plugin “” built by German Bauer. It is, by far, the most advanced plugin I have come across for generating different types of pie charts within seconds. Since all segment values are entered into a single text field, one can simply copy and paste real data directly, e.g., from Excel. Abusing Angular GradientsI have to admit that this technique is a bit messy – but it’s incredibly useful when you need many pie charts of the same style and want to change the values of the slices quickly without the need to redraw the entire chart.Simply add a circle and apply an angular gradient as the background. Then add two hard color-stops for each segment and align them accordingly.

This is great for quickly duplicating charts, as you can simply copy and paste the style onto each circle and then adjust the color stops. Creating Line ChartsLine charts are involved in pretty much any analytics-related interface design, as they are one of the best available options for presenting a series of data points. They can, however, be beasts to design and maintain, as detailed line charts can easily grow to hundreds of layers and groups. In order to keep all these layers structured – including the line grid, legends, marker points and graphs – organization and simplification is key. Use Numbers or ExcelThis is amazing since it saves an enormous amount of time “faking“ a nice looking graph within Sketch and allows you to design with real data. Just use your favorite spreadsheet application to create a line chart and export it as a PDF. When opening the PDF with Sketch, you can select each individual element of the chart, since they are all exported as vector graphics and organized in layer groups.

– dropping a PDF exported by Numbers into Sketch.If you don’t have a set of data ready to create a diagram within Numbers or Excel, simply generate a random set of numbers using the RANDBETWEEN function. Create symbols for points and shared styles for linesSince the most annoying part of customizing line charts has always been finding and selecting the correct layers to adjust, it’s a good idea to automize that step as much as possible by creating symbols for each variation of data point as well as shared styles for each colored line. In this way, you can update aspects like color and border width for all charts in the design simply by updating the symbol or shared style.

Make it resizable!Since Sketch version 39, it has been possible to create actual responsive designs that scale up and down like magic, without distorted elements. Applying resizing rules to the elements of a line chart is a good idea when there’s a possibility that the dimensions of the parent container might some day change. – stop wasting your time calculating spacing between elements and just let Sketch do the math.When drawing a line chart manually, use the vertical and horizontal distribution function to distribute the data points, lines for the x-axis, and all the labels such that they have an even amount of space in between them.

TablesDesigning tables can often turn into a real nightmare, with the need to create and organize hundreds of text and vector layers for cell data, and row, column, and border styles. Whenever we need to add or remove a column, change the width of the table or of a specific column, or change cell data – it always affects all the other elements of the table and we spend way too much time fixing visuals after small changes until now.Since Sketch version 39, just like with graphs, we can now resize tables seamlessly by assigning resize rules to each cell and the containing elements. In addition, it makes sense to structure table rows in a specific way and heavily use shared styles to make updating and changing the content and visual styling easier and faster.

Organizing cells and rowsTo make resize rules work correctly, all the containing elements, such as text, buttons, cell background and borders, need to be grouped together.Cell backgrounds as well as the cell text layer should be set to “Resize object”, while elements (like sort indicator arrows) that need be pinned to the left or right border should be set to “Pin to corner”. Reduce the amount of layers. – one layer with multiple inner shadows to create the cell borders.The fewer layers we need to deal with the better.

I usually try to limit them to two layers per table cell – one for the text and one for background and border effects. To create border lines between rows and columns, I use inner 1px shadows with Blur set to 0. This has two advantages: there’s no need to add additional layers to create borders, and you can use shared styles for all table cells, which allows you to change something like border color or cell background effects with one click for all the cells.

Generating ContentThe most time-consuming task when designing a table is filling each row with individual data. With, a Sketch integration by inVision, we can automate that task completely. Fill cells with random dataTo fill each cell with random data, create one row, select each text layer and assign one of the various data formats from the Craft Data panel. Then select the row group and open the Craft Duplicate panel and choose the amount of rows you want to create. Craft clones the row X times and inserts randomly generated but individual content.

– creating a table with random, but individual data in each cell within under a minute. Fill cells with real data from your APIWhen working on designs for, e.g., a web or iOS application that already has a database and an API that serves content via JSON, you can import real data through the Craft data panel.If the API is public, you can simply import JSON by inserting the URL for an API call.

If the API requires a key or authentication, you will need to download a JSON file and import it manually, since the Sketch integration does not yet support authentication.

Become a necessity when you work with a large group—people need to understand where they fit in the organization and what tasks they need to accomplish, and a visual representation brings the point across quickly.However, org charts can also become a hassle. It takes a lot of time to collect the information you need, let alone structure it in a way that looks professional, and if your organization grows or changes at the drop of a hat, you have to check your org chart frequently for accuracy.At Lucidchart, we want you to benefit from visual communication without any of the drawbacks.

In this guide, you’ll find org chart templates for a variety of organizations and scenarios. Whether you run a restaurant or lead a religious congregation, Lucidchart helps you delineate responsibilities and keep your group in order. Blank org chart templateSometimes you just need to start from scratch.

With our blank org chart template, you can customize your visual to fit your group better. Just click any box, and a dialog will appear where you can enter names, titles, phone numbers, and other information you may need.Blank Org Chart Diagram Template (Click on image to modify) Hierarchical org chart templateThe hierarchical org chart template connects employees to their supervisors, starting with one individual at the top, typically the CEO or another leadership position. Depending on who reports to whom, you’ll likely break this org chart down by department. To learn more about the main three types of organizational charts,.Heirarchical Org Chart Diagram Template (Click on image to modify) Matrix org chart templateThe traditional org chart structure doesn’t work for every company, particularly when teams in different departments need to work together.

Structured like a grid, the matrix org chart shows teams and reporting relationships that form for special projects.Matrix Org Chart Diagram Template (Click on image to modify) Flat org chart templateIf you run a startup or if you don’t have many levels between executives and entry-level employees, you may want to try this flat org chart template. This type of org chart (and the business mentality that accompanies it) encourages more open communication.Flat Org Chart Diagram Template (Click on image to modify) HR org chart templateWhen employees at your company have questions about open enrollment or the company’s referral program, they may know to turn to Human Resources, but they don’t always know the right individual to talk to. This HR org chart templates clears up the confusion—it show employees who to contact and what resources are available. In Lucidchart, you can even to create your diagram.Org Chart Diagram Template for HR (Click on image to modify) Company org chart templateEffective communication is essential if you want your business to succeed. When you show employees the way teams have been organized using this company org chart template, they can better understand their responsibilities and know to whom they should turn when they have questions or want to collaborate.

Lucidchart makes organizational charts easy to maintain, even when you restructure.Org Chart Diagram Template for a Company (Click on image to modify) Restaurant org chart templateAs scrumptious as your menu items may be, you’re unlikely to earn 5-star reviews if your diners have an unpleasant experience at your restaurant. Use this restaurant org chart template to keep track of roles within the restaurant staff, improve communication, and make your dining experience Zagat-worthy.Org Chart Diagram Template for Restaurant (Click on image to modify) Partnership org chart templateWhen you start a business partnership, organizational charts can keep both sides aware of their roles and responsibilities. Start with our partnership org chart template, and then use the sharing options in Lucidchart to send this information to your partner company. If they have access to your Lucidchart document, they can even leave comments to clear up misunderstandings.Org Chart Diagram Template for Partnership(Click on image to modify) Business org chart templateWhether you have just restructured your business or hired a large group of new employees, you can use an organizational chart to make sure every employee understands how he or she fits into the larger picture. Customize our business org chart template and store it in Confluence, Google Drive, or another integrated platform.Org Chart Diagram Template for Business (Click on image to modify) Project org chart templateSometimes organizations create teams for a specific project. Even if you have a chart that represents the entire organization, you might want to create a new document for this short-term team.

Open our project org chart template, and you can help each team member understand the dynamic and get started on the project quickly.Org Chart Diagram Template for Project Management (Click on image to modify) Hotel org chart templateIt takes a lot of people to create a fantastic experience for your hotel’s visitors, from the employee who manages the front desk to the one who whips up a filet mignon when a guest orders room service. Keep track of these responsibilities and see where you may need more assistance with our hotel org chart template.Org Chart Diagram Template for Hotel Management (Click on image to modify) Travel agency org chart templateBefore your clients can depart on their vacations or business trips, each employee at your travel agency plays a role to ensure a positive travel experience. Whether they work with airlines and suggest accommodations or balance the books, show your employees how each of them contributes. Our travel agency org chart template is simple to adapt as your agency does.Org Chart Diagram Template for Travel (Click on image to modify) Factory org chart templateFor centuries, factories have streamlined the production process for higher efficiency and lower costs. To ensure that your processes are as efficient as they can be, fill out our factory org chart template. You can easily see where you need more workers and where you can improve the process when you visualize your entire team in Lucidchart.Org Chart Diagram Template for a Factory (Click on image to modify) Event org chart templateDon’t let event planning become too stressful. In Lucidchart, you can organize all of the people who will contribute to the big day with our event org chart template.

Blank Organizational Chart Template

Now you’ll know where to turn to make sure the venue looks beautiful, the food tastes wonderful, and any scheduled events happen without a hitch.Org Chart Diagram Template for Event Planning (Click on image to modify) Church org chart templateHelp others—both inside and outside of your congregation—understand how your church is organized. This church org chart template includes religious leaders, officers, members, and volunteers so everyone can fulfill his or her duties.Org Chart Diagram Template for a Church (Click on image to modify) See deeper into your org chartOften, org charts communicate more than just hierarchical relationships. An org chart can serve as a central repository for employee information of all sorts (location, phone number, supervisor ID, etc.). The more information, the better, right? There’s just one problem: The hierarchical layout of org charts isn’t always the best way to visualize this additional information.Lucidchart’s allows you to arrange your org charts by criteria other than hierarchy, generating new diagrams from your original org chart.Org Chart Group View by Location (Click on image to modify) Geographical org chartAs your organization grows, you may have employees spread across multiple buildings, cities, or even countries. Individuals from these various locations will often appear in the same org chart—after all, they still all belong to the same organization.

This is great for visualizing the structure across the entire company, but sometimes you may need to quickly see which employees work at each location.In the example above, we started with a standard org chart that shows each employee’s name, position or role, and place within the company’s hierarchy. Next, using Lucidchart’s group view, we chose to group the employees by location. On a second tab, Lucidchart automatically generated two containers, labeled San Francisco and New York, and sorted the employees into them.

The result is a geographical organizational chart, a diagram that uses location rather than hierarchy as the organizing structure.Org chart by scrum teamIf your company or organization uses the scrum method for project management, your org chart will likely include each employee’s team number. However, with org charts’ standard hierarchical layout, there’s no easy way to see any given team’s members—you need to scan the whole diagram.

Grouping by scrum team allows you to quickly see which employees are on each team and identify unassigned individuals.;The scrum team org chart below was generated from a traditional flat org chart. The boxes on the original diagram were color-coded to show the various scrum teams, but that wasn’t the best way to visualize the information. Using Lucidchart’s group view, we generated a new diagram (pictured below) that presents the scrum teams and their constituents simply and effectively.Org Chart Group View by Scrum Team (Click on image to modify) How to import your org chartWant to save even more time? When you, you can automatically generate organizational charts from data in a CSV file.

Watch the video below to learn more.How to add an org chart in Google DocsNow that you have created your org chart, how will you make sure fellow employees see and use it? If your company uses G Suite, you can add your org chart to Google Docs for easy access. Our Lucidchart add-on for Google Docs will even allow you to update inserted diagrams with just one click. Read our blog post to learn more, or download the add-on now. About Lucidchart:Lucidchart is the essential visual productivity platform that helps anyone understand and share ideas, information, and processes with clarity. With this intuitive, cloud-based solution, anyone can learn to work visually and collaborate in real time while building flowcharts, mockups, UML diagrams, and more.The most popular online, Lucidchart is used in over 180 countries by more than 15 million users, from sales managers mapping out prospective organizations to IT directors visualizing their network infrastructure.