Chart Titles
A chart title should help readers understand what the visualization is saying, not merely identify it as a chart. Strong data-visualization systems separate the main message from supporting metadata.
Write a concise chart title that tells readers the main message or trend. Keep supporting measure, geography, and time-period detail in a subtitle or nearby metadata when your chart system supports it.
Key details
Important caveats
Metadata Boundary
Put supporting metadata such as measure, geography, and time period in a subtitle when the style system provides one, rather than overloading the title.
Further guidance
Message First
Use the chart title to communicate the main trend or takeaway when the chart has a clear finding, rather than naming only the chart type.
Practical Application
Write a short chart title that communicates the main subject or message. Move supporting measure, geography, population, and time-period detail to a subtitle or nearby metadata when the publishing system supports that separation.
Reader Check
After reading only the title and subtitle, can a reader tell what the chart is about, what population or place it covers, and the relevant period without decoding the axes first?
Style
Keep chart titles concise, front-loaded, active where appropriate, and in the capitalization style required by the publication; ONS uses sentence case.
Worked Example
Use a title such as “Remote work remains above 2019 levels” with a subtitle such as “Share of employees working mainly from home, UK, 2019–2025” rather than forcing every detail into one long title.
Sources and evidence
Sources are shown with the role they play in this guide. Historical or style-sensitive claims are kept within the evidence boundary described above.
- Chart details: Chart text — ONS Service Manual (opens in a new tab)Office for National Statistics · Chart titles, subtitles, alternative text, figure numbering, data sources, axis titles and axis number labels