Gridlines

As with line charts:

• Y axis gridlines (and zero line if needed)
• X axis ticks only

Gridlines should follow the standard gridline format.

Labelling

A standard legend should be used that follows the same order as the data.

Where appropriate direct labels can be added manually instead of a legend.

Data

There should be no border around sections in the area chart.

Fill opacity

Fully opaque, otherwise it looks washed out. The chart type is more for seeing trends than specific data points.

Gradient fill

Do not use gradient fill unless there is a clear rationale for doing so.