what are the best ways to integrate graphs and charts from Illustrator?

[alistairk57537630]

What's the best way to integrate graphs and charts from Illustrator?

I'd like to have the text and object styling, and colour palettes, set by the InDesign document both for consistency across the graphs in a document, and also for easy updates.

The best I've come up with so far is to delete all the text in Illustrator and then manually apply dozens of tiny text frames in InDesign, which isn't a feasible way to work when there are lots of graphs.

[teachbit · Accepted solution]

You should import the charts, that only links the Illustrator file to the  indesign document and whenever ou do a changement in Illustrator the chart will be updated in InDesign. For the consistency of colors you can export a color palette as .ase document and import the colors from either Illustrator in InDesign or vice versa. 

[alistairk57537630]

How do you recommend implementing document-wide styles for the axis and legend text?

And is there a way to apply InDesign object styling to e.g. the bars on bar charts?

[Steve Werner]

It would have be done with Illustrator graphic styles (as in the Illustrator forum). You can share swatch colors, fonts and text with InDesign using the CC Libraries panel (importing into the Libraries panel in Illustrator.)

[alistairk57537630]

OK, thanks. It seems that the fundamental principle is to do all of this in Illustrator.

[Steve Werner]

Yes, if you're using Illustrator Graph tools you need to do it in Illustrator. There are a couple tools which can be used in InDesign (which I can't describe because I don't use therm) but it's described in the current InDesignSecrets Magazine issue (which you would have to pay for if you don't have a subscription):

https://indesignsecrets.com/indesign-magazine-issue-126-charts-and-graphs.php

[nigelfrench]

Illustrators graphing tools haven't been improved in over a decade. While they still work, you might find them frustrating or limiting. The article Steve refers to is very informative, so if you plan on doing a lot of charts, I would definitely recommend reading that before you begin.

Another solution, which depending on the complexity of your charts might work—would let you create the charts in InDesign, is to use the Chartwell font. There's a youtube video about it here: https://youtu.be/7Jtybq1NA9M