diff --git a/src/core_plugins/kbn_vislib_vis_types/public/area.js b/src/core_plugins/kbn_vislib_vis_types/public/area.js
index 9d0c8bb515dfa..5ed68ec354348 100644
--- a/src/core_plugins/kbn_vislib_vis_types/public/area.js
+++ b/src/core_plugins/kbn_vislib_vis_types/public/area.js
@@ -18,7 +18,8 @@ export default function PointSeriesVisType(Private) {
       defaults: {
         type: 'area',
         grid: {
-          categoryLines: false,
+          categoryLines: true,
+          valueAxis: 'ValueAxis-1',
           style: {
             color: '#eee'
           }
@@ -72,7 +73,7 @@ export default function PointSeriesVisType(Private) {
             id: '1'
           },
           drawLinesBetweenPoints: true,
-          showCircles: true,
+          showCircles: false,
           interpolate: 'linear',
           valueAxis: 'ValueAxis-1'
         }],
diff --git a/src/core_plugins/kbn_vislib_vis_types/public/histogram.js b/src/core_plugins/kbn_vislib_vis_types/public/histogram.js
index cfd29461a6e53..57c54e897140c 100644
--- a/src/core_plugins/kbn_vislib_vis_types/public/histogram.js
+++ b/src/core_plugins/kbn_vislib_vis_types/public/histogram.js
@@ -18,7 +18,8 @@ export default function PointSeriesVisType(Private) {
       defaults: {
         type: 'histogram',
         grid: {
-          categoryLines: false,
+          categoryLines: true,
+          valueAxis: 'ValueAxis-1',
           style: {
             color: '#eee'
           }
@@ -74,7 +75,7 @@ export default function PointSeriesVisType(Private) {
             },
             valueAxis: 'ValueAxis-1',
             drawLinesBetweenPoints: true,
-            showCircles: true
+            showCircles: false
           }
         ],
         addTooltip: true,
diff --git a/src/core_plugins/kbn_vislib_vis_types/public/horizontal_bar.js b/src/core_plugins/kbn_vislib_vis_types/public/horizontal_bar.js
index 9a1c8f9daf51b..9844de9f05b6d 100644
--- a/src/core_plugins/kbn_vislib_vis_types/public/horizontal_bar.js
+++ b/src/core_plugins/kbn_vislib_vis_types/public/horizontal_bar.js
@@ -18,7 +18,8 @@ export default function PointSeriesVisType(Private) {
       defaults: {
         type: 'histogram',
         grid: {
-          categoryLines: false,
+          categoryLines: true,
+          valueAxis: 'ValueAxis-1',
           style: {
             color: '#eee'
           }
@@ -77,7 +78,7 @@ export default function PointSeriesVisType(Private) {
           },
           valueAxis: 'ValueAxis-1',
           drawLinesBetweenPoints: true,
-          showCircles: true
+          showCircles: false
         }],
         addTooltip: true,
         addLegend: true,
diff --git a/src/core_plugins/kbn_vislib_vis_types/public/line.js b/src/core_plugins/kbn_vislib_vis_types/public/line.js
index ac8e41c17e21c..22211b55bb5fc 100644
--- a/src/core_plugins/kbn_vislib_vis_types/public/line.js
+++ b/src/core_plugins/kbn_vislib_vis_types/public/line.js
@@ -18,7 +18,8 @@ export default function PointSeriesVisType(Private) {
       defaults: {
         type: 'line',
         grid: {
-          categoryLines: false,
+          categoryLines: true,
+          valueAxis: 'ValueAxis-1',
           style: {
             color: '#eee'
           }
@@ -74,7 +75,7 @@ export default function PointSeriesVisType(Private) {
             },
             valueAxis: 'ValueAxis-1',
             drawLinesBetweenPoints: true,
-            showCircles: true
+            showCircles: false
           }
         ],
         addTooltip: true,
diff --git a/src/ui/public/vislib/lib/axis/axis_config.js b/src/ui/public/vislib/lib/axis/axis_config.js
index b9c3549e51952..0b968b40d8276 100644
--- a/src/ui/public/vislib/lib/axis/axis_config.js
+++ b/src/ui/public/vislib/lib/axis/axis_config.js
@@ -37,7 +37,7 @@ export function VislibLibAxisConfigProvider() {
       filter: false,
       color: '#666',
       font: '"Open Sans", "Lato", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif',
-      fontSize: '8pt',
+      fontSize: '14px',
       truncate: 100
     },
     title: {
diff --git a/src/ui/public/vislib/lib/axis/axis_title.js b/src/ui/public/vislib/lib/axis/axis_title.js
index 134132052496a..78502fc92e55a 100644
--- a/src/ui/public/vislib/lib/axis/axis_title.js
+++ b/src/ui/public/vislib/lib/axis/axis_title.js
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@ export function VislibLibAxisTitleProvider() {
           const div = d3.select(el);
           const width = $(el).width();
           const height = $(el).height();
-          const titlePadding = 12;
+          const titlePadding = 16;
           const axisPrefix = config.isHorizontal() ? 'x' : 'y';
 
           const svg = div.append('svg')
@@ -37,16 +37,16 @@ export function VislibLibAxisTitleProvider() {
             .attr('class', `axis-title ${axisPrefix}-axis-title`);
 
           const bbox = svg.append('text')
-          .attr('transform', function () {
-            if (config.isHorizontal()) {
-              return `translate(${width / 2},${titlePadding})`;
-            }
-            return `translate(${titlePadding},${height / 2}) rotate(270)`;
-          })
-          .attr('text-anchor', 'middle')
-          .text(config.get('title.text'))
-          .node()
-          .getBBox();
+            .text(config.get('title.text'))
+            .attr('text-anchor', 'middle')
+            .attr('transform', function () {
+              if (config.isHorizontal()) {
+                return `translate(${width / 2},${titlePadding})`;
+              }
+              return `translate(${titlePadding},${height / 2}) rotate(270)`;
+            })
+            .node()
+            .getBBox();
 
           if (config.isHorizontal()) {
             svg.attr('height', Math.ceil(bbox.height));
diff --git a/src/ui/public/vislib/styles/_layout.less b/src/ui/public/vislib/styles/_layout.less
index fe93c0f6144ba..63a3ebe87956d 100644
--- a/src/ui/public/vislib/styles/_layout.less
+++ b/src/ui/public/vislib/styles/_layout.less
@@ -66,9 +66,9 @@
 }
 
 .y-axis-title text, .x-axis-title text {
-  font-size: 9pt;
+  font-size: 16px;
   fill: @vis-axis-title-color;
-  font-weight: bold;
+  //font-weight: bold;
 }
 
 .chart-title {