The Crucial Role of Color Theory in Data Analysis and Visualization
Color wheel : Map that shows how colors relate to each other.
Contrast and harmony : Contrast makes important elements stand out : Harmony ensures that despite the color and contrast, the whole chart still has some kind of balance and doesn’t seem overwhelming to look at.
“What do I want my audience to notice first?”
- Identify the key message
- “What do I want my audience to notice first?”
- Select a base palette
- I feel more comfortable sticking with muted or neutral tones, and it’s because they act like the background cast. This way, it makes it so much easier to highlight the important insights much later in your work.
- Add contrast strategically
- Here comes the fun part, it’s also kind of like the simplest, but trust me, it’s essential. Introduce one bold accent color that stands out from other shades. Like I said, it’s simple, but it’s proven to work a good number of times.
- Check accessibility
- Now this one might sound basic and optional, but personally, each time I complete a project, I flip the chart to grayscale to see if the main point still stands out. If it doesn’t, then that’s my cue to fix it.