What terms like hue, saturation, lightness, and temperature mean Good news, everyone: we can use the color wheel, and a few simple guidelines, to help us select an effective set of colors for just about any visual we create. We know how to use color effectively and sparingly, but sometimes the challenge is in picking effective and appealing colors for the message we're trying to get across.

How can we use color effectively, when we are required to use the color that goes along with our corporate brand? What if I need multiple distinct colors? How do I make sure that one stands out more than the others?ĭo I choose a different set of colors based on the relationships among the elements in my chart? What is your advice on creating a visually pleasing palette of colors? How do we pick the “right” color for the specific visualization that we are creating? But that usually leads to a related series of questions: We spend a lot of time talking about sparing use of color, making sure that we're using it to focus our audience's attention where we want them to pay it. One topic that often comes up is how to use color effectively. In all of our workshops (including our virtual ones), we include time for free-form questions and answers.