SEDB-G01 Making Effective Use of Color

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Version 1: Making Effective Use of Color

Tools for Selecting Effective Color Schemes

Color Brewer 2.0	Web-based tool for selecting appropriate color schemes based on your data type: qualitative (also called categorical), sequential, and diverging. Includes options for color-blind safe schemes.
Coblis	A color blindness simulator

Websites

Colblindor	Site for learning more about color-blindness. Includes tests and tools for checking designs (Coblis)
Perceptual Edge	Stephen Few’s website on tools and techniques for visual business intelligence.

Detailed Information for Selecting Effective Color Schemes

Stephen Few's Practical Rules for Using Color in Charts is an excellent summary of how to use color effectively and how to avoid common mistakes with color display.

A. Light & P.J  Bartlein's The end of the rainbow? Color schemes for improved data graphics. Eos, Transactions American Geophysical Union. 85:40 (2004): 385-391.

Please note:The content provided here are intended as guidelines (recommended, but not mandatory) for design and implementation, not as standards (mandatory, minimum requirements).