Color is by far the most abused and neglected tool in data visualization.

When used correctly, color has no equal as a visualization tool—in advertising, in branding, in getting the message across to any audience you seek.

As the data visualization designer, you possess the knowledge and power to use color intentionally to help tell your story.

Color Theory and History

Hues are easiest to remember, because they are simply the pure colors that appear on the color wheel. Those are the primary, secondary, and tertiary colors. Hues do not include black or white. When a hue is altered by adding black, white, or both to it, it ceases to be a hue

Shades are created when black is added to a hue, producing richer, darker, and more intense colors.

Tints appear when white is added to a hue on the color wheel. The addition of white makes any color less intense, desaturating it in the process

Tones are the result of adding both black and white to a hue—which is roughly the equivalent of adding gray. The mixture of black and white can send hues in a number of directions; they can be darker or lighter than their original incarnation, less saturated, or more intense.

in many cultures, black is the color of death, fear, and all things evil. Considering the audience you’re using when black comes into play is very important, especially if you are crossing cultural lines.

In data visualizations, red is often used as an alert that something bad has happened; this is more common in North America.