Effective visualization involves choosing the right type of visualizations to present your data. You also need to choose the right color palette for your data. The right set of colors will help you tell your story more effectively. A poor choice of color palette will detract from the visualizations and fail to convey the message effectively. Below we discuss different types of color palettes used for data visualization and how they are best applied.

Qualitative palette

This type of palette is used when the variables are distinct from each other. For example, when the data for a population includes data on race, gender, and other such demographical information, you can assign each variable a unique color. This will form a qualitative palette.

It is important to note that using qualitative palettes is effective for distinguishing different sets of data. However, it can be overwhelming if you use too many colors. As a general rule of thumb, you should try to keep your palette to ten or fewer colors.

Sequential palette

This palette is used to show the order of values representing the same variable. The color palette consists of different values of the same color i.e. light to dark values. The colors are assigned to data values in the continuum. In most instances, the lower values in the continuum are associated with lighter colors while the higher values are assigned the darker colors in the palette.

Diverging palette

This type of palette is a combination of the sequential palette and the qualitative palette. A central value is selected and values on either side of this central value are assigned colors in sequential order relative to the center. Two colors are chosen for either side of the central value and light to dark colors are assigned to the values on either side in sequential order.

Color palettes can be applied to any type of visualization to add interest and help to make trends more easily recognizable. It is, however, important to exercise restraint when applying color. Choose your color palette with your message in mind.

Visit InetSoft to see how to apply color palettes more effectively.