ColorWise

Chapter 4. How to Tell a Story with Color

It’s not enough to merely slap data on a piece of paper or a screen these days; it needs to capture the intended audience’s attention, guide them through the story you want to tell, and bring them to the intended conclusion. Here are some quick tips on how to tell a data story with color, which we will expand upon in later chapters.

Keep It Simple

First and foremost, too much of a good thing, even a great thing, can be overwhelming. Data scientist Edward Tufte coined the phrase “data-ink” ratio to describe the amount of ink necessary to put into your data visualization project, and makes the point that excessive amounts of color for the sake of decorative purposes is going to do nothing but be distracting.¹ The right amount of ink gets your points across quickly and easily, and moves the reader through the data as easily as they would if they were reading words on a page in a gripping story. The wrong amount of color confuses the person trying to analyze the infographic and can even hide—accidentally—what they are trying to say.

Too many colors and fancy designs might impress your friends and your school-age children, but they are unlikely to do the same for business associates and consumers. You’re not trying to design USA Today’s weather map here; you’re trying to deliver a specific narrative that can either stand alone or that augments text, video, etc.

Charts can make it even worse, because there are even more options, including ...