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Using Color in Maps

Using Color in Maps

1 - Plan on Purpose
Before you select colors for your map, it is important to understand who will be reading it, and how it will be used. In the following steps, you will choose an appropriate color scheme and then a color palette to best communicate the information you are trying to convey to the reader from the data included in your map. Particular color dimensions suggest particular characteristics of your data. Color hue suggests qualitative differences, color value ordered, quantitative differences. These guidelines apply to point, line, and area map symbols (Krygier 2011). Special consideration for color blindness should be noted when choosing to use color. The following examples are primarily for color on choropleth maps.

2 - Choose A Color Scheme
START

Does map show
ranked data?

NO

Qualitative Scheme

Favorite Pie
— Cherry
---Lemon
— Boysenberry
— Sweet Potato
— Pistachio
— Blueberry

YES

Does the ranking
have a “center”
or “middle”?

NO
Sequential Scheme

Poverty Rate (%)
----50 or more
— 40-49
— 30-39
— 20-29
— 10-19
--- less than 10


YES

Do the data
values trend
inward?

YES--> Converging Scheme

Example
———————
I00% Blue 50%B 50%R 100% Red
--------------> <-----------


NO --> Diverging Scheme
Change in Housing Prices
— Higher
---No Change
— Lower


Real arrows indicate direction in data value


3 - Pick Your Color Palette
Viewing Color Through A Cultural Lens

Culture has an influence over how
colors are perceived. Different hues have
conventional meanings based on nature,
politics, religion, etc. Some examples
are:

blue: water, cool, positive
numerical values,
serenity, depression,
melancholy, truth, purity,
formality, depth, restraint,
loneliness, Democrat

green: vegetation, lowlands,
forests, youth, spring,
nature, envy, greed,
jealousy, cheap,
ignorance, peace

red: warm, important items
(roads, cities...), action,
life, blood, fire, heat,
passion, danger, power,
loyalty, bravery, anger,
excitement, warning,
Republican

orange: harvest, fall, abundance,
fire, attention, action,
warning

yellow/tan: dryness, lack of
vegetation, intermediate
elev., “hot”, cheerful,
dishonest, youth, light,
hate, cowardice, joy,
optimism, spring, strong,
warning

brown: landforms (mountains,
hills...), contours,
cozy, dull, reassuring,
depressing

purple: dignity, royalty, sorrow,
despair, richness, elegant

black: mystery, strength,
heaviness

grays: quiet, reserved,
sophisticated, controlled

white: purity, clean, faith, illness


Color Dimensions
Our eyes are sensitive to blue, green, and red wavelengths of energy with overlap so we can sense the entire spectrum (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet). One way to think about how people perceive colors is in terms of three dimensions of color perception: hue, value (lightness), and intensity (saturation, chroma).

HUE: names for psychological experiences
of particular electromagnetic wavelengths.
Humans can perceive millions of different hues.

Visual variables: Hues are qualitatively different,
I thus good for showing qualitative data.

VALUE (LIGHTNESS): perceived lightness and
darkness; easy to understand in a chromatic
(color) or chromatic (greys) series. Humans
can perceive thousands of variations in value or
lightness.

Visual variables: Values are quantitatively
different, thus good for showing quantitative
data.

INTENSITY: amount of pure hue in a color
relative to neutral grey. Example: radishes and
tomatoes.
Visual variables: Intensity is subtle and good
for showing binary (yes, no), qualitative, and
quantitative data.


Compiled by G Strode, FREAC, Florida State University
Permission to reuse of chapter and other content granted by J.B.Krygier, PHD Using Color in Maps 1) Plan on Purpose 3 Pick Your Color Palette Before you select colors for your map, it is important to understand who will be reading it, and how it will be used. In the following steps, you will choose an appropriate color scheme and then a color palette to best communicate the information you are trying to convey to the reader from the data included in your map. Particular color dimensions suggest particular characteristics of your data. Color hue suggests qualitative differences, color value ordered, quantitative differences. These guidelines apply to point, line, and area map symbols (Krygier 2011). Special consideration for color blindness should be noted when choosing to use color. The following examples are primarily for color on choropleth maps. Viewing Color Through A Cultural Lens Color Dimensions Our eyes are sensitive to blue, green, and red wavelengths of energy with overlap so we can sense the entire spectrum (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet). One way to think about how people perceive colors is in terms of three dimensions of color perception: hue, value (lightness), and intensity (saturation, chroma). Culture has an influence over how colors are perceived. Different hues have conventional meanings based on nature, politics, religion, etc. Some examples are: (2) Choose A Color Scheme water, cool, positive numerical values, serenity, depression, melancholy, truth, purity, formality, depth, restraint, loneliness, Democrat blue: HUE: names for psychological experiences of particular electromagnetic wavelengths. Humans can perceive millions of different hues. START Visual variables: Hues are qualitatively different, thus good for showing qualitative data. Favorite Pie vegetation, lowlands, forests, youth, spring, nature, envy, greed, jealousy, cheap, ignorance, peace green: Cherry Lemon VALUE (LIGHTNESS): perceived lightness and darkness; easy to understand in a chromatic (color) or chromatic (greys) series. Humans can perceive thousands of variations in value or lightness. Does map show ranked data? Qualitative Scheme NO Boysenberry Sweet Potato Pistachio red: warm, important items (roads, cities...), action, life, blood, fire, heat, passion, danger, power, loyalty, bravery, anger, excitement, warning, Republican Blueberry Visual variables: Values are quantitatively different, thus good for showing quantitative data. YES INTENSITY: amount of pure hue in a color relative to neutral grey. Example: radishes and tomatoes. Poverty Rate (%) 50 or more harvest, fall, abundance, fire, attention, action, warning orange: Does the ranking have a "center" Visual variables: Intensity is subtle and good for showing binary (yes, no), qualitative, and quantitative data. 40-49 Sequential Scheme 30-39 20-29 10-19 yellow/tan: dryness, lack of NO vegetation, intermediate elev., "hot", cheerful, dishonest, youth, light, hate, cowardice, joy, optimism, spring, strong, warning or "middle"? For More Information: less than 10 http://colorbrewer2.org/ (dynamic tool with info on appropriate colors for тaps) YES Example landforms (mountains, hills...), contours, cozy, dull, reassuring, depressing http://www.freac.fsu.edu/download/ MM-color.pdf (complete chapter on color from Making Maps 2nd Ed., be sure to review the examples of visual variables and color on pages 232-233)* brown: Converging Scheme 100% Blue 50% B 50% R 100% Red purple: dignity, royalty, sorrow, despair, richness, elegant Change in Housing Prices http://www.shadedrelief.com (great articles on map colors and use of tints) Do the data values trend YES black: mystery, strength, heaviness http://colororacle.org/ (application that simulates how color is seen by someone with color blindness) Higher quiet, reserved, sophisticated, controlled grays: inward? Diverging Scheme No Change NO white: purity, clean, faith, illness Lower Compiled by G. Strode, FREAC, Florida State University *Permission for reuse of chapter and other content granted by J.B. Krygier, PhD http://go.owu.edu/-jbkrygie/ Red arrows indicate direction in data value

Using Color in Maps

shared by gstrode on Jan 10
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This flowchart makes it easy to find the proper color scheme and palette for your map.

Publisher

G Strode

Designer

L Cross

Source

Unknown. Add a source

Category

Geography
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