A re-creation / reimagining of a classic graphic on color
from "The Big Book of Dashboards" by Steve Wexler,
Jeffrey Shaffer, and Andy Cotgreave.
Color Scale Patterns in Data Visualization
This infographic demonstrates the five basic color-scale
patterns used in data visualization:
Color Scale Types
- Sequential - Color is ordered from low to high,
typically encoding quantitative or ordinal data
- Diverging - Two sequential colors with a neutral
midpoint, used for scales showing two different outcomes
- Categorical - Contrasting colors for individual
comparisons, each representing a specific category
- Highlight - Color used to call attention to specific
data points, used with gray tints
- Alert - Color used to get user attention, using
attention-grabbing colors like red or orange
Each pattern is illustrated with a mini bar chart, color
swatches, and descriptive text to demonstrate the
appropriate use case and visual encoding.