vamseeachanta Color (+3)
Color
- Use color purposefully: Color should encode data, not decorate
- Highlight the story: Use a bright accent color for the key insight; grey everything else
- Sequential data: Use a single-hue gradient (light to dark) for ordered values
- Diverging data: Use a two-hue gradient with neutral midpoint for data with a meaningful center
- Categorical data: Use distinct hues, maximum 6-8 before it gets confusing
- Avoid red/green only: 8% of men are red-green colorblind. Use blue/orange as primary pair
Typography
- Title states the insight: "Revenue grew 23% YoY" beats "Revenue by Month"
- Subtitle adds context: Date range, filters applied, data source
- Axis labels are readable: Never rotated 90 degrees if avoidable. Shorten or wrap instead
- Data labels add precision: Use on key points, not every single bar
- Annotation highlights: Call out specific points with text annotations
Layout
- Reduce chart junk: Remove gridlines, borders, backgrounds that don't carry information
- Sort meaningfully: Categories sorted by value (not alphabetically) unless there's a natural order (months, stages)
- Appropriate aspect ratio: Time series wider than tall (3:1 to 2:1); comparisons can be squarer
- White space is good: Don't cram charts together. Give each visualization room to breathe
Accuracy
- Bar charts start at zero: Always. A bar from 95 to 100 exaggerates a 5% difference
- Line charts can have non-zero baselines: When the range of variation is meaningful
- Consistent scales across panels: When comparing multiple charts, use the same axis range
- Show uncertainty: Error bars, confidence intervals, or ranges when data is uncertain
- Label your axes: Never make the reader guess what the numbers mean