Using colour in bar charts
Categorical data that cannot be grouped
For categorical data that cannot be organised into broad groups use the same colour and shade.
Example of how to use colour for categorical data
Example of how not to use colour for categorical data
Categorical data that can be grouped
If the categorical data can be grouped, use colour to help highlight this relationship.
Example 1 of how to use colour to group categorical data
Colour by broad category
Use colour when sub-categories are not shared across broad categories to show hierarchy in the data
Example 2 of how to use colour to group categorical data
Colour by year
Use colour when sub-categories are common across broad categories to show secondary relationships in the data.
