Table of contents

  1. Introduction to colour
  2. Using colour in bar charts
  3. Using colour in line charts
  4. Using colour in pie charts
  5. Using colour to connect information
  6. Choosing the right colours
  7. Tools
  8. Colour association
  9. Branding with colour
  10. Accessibility and colours
  11. Colour combinations
  12. Using red and green
  13. Further information about colour theory

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Using colour in line charts

Use colour to distinguish between lines on a line chart.

Implied order

If the data has an implied order, for example, age ranges, use different shades of one colour, or colours with different luminance values, but the same hue and saturation.

Example of chart using different shades of one colour to show an implied order

Line chart with each line in a different shade of blue to distinguish the different age ranges.

No implied order

If the data has no implied order, for example, male and female, different colours (hues) can be used.

Example of chart using different colours

Line chart with a blue line for males and a yellow line for females.

Using colour and texture

Lines have a smaller area than bars, which means fewer colours can be distinguished. Try to avoid using more than four shades of one colour on a line chart without using another mechanism to differentiate between them. Using colour and texture can be particularly powerful.

Example of chart where data categories can be ordered

Line chart with each line in a different shade of blue to distinguish between ages, with some dashed lines to distinguish from the solid lines.

Example of chart where data categories have no order

Line chart using a range of different colours and both solid and dashed lines to distinguish between different countries.