Track 02 · Visualization principles
Colour that means something
One accent, lots of grey. Make colour carry meaning, not decoration.
Colour is the most abused tool in dashboards. The fix is simple: one accent, lots of grey. Colour should carry meaning — never just fill space.
The rule: grey is the default
Make everything grey first. Then add one colour to the single thing you want people to look at. If everything is colourful, nothing stands out.
Every bar shouts. Different colours imply different meanings that aren’t there.
Your eye goes straight to the bar that matters. The rest support it.
Give each colour one job
- Accent — the one thing to notice — your brand cyan.
- Positive / negative — green for good, red for bad — and only that.
- Neutral grey — 70% of any chart should be calm and quiet.