Color systems encodes values as hue, value and chroma mapped to category or magnitude. Munsell 1905; Brewer palettes (1994–) for maps; OKLCH in modern CSS.
In reports, ads and assignments it fits legends, brand systems, accessible data color. Skip it when rainbow defaults, or encoding two quantities in one hue.
Principles
- Encoding — Color systems encodes hue, value and chroma mapped to category or magnitude.
- History — Munsell 1905; Brewer palettes (1994–) for maps; OKLCH in modern CSS
- Fit — legends, brand systems, accessible data color
- Shared baseline — The eye compares length and position more accurately than area.
- Audience — PowerPoint, Excel or Google Sheets and Meta, Google and retail print share the same geometry.
Misconceptions
- Pretty equals true — Decoration rarely persuades; it slows reading.
- 3-D helps — Perspective distortion wrecks comparison. Keep it flat.
- More series is richer — Do not stack stories. One Color systems, one claim.
- Default palette is fine — Rainbow defaults fail color-blind viewers and grey print. Change Excel or Google Sheets defaults.
Why it matters
- Work — Work: legends, brand systems, accessible data color. Readable in four minutes in PowerPoint.
- Ads — Ads: one number and one shape speak first in Meta, Google and retail print.
- School — School: for lab reports and poster boards, pick the form that answers the rubric.
- Craft — Craft: honour hue, value and chroma mapped to category or magnitude and decoration falls away.
Color systems: honour hue, value and chroma mapped to category or magnitude, and switch when rainbow defaults, or encoding two quantities in one hue.