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Public Data Visualization Guide
  • Data visualization standards for SF.gov
  • Why do this?
    • Now you try!
  • Thoughtful design
  • Accessibility
    • Some basics
    • Color
    • Formatting Data Visualizations
    • Formatting tables
    • Alt Text
  • Mobile view
  • More resources
  • Analyst checklist
  • Using the Power BI template: A step-by-step guide
  • Data management
  • Webpage content for data pages
  • Publishing Power BI dashboards to SF.gov
  • Resources and links
  • Gallery of dashboard transformations
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  • Use our default SF.gov data viz colors.
  • Avoid relying on color as the only way of showing certain information.
  • Limit the number of colors.
  • Check your dashboard colors

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  1. Accessibility

Color

Use our standard color palette, but don't rely solely on color.

PreviousSome basicsNextFormatting Data Visualizations

Last updated 3 years ago

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Color can be an important part of the design of your dashboard. However, in a data visualization, color shouldn’t be relied on as the only way to distinguish data.

This guidance draws heavily on .

Use our default .

The color scheme is the standard if you are embedding dashboards in SF.gov. This is built into .

We do not recommend customizing the color profile. If you need to customize the color template, you will need to ensure the combinations are accessible and colorblind friendly. Ensure color contrast between title, axis label, and data label text and the background are at least 4.5:1. Use to check color contrast for background/font. Use and make sure colors pass WCAG standards. Use to test colors using different color deficiency lenses.

Power BI tip: Colors are built into the template. Do not use the lighter shades of the colors. Only use the primary colors, and darker. The lighter colors do not contrast enough with white.

Avoid relying on color as the only way of showing certain information.

Avoid using color (including conditional formatting) as the only way of conveying information. Instead, use other symbols and markers to differentiate data. You may also need to split a visual into multiple visuals if you find you are relying on color in a legend. Here is an example using shape and color:

Limit the number of colors.

You may want to use colors to show different categories, to shade data sequentially, or to show data centered around zero converging. No matter what, limit the number of different colors within a visual and use color sparingly to highlight key data.

Check your dashboard colors

If you are tempted to use several colors in one visual (more than 3), you may need to explore other types of visuals. For example, can be more accessible and does not solely rely on color.

Put your URL into . You could also use to ensure all elements are visible.

this color checker
coblis
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SF.gov data viz colors
the Power BI template
accessible colors
this contrast checker
the Viz Palette tool
Screenshot of the Power BI template, with all lighter shades of the colors crossed out. The lighter shades do not contrast sufficiently with white.
Example chart using color and symbols to distinguish different trend lines.
several excellent articles on color and data viz
converting your visual to small multiples