Student presentation on colour use and styles for communication purposes. Works better with a narrative :-)

1. Better Presentations
Heike Vornhagen
Applying Data Visualisation Principles to
improve Presentation Styles

2. © Insight 2014. All Rights Reserved
2/25
Rainbows
and other
colours
1

3. © Insight 2014. All Rights Reserved
2/25
Rainbows
and other
colours
Avoiding
Bullets
1 2

4. © Insight 2014. All Rights Reserved
2/25
Rainbows
and other
colours
Avoiding
Bullets
Audience is
everything
1 2 3

5. Using Colour

6. Rule #1 If you want different objects of the same color in a table or
graph to look the same, make sure that the background — the
color that surrounds them — is consistent.
Rule #2 If you want objects in a table or graph to be easily seen, use a
background color that contrasts sufficiently with the object.
Rule #3 Use color only when needed to serve a particular
communication goal.
Rule #4 Use different colors only when they correspond to differences
of meaning in the data.
Rule #5 Use soft, natural colors to display most information and bright
and/or dark colors to highlight information that requires
greater attention.
Stephen Few’s Colour Rules

7. Rule #1 If you want different objects of the same color in a table or
graph to look the same, make sure that the background — the
color that surrounds them — is consistent.
Rule #2 If you want objects in a table or graph to be easily seen, use a
background color that contrasts sufficiently with the object.
Rule #3 Use color only when needed to serve a particular
communication goal.
Rule #4 Use different colors only when they correspond to differences
of meaning in the data.
Rule #5 Use soft, natural colors to display most information and bright
and/or dark colors to highlight information that requires
greater attention.
Stephen Few’s Colour Rules

8. Consistent Background

9. Consistent Background

10. Contrasting Background

11. Colour = Communication

12. Different Colours = Differences of Meaning

13. Colour Choices

14. Colour Choices
soft colours vs bright colours

16. Single Hue for sequential quantitative values

17. Supporting
information should be
just visible enough to see

18. This is an okay
colourscheme
… is it?

19. This is an okay
colourscheme
… is it?

20. Avoid visual effects

22. Why rainbow colour schemes are a bad idea

23. Divisions between hues create edges

24. The colour order has no inherent meaning
This makes it harder to tell what colors represent larger quantities.

25. The colour order has no inherent meaning
?
This makes it harder to tell what colors represent larger quantities.

26. Detail is actually
harder to see in a
rainbow.

30. Presenting better bullets ….
• The European languages are members of the same family.
• For science, music, sport, etc, Europe uses the same vocabulary.
• The languages only differ in their grammar, their pronunciation and their most common
words.
• Everyone realizes why a new common language would be desirable: one could refuse to
pay expensive translators.
• If several languages coalesce, the grammar of the resulting language is more simple and
regular than that of the individual languages.
• It will be as simple as Occidental; in fact, it will be Occidental. To an English person, it will
seem like simplified English.

31. The European languages are
members of the same family.
For science, music, sport,
etc, Europe uses the same
vocabulary.
The languages only differ in
their grammar, their
pronunciation and their most
common words.
Everyone realizes why a new
common language would be
desirable: one could refuse to
pay expensive translators.
If several languages coalesce,
the grammar of the resulting
language is more simple and
regular than that of the
individual languages.
It will be as simple as
Occidental; in fact, it will be
Occidental. To an English
person, it will seem like
simplified English.

32. The European languages
are members of the same
family.
For science, music, sport,
etc, Europe uses the same
vocabulary.
The languages only differ in
their grammar, their
pronunciation and their
most common words.
Everyone realizes why a new
common language would be
desirable: one could refuse to
pay expensive translators.
If several languages coalesce,
the grammar of the
resulting language is more
simple and regular than
that of the individual
languages.
It will be as simple as
Occidental; in fact, it will be
Occidental. To an English
person, it will seem like
simplified English.

33. Simplified English
European languages are of the same family
Same vocabulary of science, music, sport, etc
No expensive translators

34. Same Family

35. Same
vocabulary
for sports
Same Family

36. Different
grammar and
pronunciation
Same
vocabulary
for sports
Same Family

37. No expensive
translators
Different
grammar and
pronunciation
Same
vocabulary
for sports
Same Family

38. Simpler
grammar
No expensive
translators
Different
grammar and
pronunciation
Same
vocabulary
for sports
Same Family

39. 1. End poverty in all its forms everywhere
2. End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture
3. Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages
4. Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all
5. Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls
6. Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all
7. Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all
8. Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and
decent work for all
9. Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation
10. Reduce inequality within and among countries
11. Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable
12. Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
13. Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts*
14. Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development
15. Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests,
combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss
16. Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all
and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels
17. Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development
Sustainable Development Goals

45. Why do we see colour?

46. Why do we see colour?

49. THE LIGHT THAT
FALLS ONTO
YOUR EYE IS
MEANINGLESS
BECAUSE IT
COULD MEAN
LITERALLY
ANYTHING
IT’S WHAT WE
DO WITH
THAT
INFORMATION
THAT
MATTERS
-BEAU LOTTO -

51. Context
is
everything.

53. How we make sense of information
Data
Frame
Question
Judge plausability/
track anomalies /
etc.
Elaborate
Seek and infer new
data / discard data
/ etc.

54. POWERFUL
stories
?
Until the Story of the hunt is told by
the Lion, the tale of the hunt will
always glorify the hunter.