The first problem encountered in most visualizations is choosing good colors. PSU has integreated data from the National Science Foundation and created “ColorBrewer”, a tool to make it alot easier. Simply select the number of colorlevels you need, whether you want a “Sequential”, “Diverging”, or “Qualitative” Colormap, and then select from their predesigned colors. The colors are displayed on a sample state & county map, and it then gives you all the information you need:
- Try out other overlay colors for roads or state lines
- Get the color codes in RGB, CMYK, or other colorspaces
- Find out if the colormap is photocopy friendly, colorblind friendly, projector friendly, and more
It’s a great tool to have in any visualization scientists’s (or graphic designer’s) toolbox.
