G i v e I t a Tr y !

A d d i n g C o l o u r s t o G r a p h s

The sample reviewed in this section is a company's monthly sales report. Documents
such as this can easily turn into hard-to-decipher collections of nothing but text and figures. But
by using graphs and adding colour, it is possible to create a document that shows the overall
situation at a glance.

Deciding on Colours and the Overall Layout

Choosing an Overall Image Colour
The job of a report is to convey facts to the reader accurately and in an easy-to-understand manner.
Consequently, we want the document to give a trustworthy impression to the reader in order to emphasise the idea
that the data it contains is accurate.
In psychological terms, cold colours convey a sense of trustworthiness, blue in particular. Using blue in a
document has a calming effect on the reader. It encourages the reader to consider the information presented in cool,
unemotional terms. For these reasons, blue is suitable for the overall image colour for such documents.
However, using only one colour for the entire document might give a stilted and excessively cold impression to
the reader. To avoid this, a warm yellow and a shade of green that is not overly warm are used as sub-colours.
The result is a document in which the colours combine to create a well-balanced product. In addition, a gradation
effect (in which the hues advance step by step along the colour wheel) is created by the three colours used_yellow,
blue and green.
This causes the three colours to seem consistent and compatible to the reader.

Use similar colours for the linked

items to achieve a consistent image.
If your document contains several tables or
graphs, you should make good use of colour to
improve organisation while also increasing ease of
understanding.
The upper portion of the sample document
consists of two tables "Sales results [by branch,
October]" and "Sales results [by branch, cumulative
total]" and two graphs corresponding to them.
Matching colours are used for the corresponding
tables and the graphs to make clear the connection
between them. Doing this tells the reader at a glance
that the tables and graphs are related to each other.
In a similar manner, the colours used for the
various data items in the table at the bottom
"Market Share" match those used in the
corresponding pie graph.
 G i v e I t a Tr y ! A d d i n g C o l o u r s t o G r a p h s

Utilising the Psychological Effects of Colours

A report must give an impression of reliability. You can use the psychological effects of colours to convey such
an impression. Cool colours, especially blue, which symbolises loyalty and integrity, create a sense of trustworthiness.
This is why blue is used for (1), the title of the document (the first place the reader's attention focuses).
The dark blue background for the title text provides a unifying sense for the entire document.

Guiding the Eyes of the Reader

The title of the sample document is "Monthly Sales Report," and thus its most important content is contained in
(2), the table "Sales results [by branch, October]" at the top. It is necessary to take steps to draw the reader's
attention to this area.

To guide the eyes of the reader to the tables, brilliant colours are used for parts of them (in the example, the
cells on the left-hand side). This creates a strong contrast with the white background and grabs the reader's
attention.
In the table at the bottom of the page "Market Share" and its accompanying pie chart which uses a 3-D effect,
yellow is used to highlight the company's share. The bright yellow stands out and attracts the attention of the reader.

Sales results (by branc

ice Name Sales
don 567
kyo 5,920
dney 2,135
w York
ris
4,723
1,509
eport (1)
al

(2)

shere
44
Our Company ABC Inc
34 35
43
45
48
51
44
 G i v e I t a Tr y ! A d d i n g C o l o u r s t o G r a p h s

Adding Nuances to Improve Ease of

Understanding
The plot area of (3), the graph "Changes in
sales results by branch" in the centre of the page, is
white. The default colour of the plot area in Excel
is grey. However, due to the large area of this
graph, using grey in the plot area would have given
the entire document an excessively dark look.
Therefore, white is used to create a favourable
(3) impression with the reader.
Also, since warm colours are eye catching, they
5000
were chosen for the data lines. The idea here was to
provide an overall sense of neatness in colouring
4000
for the document.
3000

2000

1000

0
1 2

Giving Consideration to Legibility

White text is used for the document title and for the names in the upper tables. This was done to enhance
the legibility of these sections. In other words, the combination of light coloured text on a dark background is
easy to read.

Monthly Sales Report Monthly Sales Report

1.Sales re 1.Sales re
Office Name Office Name
London London
Tokyo The example of high legibility Tokyo The example of high legibility
Sydney Sydney

Limiting the Number of Colours

To convey a smart and tidy image for the document as a whole, it is advisable to avoid using too many different
colours. Using too many colours can blur the focus of your documents and confuse your readers.