The Importance of Color Simplicity When Designing Decks

Color plays a significant role within visual communication - allowing the viewer to visually connect to the ideas of a product, place or thing through the display of information. Therefore, we must keep it simple when involving the representation of color in our data visuals and decks.

We are all susceptible to visual communication and interact with it through our everyday encounters. We all encounter objects that are visibly interesting to us — advertisements, movie posters, social video, or interactive screens. However, we also encounter some that may not be so drawn to our liking.

Why is that, and how do we fix it?

We can simply fix negative reaction to our work by incorporating the proper color tones and values within a visual. As mentioned in part one of “The Psychology of Color”, there are certain colors that give off an emotion that directly complement the visual — which is why we as an audience are then more easily drawn (visually connected) to them. Think of advertisements that you’ve seen either in magazine spreads or on billboards that you were instantly drawn to. A primary reason for this was because of the color used. That is the solution!

To give an example of how color can be utilized in certain aspects, I took the 2016 COMMUNICATIONS PLAN chart and altered it with color. Here are the necessary steps I took in designing the visual — along with the “before” and “after” visuals to reference from.

Chart 1

Chart 2

KEY POINTS TO “KEEPING IT SIMPLE WITH COLOR”

1. ESTABLISH VISUAL HIERARCHY

Use of Color, Shape and Movement to convey information. Give hierarchy to information that is important versus information that is not as important.

• In Chart 1; color, shape and movement are shown. In Chart 2, order is brought to the chart with the use of the same color, shape and movement by taking out the gray background and making it white. This brings more attention to the information being displayed.
• In Chart 1; the rectangles are gray and have colored strokes. In Chart 2, the strokes have been removed and the rectangles are made in full color with the colors of green, orange and red. The use of strokes are not visually appealing. Therefore, if you use full color across the composition of the page and use white for the text there is more expression.
• In terms of visual hierarchy, in Chart 1 the key was placed in the top right corner of the visual. In Chart 2, the key was placed on the bottom of the page. By doing so, it organizes and splits up the page in order to differentiate between the key and the actual chart.
• In terms of hierarchy in type, in Chart 1 the the title was flushed left and presented in the Calibri font. In Chart 2, the title is presented in the Oswald type, center aligned and is written in black.

2. BE CONSISTENT

• Make sure all headlines are strong and positioned the same way on each slide.
• Make sure you establish a body copy in which the font size is the same on each slide.
• Make sure that all visual imagery is composed the same way on each slide and has a direct connection to the topic.
• Be sure that all type is consistent on all slides. Use no more than 2 typefaces.

3. KEEP IT SIMPLE

Establish how you want to present the slides in a way that the client and/or audience will understand. Keeping it simple and showing a clean, organized, strong, and attractive presentation is the best way to keep the audience engaged. Too much detail represented on the slide can cause confusion or leave the audience uninterested in the presentation. Leave areas of space (white space) within the slide to present balance and give order to what is being presented. You do not always have to fill up the work area (in this case — the slide) with content from edge to edge. White space gives it that room for balance.