Color and Figure Guide

D.C. Policy Center guide for website and figures

Posted by Michael Watson on March 20, 2017

Colors To Set Ourselves Apart


The D.C. Policy Center Color Guide, a part of our styleguide series. This is a working document so expect updates but below are our color choices and a little detail about how to make figures.

Last updated: March 20th, 2017


The DC Policy Center Color Scheme

#BECCDA #D16D3B
#527394 #6D7D8C
#E2C886 #B16379
#8BCFC5 #E8272C


Color Contrast

Avoid red/blue or red/green contrasts; be careful with red in general, as it can impart a negative or alarming meaning to a chart. For accessibility, vary colors by light/dark and by warm/cool tones -- for instance, avoid using gray and a cool-toned color (blue, green, purple) of the same brightness.


Pie Charts

Pie charts should be used (sparingly) to show how various parts make up a whole. Use gradients to show intensity (dark = "Very satisfied" while light = "somewhat satisfied"), colors for other categories (cities, states) Use red sparingly - i.e. to accent one of two categories. (i.e. D.C. vs rest of U.S.)


Line Charts and Scatter Plots

Use a line chart when there is a trend to show or continus data, use a scatter plot when there are data points. Use colors that will stand out from the background and axis.