Light and dark color schemes

Learn how to choose color schemes that work well with light or dark basemaps.

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Red-green color schemes and map accessibility

How to use color vision simulators to test maps for different kinds of color vision.

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Color connotations for maps

Colors affect how people think and feel about your map. This video shares examples of color choices in ArcGIS Pro.

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Color associations for maps

If there’s a color that’s normally associated with your subject, you should probably use it in your map. This video shares some examples of color choices in maps using ArcGIS Pro.

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Rainbow color schemes

Rainbow color schemes can make it difficult for people to interpret quantitative data. Instead, use a color scheme that ranges evenly from light to dark.

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  • English Only

Choose similar colors to map similar things

When designing maps, choose similar colors to represent similar things, and different colors to represent different things. This video shows an example of employing this technique in ArcGIS Pro.

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Choose different colors to map different things

When designing maps, choose similar colors to represent similar things, and different colors to represent different things. This video shows an example of employing this technique in ArcGIS Online.

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Make a clearer map with matching colors

It’s not always obvious on a map which feature an outline or label belongs to. Using the same color as the symbol can help to clarify your cartography. This video shows examples in both ArcGIS Online and ArcGIS Pro.

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Improve visual hierarchy with color

Control the visual hierarchy of a map by adjusting the value and saturation of its colors.

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