Be restrained with the use of colour. It can be more powerful and effective to use a single splash of a strong colour to highlight a key point than to colour the entire table or figure.

When applying colour, be aware that some colours can carry cultural meaning, such as green for good, go or environment; and red for bad, stop, warning or heat. Colours also create a psychological response – bright colours are exciting, energetic and attract attention, whereas pale colours are soothing and receding.

Look for opportunities to use colour meaningfully, and be careful not to imply meaning where there is none. For example, you could use 2 shades of a single colour to indicate different years of data, rather than red and green, unless you want to imply a judgment about the data series.