General guidelines
Data visualization help communicate patterns and relationships in a data set.
General Guidelines
For ease of comprehension, it’s important that AEMO data charts are presented consistently, and are as clean and uncluttered as possible. Use the following guidelines to create effective data charts the communicate clearly and compliment AEMO branding.
Principles
Prefer common visualization types. Use data visualizations types that your target audience understands. When the level of the audience's data literacy is unknown, stick to well-used types (like line and bar charts) for explanatory visualizations.
Don't try to do too much. Limit the 'big idea' expressed in a visualization to a central theme. Use no more than two or three concepts to reduce the cognitive load placed on the audience.
Use colors with care.
- Don't over-use purple!
- Follow AEMO colors endcoding.
- Use fewer colors if possible.
- When selecting colors, be sure to meet contrast requirements.
Fonts
Use Avenir font if available. AEMO communications should use Avenir in data visualizations, you can download the font files. If Avenir is not available, use Arial as fallback fonts, find out more about fonts
Colors to use
Data visualization colors are colors that can be used for infographics such as charts and graphs. AEMO has taken precise steps to come up with different colors semantics for various elements in the AEMO energy market.
Icons
Iconography can represent different types of data in a chart and improve a chart’s overall usability.
When placing icons in a chart, it’s recommended to use universally recognizable symbols, particularly when representing actions or states, such as: save, download, completed, error, and danger.
Chart samples
