For about two years, a core part of my job was leading employee health and wellbeing research for YouTube. I’d gather insights on how people were doing, then present findings and recommendations to senior leadership.

Everything was going smoothly… until I hit an unexpected snag while preparing for my first big presentation.

YouTube’s brand color is red.
And they wanted all charts and slides to align with the brand.

The problem?
Red in charts carries heavy psychological and cultural connotations. In Western cultures, red is often associated with problems, risk, or loss. That works fine when you're showing things going wrong... not so much when using it as the core color in every slide.

So I had a dilemma:

• Do I stick with the brand colors, even though it meant showing positive trends in red?

• Or do I break brand guidelines and risk losing stakeholder buy-in before I even reached slide two?

It might seem like a small thing, but color choices can shape how people feel about your data before they even read a word.

How to use color effectively

Color tells your audience what to notice, how to feel, and what matters most. It can reinforce your message or quietly undermine it.

Here are 5 tips for choosing the best colors for your charts:
(Note: charts are intentionally oversimplified and not based on real data)

1. Use one color to spotlight the key insight

Charts shouldn’t look like a pile of skittles. Use neutral grays or lighter shades for background data and a single pop of color to highlight what matters.

Grayscale example:

Lighter shades example:

2. Use just a few colors to compare multiple categories

If every category is important to the message, give each a distinct color — but stay under 5–6 max. Too many colors = cognitive overload.

Tip: Always use a colorblind-friendly palette (color blindness simulators, like Coblis, are great tools). Use red/green with caution as it’s the most common type of color blindness.

3. Use sequential palettes for low to high values

When showing a range (like sales volume or survey agreement), use one color that gets darker as values increase. This helps viewers instantly grasp magnitude or intensity.

4. Use diverging palettes for data with a clear midpoint or neutral category

For data centered around a baseline (like 0% change or neutral survey agreement), use two contrasting colors that diverge from the midpoint.

5. Consider the psychology of color

Colors carry meaning, and that meaning can shift depending on culture or context. Take red for example: in Western cultures, it often signals danger or loss. In several Asian cultures, it can represent luck, celebration, or prosperity. Always consider how your audience might interpret the colors you choose.

So, what did I do for the YouTube presentation?

I stuck with the brand colors. The audience was used to “YouTube red,” so it didn’t feel alarming, it just felt familiar. It was a good reminder that knowing your audience always matters more than blindly following best practices.

Happy charting,
Morgan

P.S. If you want a laugh (and even more evidence that color matters) check out these funny charts by illustrator Stephen Wildish.