The Art and Science of Color: A Guide for Nonprofit STEM Education Reports
Welcome to the June 2023 edition of the Improved Insights Newsletter: a newsletter for folks in informal STEM learning spaces who want to learn more about how to measure and communicate the impacts of their work.
I’m Sarah M. Dunifon - a long-time STEM educator, evaluator, and equity advocate. After spending time working in museums, nonprofits, and higher education, I now work on cutting-edge informal STEM learning research and evaluation with my team at Improved Insights. We specialize in informal STEM learning and youth programs.
This monthly newsletter includes tips, resources, and news on informal STEM learning evaluation. We hope you find it valuable! Now, let’s get started —
The Art and Science of Color: A Guide for Nonprofits in STEM Education Reports
This is the second installment in our series on the importance and impact of color usage. In this month's newsletter, we'll focus on some practical ways to use color in your reports in order to maximize their impact and effectiveness, and some tools to help you accomplish this. To read the full article, check it out in our Insights. In the meantime, here’s a taste:
Welcome back to our two-part series on The Art and Science of Color! Last month, we talked about the importance of color usage and its impact on five key areas:
Emotion and perception
Consistent branding
Calling attention to important information
Easing readers’ cognitive load
Maximizing human memory performance
This month, we will discuss how to find the right colors to use in your reports and data visualizations, and some practical applications for your organization. We will explore how creating a style guide can help keep your branding consistent and engaging, where to use color in your reports, and how to easily customize charts and graphs.
I’m Not a Creative, but I Need Consistent Branding. Now What?
A great first step in finding the right colors is to put together a style guide. A style guide is a set of guidelines that outline your nonprofit's core colors, typography, and other visual elements. By creating a style guide, you can ensure that your report is consistent with your organization's overall branding.
If you do not have a style guide already developed, you might start by identifying colors that speak to your nonprofit’s brand. Perhaps colors you use in your logo or on your website.
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When it comes to selecting colors for your report, it's also important to consider color combinations. Using complementary colors can create visual interest and make your report more dynamic. One easy way to find complementary colors is to use a color palette generator like Coolors.
ii Updates
This month we debuted our new Informal STEM Education Opportunities Newsletter. Each month, we will highlight a selection of upcoming opportunities of particular interest to those working in informal STEM education, such as RFPs, Fellowships, Conferences, and other items of interest.
60-Second Suggestions
Here are a few of my favorite things this month, usually pertaining to informal STEM education and evaluation, but occasionally some fun personal stuff, too.
This article from the MIT Technology Review is a firsthand account from Chancey Fleet, the assistive technology coordinator at the New York Public Library. Chancey provides a direct perspective on how tactile graphics can be taken to the next level to create rich imagery that blind and low-vision people often don’t get to experience.
Every Kid Outdoors is a federal government effort to get every fourth grader in the nation into public lands and waters for free. Passes are available to fourth graders and educators.
A fun suggestion for you this month is the Affirmators!® at Work card deck, which I have and love. Created by comedian Suzi Barrett, this deck of 50 affirmations to live your best work life. I enjoy pulling a card or two when I need inspiration or some “get up and go” for the day.
Thanks for following along with our two-part series on color usage! Now that you’ve learned a little about the art and science of color, take some time this week to observe reports and other media items that come your way. Take note of anything that’s particularly eye-catching. What grabs your attention and why? Conversely, what falls flat? Think about these questions as you implement color in your own branding and reports, and you might just create something spectacular.
Until next time - thanks!