How to Make Good Excel Color Combinations

In the analysis and presentation of data, Excel spreadsheets are indispensable. When organizing and analyzing data, we frequently neglect the spreadsheets’ visual components. But selecting the ideal color schemes can greatly enhance the legibility and appeal of our Excel worksheets. In this tutorial, we’ll examine the methods and ideas of good Excel color combinations that work well together and look good together. You can also make your spreadsheets more aesthetically pleasing. Let’s explore the topic of Excel color schemes and learn how to use them to highlight your data.

How to Make Good Excel Color Combinations: 5 Simple Methods

This article will look at four simple methods for selecting and combining colors in Excel to produce aesthetically pleasing and harmonious color schemes. These techniques enable even users with little design expertise to add appealing color schemes to their Excel documents.

1. Using Color Combination Based on Values

You can improve the visual impact of your data and make it simpler to understand by designating different colors to various value ranges. Learn how to make visually appealing and educational spreadsheets that make it simple to spot patterns and trends.

📌 Steps:

• Choose the set of cells containing the values you want to make a good color combination. Consider, for illustration, the B5 to B14 cell range, which contains numerical values.
• Follow the path Home>>Styles group >>Conditional Formatting>>New Rule.

• Choose Format only cells that contain under Select a Rule Type in the New Formatting Rule Choose the put between condition and the values 100 and 400 in the rule description. After that click on Format.

• In the Format Cells window, choose Fill>> pick a color>> click OK.

• To complete the task in the New Formatting Rule box, click OK.

• The final output will look like the following image.

• Now again, in the New Formatting Rule box select Format only cells that contain under Select a Rule Type. Choose the greater than condition and the value 400 in the rule description. After that click on Format, choose a color, and finally click on OK twice.

• Again the cells are filled with the red color as those countries have more population than 400 million.

• Now to complete the color combination select the range C5:C14, and click on the conditional formatting. The New Formatting Rule window will appear again.

• Finally, you get the color combination to highlight the Population (millions) column.

2. Using Color Combination Based on Multiple Criteria

You can create a visually appealing and understandable format for your data by using distinct colors to represent various value ranges. Learn how to make visually appealing and informative spreadsheets so you can confidently and easily analyze patterns and trends.

📌 Steps:

• The Population (millions) and GDP (billions USD) values can be found in cells C5:C14 and D5:D14. Select the range B5:D14.
• Go to the “Home” tab and select “Conditional Formatting” >> “New Rule“.
• Follow the process: Select a Rule Type: Use a formula to decide which cells to format in the New Formatting Rule dialog box.
• Fill out the “Format values where this formula is true” field with the formula given below:

• The formatting color options for cells that satisfy the double criteria can be changed by clicking the “Format” button.
• In the dialog box for the new formatting rule, click “OK” to apply the rule.

• Column C with more than 150 million inhabitants and D‘s cells with a GDP of more than $2 trillion will now make the cells in column B highlighted by the red color.

• Again to apply formatting for the rest of the cells, follow the process: Select a Rule Type: Use a formula to decide which cells to format in the New Formatting Rule dialog box.
• The formula given below should be entered in the “Format values where this formula is true” field:

• Clicking the “Format” button will allow you to select color options for cells that meet the double criteria.
• Click “OK” to apply the new formatting rule in the dialog box that appears.

• Lastly, for the remaining cells, follow the process: Select a Rule Type: Use a formula to decide which cells to format in the New Formatting Rule dialog box.
• The formula given below should be entered in the “Format values where this formula is true” field:

• By selecting the “Format” button, you can modify the formatting color options for cells that meet the triple requirements.
• To apply the new formatting rule, select “OK” in the dialog box.

• Finally, you can get the color combination like in the image below.

3. Applying Color Combination to Graph

In this step, you will learn how to use color combinations on charts effectively to create visually appealing, educational, and intuitive graphs. Learn how to make captivating graphs that captivate your audience and make data analysis simple and clear.

📌 Steps:

• Using your desired data, make a column chart in Excel.
• Go to Insert>> Charts>> 2-D column.

• Select “Format Data Series” from the context menu by performing a right click on the data series you want to format.
• Select a secondary axis for perfect visualization.

• Navigate to the “Fill & Line” tab in the Format Data Series pane.
• From the Fill drop-down menu, select “Solid fill“.
• To choose the ideal color scheme for the data series, click on the color picker or color options.
• Depending on your choice, the data series in the graph will be updated with the new colors.
• Alternatively, you can repeat the procedure for additional data series in the graph or modify additional formatting options in the Format Data Series pane.

Read More: How to Create an Excel Theme

4. Using Color Palate

You will look into the incredible capabilities of Excel’s color palette. Learn how to highlight key information and improve visual clarity in your data by applying different colors. Learn how to use color effectively to produce visually appealing and polished spreadsheets that improve data representation and leave a lasting impression.

• Follow the path: Page Layout>> Colors>>Customize Colors

• A Create New Theme Colors window will appear. In that window make changes with your preference.

Read More: How to Change Theme Colors in Excel

5. Applying Color Combination Based on Text

Excel’s color scales are an effective tool that lets you visualize data using color gradients. We’ll concentrate on using Excel color scales that are based on text values in this article. You can quickly spot patterns, variations, or trends in your data set by using color scales to text data.

📌 Steps:

• Follow the path: Select the column(column D)>>Home>>Styles>>Conditional Formatting>>Highlight Cells Rules>>Text that Contains.

• Text That Contains window will appear in Excel. In that window select your text for example Medium under the “Format Cells that contain the text:” and choose a color that has been chosen Yellow Fill with Dark Yellow Text. Finally, click on OK.

• Again follow the path: Select the column(column D)>>Home>>Styles>>Conditional Formatting>>Highlight Cells Rules>>Text that Contains.

• In Excel, a Text That Contains window will appear. Choose a color that has been selected Light Red Fill with Dark Red Text in that window’s “Format Cells that contain the text:” section, and then select your text, for instance, High. Finally, press OK.

• Excel will display a Text That Contains Under “Format Cells that contain the text:” in that window, select your text, for instance, Low, and then pick the color Green Fill with Dark Green Text. Click OK to finish.

Read More: How to Change Excel Theme to Black

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

• How do I pick the right colors?

Take into account your spreadsheet’s objective and target market. Make sure readability and the intended message are both reflected in the color scheme. To make your data stand out, use color schemes that produce visual harmony and contrast.

• Can I change the color schemes in Excel?

Using Conditional Formatting, you can alter the color schemes in Excel. Create rules based on text or values to apply particular colors to certain cells or ranges. Try out various color schemes to see which one best suits your requirements.

• How can I make sure Excel’s use of colored text is readable?

Pick colors with enough contrast to make it simple to read text and data. Don’t mix up your colors.

Download Practice Workbook

You can download the practice workbook from the following download button.

Conclusion

In Excel, selecting appropriate color schemes is essential for enhancing looks. You can make your Excel files more interesting and easy to use by taking contrast, harmony, and accessibility into account. Always remember to select colors that complement your data and project context and to stay away from overwhelming visuals. To effectively convey information and highlight crucial data points, use color psychology principles. You are now prepared to improve your Excel spreadsheets with this Excel blog post “good Excel color combinations” and make your data stand out after considering these suggestions.

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