Designing with a Purpose - Data Points: Visualization That Means Something - page 337

The main point is that color choice can play a major role in data graphics.
It can evoke emotions (or not) and help provide context. It's your respon-
sibility to choose colors that represent an accurate message. Your colors
should match the story you are trying to tell. As shown in Figure 9-11, a
simple color change can change the meaning of your data completely.
The graphic by designer David McCandless and design duo Always With
Honor, explores the meaning of colors in different cultures. For example,
black and white are often used to represent death; however, blue and
green are more commonly used in Muslim and South American cultures,
respectively.
Similarly, you can change geometry for a different look, feel, and meaning.
For example, Figure 9-12 shows a randomly generated stacked bar chart
with visualization researcher Mike Bostock's Data-Driven Documents. It
has straight edges and distinct points, along with peaks and valleys.
FIGurE 9-11 Colours In Culture by David McCandless and Always With Honor