--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: My base color is grey, not black, to…" description: "\"“My base color is grey, not black, to allow for greater contrast since color stands out more against grey than black. For my attention-grabbing color, ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a9f/cole-nussbaumer-knaflic-20054_quote_my-base-color-is-grey-not-black-to-allow_211954.jpg" --- # My base color is grey, not black, to allow for greater… ![“My base color is grey, not black, to allow for greater contrast since color stands out more against grey than black. For my attention-grabbing color, I often use blue for a number of reasons: (1) I like it, (2) you avoid issues of colorblindness that we’ll discuss momentarily, and (3) it prints…” quote by Cole Nussbaumer Knaflic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a9f/cole-nussbaumer-knaflic-20054_quote_my-base-color-is-grey-not-black-to-allow_211954.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a9f/cole-nussbaumer-knaflic-20054_quote_my-base-color-is-grey-not-black-to-allow_211954.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a9f/cole-nussbaumer-knaflic-20054_quote_my-base-color-is-grey-not-black-to-allow_211954.jpg) > ““My base color is grey, not black, to allow for greater contrast since color stands out more against grey than black. For my attention-grabbing color, I often use blue for a number of reasons: (1) I like it, (2) you avoid issues of colorblindness that we’ll discuss momentarily, and (3) it prints well in black-and-white. That said, blue is certainly not your only option (and you’ll see many examples where I deviate from my typical blue for various reasons).”” [Cole Nussbaumer Knaflic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cole-nussbaumer-knaflic/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Using a neutral grey background enhances visual contrast, while blue draws attention without causing accessibility issues; other colors can be used strategically. **In simple terms:** Grey background improves contrast; blue highlights without accessibility problems. Key Takeaway Choose colors that balance visibility and accessibility. Themes design visual communication accessibility Mood analytical practical Type educational technical When to use this quote - presentations - infographics - web dashboards - print media Key Concepts color theory contrast inclusive design Questions to Reflect On - How might you adapt color choices for different audiences? - What alternatives could convey emphasis without blue? A Different Perspective Over‑reliance on a single color may limit visual variety. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Color](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/color/) ## Related quotes > [“Leo, you are a riot of color in my grey world.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-dean/leo-you-are-a-riot-of-color-in-my-grey-world/) Michael Dean > [Every form is a base for color, every color is the attribute of a form.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-vasarely/every-form-is-a-base-for-color-every-color-is-the-attribute-of-a-form/) [Victor Vasarely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-vasarely/) > [How often have I found that wanting to use blue, I didn't have it so I used a red instead of the blue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/how-often-have-i-found-that-wanting-to-use-blue-i-didn-t-have-it-so-i/) [Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/) > [There really isn't anything that you could call 'bad' color. It all has to do with the amount of color you use and in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-maisel/there-really-isn-t-anything-that-you-could-call-bad-color-it-all-has/) [Jay Maisel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-maisel/) > [I use very little red. I use blue, yellow, a little green, but especially... black, white and grey. There is a certain need in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hans-arp/i-use-very-little-red-i-use-blue-yellow-a-little-green-but-especially/) [Hans Arp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hans-arp/) > [I don't use blue. I don't like it. It bugs me out. I hate it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kanye-west/i-don-t-use-blue-i-don-t-like-it-it-bugs-me-out-i-hate-it/) [Kanye West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kanye-west/) > [If I don't have red, I use blue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/if-i-don-t-have-red-i-use-blue/) [Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/) > [“What color would you use?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-rush/what-color-would-you-use/) [Jennifer Rush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-rush/) > [The easiest approach to any strong color is to use a lot of it, thus unifying a room. However, beware of too many strong…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-day-truex/the-easiest-approach-to-any-strong-color-is-to-use-a-lot-of-it-thus/) [Van Day Truex](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-day-truex/) > [Life is beautiful like a painting. It is us who choose what color to use in order to make it memorable and worthwhile!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aga-la-tina/life-is-beautiful-like-a-painting-it-is-us-who-choose-what-color-to/) Aga La Tina > [When I haven't any blue I use red.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/when-i-haven-t-any-blue-i-use-red/) [Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/) > ['Lovecraft Country' is reclaiming all these pulp genres for people of color.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/misha-green/lovecraft-country-is-reclaiming-all-these-pulp-genres-for-people-of/) [Misha Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/misha-green/) > [The color of somebody's skin or the way he wears his hair or clothes has nothing to do with anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-color-of-somebody-s-skin-or-the-way-he-wears-his-hair-or-clothes/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [A Light exists in Spring Not present on the Year At any other period - When March is scarcely here A Color stands abroad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-dickinson/a-light-exists-in-spring-not-present-on-the-year-at-any-other-period/) [Emily Dickinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-dickinson/) > [We never really perceive what color is physically!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josef-albers/we-never-really-perceive-what-color-is-physically/) [Josef Albers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josef-albers/) ## More by Cole Nussbaumer Knaflic > [“What do you need your audience to know or do? This is the point where you think through how to make what you communicate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cole-nussbaumer-knaflic/what-do-you-need-your-audience-to-know-or-do-this-is-the-point-where/) [Cole Nussbaumer Knaflic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cole-nussbaumer-knaflic/) > [“The biggest shift was from a bar graph to a line graph. As we’ve discussed, line graphs typically make it easier to see trends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cole-nussbaumer-knaflic/the-biggest-shift-was-from-a-bar-graph-to-a-line-graph-as-we-ve/) [Cole Nussbaumer Knaflic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cole-nussbaumer-knaflic/) > [“When you have just a number or two that you want to communicate: use the numbers directly.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cole-nussbaumer-knaflic/when-you-have-just-a-number-or-two-that-you-want-to-communicate-use/) [Cole Nussbaumer Knaflic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cole-nussbaumer-knaflic/) > [“Concentrate on the pearls, the information your audience needs to know.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cole-nussbaumer-knaflic/concentrate-on-the-pearls-the-information-your-audience-needs-to-know/) [Cole Nussbaumer Knaflic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cole-nussbaumer-knaflic/) > [“Will you be encountering each other for the first time through this communication, or do you have an established relationship? Do they already trust…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cole-nussbaumer-knaflic/will-you-be-encountering-each-other-for-the-first-time-through-this/) [Cole Nussbaumer Knaflic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cole-nussbaumer-knaflic/) > [“Never again will you simply show data. Rather, you will create visualizations that are thoughtfully designed to impart information and incite action.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cole-nussbaumer-knaflic/never-again-will-you-simply-show-data-rather-you-will-create/) [Cole Nussbaumer Knaflic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cole-nussbaumer-knaflic/) > [“Don’t show the second y-axis. Instead, label the data points that belong on this axis directly. Pull the graphs apart vertically and have a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cole-nussbaumer-knaflic/don-t-show-the-second-y-axis-instead-label-the-data-points-that/) [Cole Nussbaumer Knaflic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cole-nussbaumer-knaflic/) > [“Figure 5.10 Add action title and annotation In Figure 5.10, thoughtful use of text makes the design accessible. It’s clear to the audience what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cole-nussbaumer-knaflic/figure-5-10-add-action-title-and-annotation-in-figure-5-10-thoughtful/) [Cole Nussbaumer Knaflic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cole-nussbaumer-knaflic/) > [“Affordances In the field of design, experts speak of objects having “affordances.” These are aspects inherent to the design that make it obvious how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cole-nussbaumer-knaflic/affordances-in-the-field-of-design-experts-speak-of-objects-having/) [Cole Nussbaumer Knaflic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cole-nussbaumer-knaflic/) > [“Horizontal bar chart If I had to pick a single go-to graph for categorical data, it would be the horizontal bar chart, which flips…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cole-nussbaumer-knaflic/horizontal-bar-chart-if-i-had-to-pick-a-single-go-to-graph-for/) [Cole Nussbaumer Knaflic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cole-nussbaumer-knaflic/) > [“Alignment The single change having the biggest impact in the preceding before-and-after example was the shift from center-aligned to left-justified text. In the original…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cole-nussbaumer-knaflic/alignment-the-single-change-having-the-biggest-impact-in-the/) [Cole Nussbaumer Knaflic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cole-nussbaumer-knaflic/) > [“What would a successful outcome look like? If you only had a limited amount of time or a single sentence to tell your audience…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cole-nussbaumer-knaflic/what-would-a-successful-outcome-look-like-if-you-only-had-a-limited/) [Cole Nussbaumer Knaflic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cole-nussbaumer-knaflic/) > [“Highlighting one aspect can make other things harder to see One word of warning in using preattentive attributes: when you highlight one point in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cole-nussbaumer-knaflic/highlighting-one-aspect-can-make-other-things-harder-to-see-one-word/) [Cole Nussbaumer Knaflic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cole-nussbaumer-knaflic/) > [“We’ll discuss six principles here: proximity, similarity, enclosure, closure, continuity, and connection.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cole-nussbaumer-knaflic/we-ll-discuss-six-principles-here-proximity-similarity-enclosure/) [Cole Nussbaumer Knaflic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cole-nussbaumer-knaflic/) > [“Exploratory analysis is what you do to understand the data and figure out what might be noteworthy or interesting to highlight to others.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cole-nussbaumer-knaflic/exploratory-analysis-is-what-you-do-to-understand-the-data-and-figure/) [Cole Nussbaumer Knaflic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cole-nussbaumer-knaflic/) [Explore all 31 Cole Nussbaumer Knaflic quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cole-nussbaumer-knaflic/) ## More Color quotes > [We never really perceive what color is physically!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josef-albers/we-never-really-perceive-what-color-is-physically/) [Josef Albers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josef-albers/) > [A Light exists in Spring Not present on the Year At any other period - When March is scarcely here A Color stands abroad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-dickinson/a-light-exists-in-spring-not-present-on-the-year-at-any-other-period/) [Emily Dickinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-dickinson/) > [The color of somebody's skin or the way he wears his hair or clothes has nothing to do with anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-color-of-somebody-s-skin-or-the-way-he-wears-his-hair-or-clothes/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > ['Lovecraft Country' is reclaiming all these pulp genres for people of color.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/misha-green/lovecraft-country-is-reclaiming-all-these-pulp-genres-for-people-of/) [Misha Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/misha-green/) > [When I haven't any blue I use red.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/when-i-haven-t-any-blue-i-use-red/) [Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/) > [Now I am in the place I call this wide wide Heaven because it includes all my simplest desires but also the most humble…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-sebold/now-i-am-in-the-place-i-call-this-wide-wide-heaven-because-it/) [Alice Sebold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-sebold/) > [A well-fashioned day - with a beginning and an end, a purpose and a content, a color and a character, a feel and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-rohn/a-well-fashioned-day-with-a-beginning-and-an-end-a-purpose-and-a/) [Jim Rohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-rohn/) > [It is sometimes said that scientists are unromantic, that their passion to figure out robs the world of beauty and mystery. But is it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/it-is-sometimes-said-that-scientists-are-unromantic-that-their/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [If you're white and you're wrong, then you're wrong; if you're black and you're wrong, you're wrong. People are people. Black, blue, pink, green…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-marley/if-you-re-white-and-you-re-wrong-then-you-re-wrong-if-you-re-black/) [Bob Marley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-marley/) > [Today, at Harvard, any student with the currently fashionable color of skin is given rights denied to students of the currently unfashionable color.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-capp/today-at-harvard-any-student-with-the-currently-fashionable-color-of/) [Al Capp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-capp/) > [Orange is my favorite color overall.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-earnhardt-jr/orange-is-my-favorite-color-overall/) [Dale Earnhardt Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-earnhardt-jr/) > [To evoke in oneself a feeling one has once experienced, and having evoked it in oneself, then by means of movements, lines, colors, sounds,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/to-evoke-in-oneself-a-feeling-one-has-once-experienced-and-having/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [We have to keep in practice like musicians. Besides, there are still potentialities to be realized in color film. To us, it's just like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-land/we-have-to-keep-in-practice-like-musicians-besides-there-are-still/) [Edwin Land](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-land/) > [Truth needs no color; beauty, no pencil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/truth-needs-no-color-beauty-no-pencil/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [It is exactly in the repetition of the exercises that the education of the senses exists; not that the child shall know colors, forms…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-montessori/it-is-exactly-in-the-repetition-of-the-exercises-that-the-education/) [Maria Montessori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-montessori/) [Browse all 5,594 Color quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/color/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“My base color is grey, not black, to allow for greater contrast since color stands out more against grey than black. 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