Yet ANOTHER New Team Colors Format

[TruColor]

Ever since I started producing these Team Colors swatch images/reports from my database, I have never been 100% behind the format. Part of the problem is in having the color swatches listed vertically...and since these things are produced from MS Access reports, I've been a bit at a loss as to how to display colors in a format that I DO like.

After playing around the last couple of days, I have come up with a new format that I think just might work. Here's an example of the "old" report:

...and here's the new format:

I still have some modifications to do on this one, but I think I much prefer the "horizontal" approach. What do you guys think?

Any and all comments, suggestions, et al would be greatly appreciated.

[TrueYankee26]

Ever since I started producing these Team Colors swatch images/reports from my database, I have never been 100% behind the format. Part of the problem is in having the color swatches listed vertically...and since these things are produced from MS Access reports, I've been a bit at a loss as to how to display colors in a format that I DO like.

After playing around the last couple of days, I have come up with a new format that I think just might work. Here's an example of the "old" report:

...and here's the new format:

I still have some modifications to do on this one, but I think I much prefer the "horizontal" approach. What do you guys think?

Any and all comments, suggestions, et al would be greatly appreciated.

I like the new format as well.

[CDixonDesign]

I'm all for the new format, it's much easier to follow with the eyes right, than down...

Plus it won't seem as much to scroll

[Saintsfan]

The horizontal format certainly seems to save screen space. I'm liking it.

[Wasatch]

Yeah, the new format with horizontal bigger swatch blocks looks much better!

[njmeadowlanders]

+1 for horizontal...

[Yac12]

New format is easier to look at. I like it.

[LEWJ]

10x better

nice change.

[BrySmalls]

Would the font be changed on the horizontal format?

[TruColor]

Would the font be changed on the horizontal format?

Do you dislike the current font? I've been struggling trying to find one that works...MS Access tends to skew them a bit on-screen. Makes me crazy.

[slapshot]

I like the format, but not the font. For some reason, Univers looks like it's pixellating or something when you make these graphics.

I think you should use Interstate...it has more weights, but is very easy to read.

[TruColor]

I like the format, but not the font. For some reason, Univers looks like it's pixellating or something when you make these graphics.

I think you should use Interstate...it has more weights, but is very easy to read.

It's MS Access. Damn Microsoft. I'll post an example later, but Interstate looks even worse.

I'm on the latest version of Access (2007)...I might need to wait for the next version, or convert this to a Crystal Reports report, but I think Crystal does the same thing.

[JayJaxon]

I think it looks better. I like the larger blocks too.

[Conrad.]

aye, the horizontal is better...i guess this could be an opportunity to ask this question:

are you ever going to make Textile color pdfs for baseball, bball, and hockey? I love the NFL one you made, but I'd also enjoy the other sports as well.

[Gothamite]

I like the new format as well, but I would space the horizontal rows out a bit more. My eye is still trying to read down - doubleing the space between rows would fix that.

[Wasatch]

What?s the current font you?re using?

[BallWonk]

After playing around the last couple of days, I have come up with a new format that I think just might work.

I think Edward Tufte would agree that you've just about nailed it with the new format. Not only does it almost maximize information density within the display, it allows for much better viewer understanding of the relationships among the team's colors.

Two suggestions, one real and one an admitted pipe dream:

1. Consider eliminating the "paint chip" outlines. You're already outlining each color swatch; the outer outlines serve no communicative purpose, but they do add color values to the page that are not part of the color and scheme information you're trying to convey. They're noise, and don't belong.

2. Here's where I ask for the impossible. What about scaling the color swatches in proportion to the color's actual percentage use in either a team's logos or uniforms or some combination of both? Obviously, it would be insane to expect even someone as multitalented as you to actually calculate the color-use ratios for every team, but still, I think this is the logical next step for displaying your information.

Here's an example depicting the color-use ratios of the world's flags.

[letterform]

horizontal all the way.

It would be really cool of there was some way of having a database of colours or colours for an entire league.

[Buster]

I like the new format. Looks like the book at Maaco.

[andrewharrington]

I like the old, smaller swatches with the names in all caps much better, but I also like the horizontal format better, and I agree that there needs to be more space in between the rows.