Colour on Temperature Maps

Abstract Students' reactions to three, coloured, test maps portraying temperature regions provide information vital to design of such maps for atlases and textbooks. A map using progressively lighter shades of red was most effective in conveying the concept of areas of greater and lesser temperatures to most students. A map similarly shaded in only blue colours was almost as effective, despite the supposed association of blue with coolness. The third map, using shades of both red and blue was least effective. These preliminary results demonstrate that the quantitative message inherent in a progression of darkness and saturation is far more potent than the warm and cool association known to reside in red and blue hues. Design of maps according to a general and quantitative approach is indicated, even for map themes which may be linked qualitatively to certain hues.