Set 2
ColorBrewer 2.0 (Brewer & Harrower)
-
#66c2a5 -
#fc8d62 -
#8da0cb -
#e78ac3 -
#a6d854 -
#ffd92f -
#e5c494 -
#b3b3b3
On a map
A synthetic demo grid, classed with equal intervals — the point is the palette against real basemap ink, not the data. Switch themes to see how much basemap the palette leaves room for.
Metadata
Provenance
Set2 is one of the qualitative schemes in ColorBrewer, the palette system Cynthia Brewer and Mark Harrower published from Penn State in 2002. Where the sequential schemes vary lightness to encode order, the qualitative ones hold lightness roughly constant and vary hue, so no category looks more important than its neighbours. Set2 is the softened, desaturated member of that group, drawn for print maps where full-strength hues would overwhelm the page.
When to use it
Use Set2 for a handful of nominal categories on a map that already has plenty going on — its low saturation lets labels, roads, and boundaries stay on top. It is the polite alternative to Category 10 for zoning, land cover, or service-area fills, particularly at large polygon sizes where a vivid palette becomes overwhelming. ColorBrewer marks it as not colorblind-safe, so reserve it for cases where the categories are also distinguished by label or position.
License
Apache-style ColorBrewer License (attribution required) · source
The color specification carries this license, which is separate from the MIT license on this site. See attribution.