A comparison of colour and visual texture as codes for use as area symbols on thematic maps

Abstract

Three experiments compared colour and texture as methods of coding area symbols for thematic maps. Most previous research has been limited to displays with, at most, eight codes. This study employed displays containing 16 types of symbol coded either by colour, texture, or a non-redundant combination of the two. Symbols coded by colour, or a combination of colour and texture were much easier to find than symbols coded by texture alone. Point symbols were easier to locate against a coloured background than a textured background. Texture codes may be slightly easier to remember than colour codes but the difference, if any, is small.