For most documents produced by the IEC, the use of black and white is sufficient. Colours in figures, tables or text shall only be used where they facilitate the use of the document. They have to serve a purpose in helping the user to easily understand and interpret the data and explanations given.

The use of colour for purely aesthetic purposes is not permitted.

Example 1: Use of colour lines to distinguish separate curves in a graph	Example 2: The same information can be expressed in black and white using different line types

Please follow our grey scale and colour recommendations to ensure maximum readability.

You will find further information on the use of colour in IEC documents in the Administrative Circular AC/24/2009 (published on 24.7.2009).

Related topics:

• Increasing readability by using grey scale
• Increasing readability by using colours
• Using text in figures - how to match text and background colours