How To Make
Diagrams
F
Awesome
des sli
u r yo o
r
Me
Enrique García Cota
I do software at Splendeo
@otikik
Disclaimer
?
I'm not a designer. I've just done lots of diagrams in presentations. These guidelines work for me. “Right” and “Wrong” are used in that context. Don't take them personally.
?
?
?
©http://www.flickr.com/photos/mrimperial/121370739/
1. Lines
©http://www.flickr.com/photos/twinysam/4988273864/
Never use 0pt line width
Wrong
Right
Visible from the far end of the room
Have consistent line width
Wrong
0.10'' 0.06'' 0.32''
Right
0.06'' 0.06'' 0.32''
Maybe two very different widths; not more
Use only one line ending
Wrong
Right
People at the far end won't see the difference
Use one dashed style
Wrong
Right
Guess
Arrows instead of lines
vs.
When? See example on next slide
Use connectors, not straight lines
With lines
With connectors
Shapes instead of lines (sometimes)
Phase 1 Phase 2 vs. Phase 3
Phase 1
Phase 2
Phase 3
They look better on simple workflows
Colors instead of outlines (sometimes)
vs.
Useful to reduce the number of colors
2. Shapes
©http://www.flickr.com/photos/alessandropinna/1423128740/
Use a grid
Wrong
Right
Align when possible
Wrong
Right
Size means Importance
Wrong Right
Not Important
Very Important
Not
Important
Very Important
Size means Hierarchy
Wrong Right
Face
Face
Eyes
Nose
Mouth
Eyes
Nose
Mouth
Size means Relative Size
Wrong Right
Elephant
Duck
Elephant
Duck
Size doesn't mean “long name”
Wrong
A
Long Name
Right
A
* Long Name
B*
A
Long Name
A
Long Name
...
Different Shape = Different Type
OK Better
?
Yes No Yes
?
No
Maximum number types: 4
If you need more, use images
OK Better
C
A
B
Warning! Finding appropriate images takes time
Transparencies, Shadows & Gradients
Don't
They take a lot of time to get right, and most projectors won't show them anyway
©http://www.flickr.com/photos/24241587@N05/5184820807/
3. Nesting
One nesting level per slide
Wrong
Unique slide
One nesting level per slide
Right
Slide 1
One nesting level per slide
Right
Slide 2
One nesting level per slide
Right
Slide 3
One nesting level per slide
Right
Slide 4?
Is this level really needed?
But, won't adding slides increase the presentation complexity?
Yes, it will.
But less than nested shapes.
Complexity ?
Nes
ting
?
d es ? Sli
1 slide / 1 nesting level
If you need everything in one place
You are not making a presentation
Consider other formats
©http://www.flickr.com/photos/yetti/8743214/
4. Color
Color count
Fill + Text + Lines - Background
Hi Bye!
Fill = Green + Red = 2 Text = White = 1 Lines = Black = 1 Background = White = -1 2+1+1–1=3
Color count should be ?
3
The magic of combinatory
I'm only using
three
still
but
here
colors
can
make
many
combinations
When in doubt, use Primary colors
Red
#c5000b
Yellow
#ffd320
Green
#008000
Blue
#0084d1
In LibreOffice: Chart 11, Chart 3, Green, Chart12
These are awesome for diagrams
Color is great for Stress or Status
Wrong
OK Alert OK OK OK Alert
Right
OK Alert Alert OK OK OK Alert Alert
Alert
OK
Alert Alert
OK
OK
OK
Color is not great for lines
Wrong Right
More easily seen from far away
Use bright background colors
Wrong Right
Some projectors don't handle dark slides well
Don't use pale colors in foreground
Wrong Right
Gray 10%
Gray >20%
To projectors, any pale color = white
Printing: Black and White
OK Alert OK
OK OK Alert
Alert
OK
OK Alert OK
OK OK Alert
Alert
OK
OK
OK
Black and White = information loss
Printing: Graceful Degradation
OK Alert Alert OK
OK OK Alert Alert
Alert Alert
OK
OK Alert Alert OK
OK OK Alert Alert
Alert Alert
OK
OK
OK
Use contrast and borders to compensate
5. ext
©http://www.flickr.com/photos/rahulchhiber/5177233766/
First and foremost:
optometrist?
Are you an
©http://www.flickr.com/photos/sveinhal/2182773789/
Then don't make us feel like this.
Smallest font size:
20px
Otherwise it's impossibly difficult to read from far away
Only one font
Wrong
a a
a a
a
Right
a a
a
Exception: Typographic diagrams
Nice
Yuck
Bigger shape ? Bigger or equal text
Wrong Right
A
Letters
A
Letters
Otherwise text size contradicts shape size
Italics: Don't bother
Wrong Right
a
a
No one will notice the difference
Bold: Don't mix it
Wrong Right
a
a
a a
a a
Again, the difference is hard to notice
Use horizontal text
d ow n
a and with
sm
©http://www.flickr.com/photos/cobalt/1156232979/
Oblique text
al l
font.
of te n
is
hard to re
d, a
esp ec iall y
when
sid up e
© Enrique García Cota
That was it!
Now
Go
And
Make
Some
Awesome Diagrams!
Now
Go Make Some
Awesome
Diagrams!
© Enrique García Cota
Thank you!
doc_408847606.pdf
Diagrams
F
Awesome
des sli
u r yo o
r
Me
Enrique García Cota
I do software at Splendeo
@otikik
Disclaimer
?
I'm not a designer. I've just done lots of diagrams in presentations. These guidelines work for me. “Right” and “Wrong” are used in that context. Don't take them personally.
?
?
?
©http://www.flickr.com/photos/mrimperial/121370739/
1. Lines
©http://www.flickr.com/photos/twinysam/4988273864/
Never use 0pt line width
Wrong
Right
Visible from the far end of the room
Have consistent line width
Wrong
0.10'' 0.06'' 0.32''
Right
0.06'' 0.06'' 0.32''
Maybe two very different widths; not more
Use only one line ending
Wrong
Right
People at the far end won't see the difference
Use one dashed style
Wrong
Right
Guess
Arrows instead of lines
vs.
When? See example on next slide
Use connectors, not straight lines
With lines
With connectors
Shapes instead of lines (sometimes)
Phase 1 Phase 2 vs. Phase 3
Phase 1
Phase 2
Phase 3
They look better on simple workflows
Colors instead of outlines (sometimes)
vs.
Useful to reduce the number of colors
2. Shapes
©http://www.flickr.com/photos/alessandropinna/1423128740/
Use a grid
Wrong
Right
Align when possible
Wrong
Right
Size means Importance
Wrong Right
Not Important
Very Important
Not
Important
Very Important
Size means Hierarchy
Wrong Right
Face
Face
Eyes
Nose
Mouth
Eyes
Nose
Mouth
Size means Relative Size
Wrong Right
Elephant
Duck
Elephant
Duck
Size doesn't mean “long name”
Wrong
A
Long Name
Right
A
* Long Name
B*
A
Long Name
A
Long Name
...
Different Shape = Different Type
OK Better
?
Yes No Yes
?
No
Maximum number types: 4
If you need more, use images
OK Better
C
A
B
Warning! Finding appropriate images takes time
Transparencies, Shadows & Gradients
Don't
They take a lot of time to get right, and most projectors won't show them anyway
©http://www.flickr.com/photos/24241587@N05/5184820807/
3. Nesting
One nesting level per slide
Wrong
Unique slide
One nesting level per slide
Right
Slide 1
One nesting level per slide
Right
Slide 2
One nesting level per slide
Right
Slide 3
One nesting level per slide
Right
Slide 4?
Is this level really needed?
But, won't adding slides increase the presentation complexity?
Yes, it will.
But less than nested shapes.
Complexity ?
Nes
ting
?
d es ? Sli
1 slide / 1 nesting level
If you need everything in one place
You are not making a presentation
Consider other formats
©http://www.flickr.com/photos/yetti/8743214/
4. Color
Color count
Fill + Text + Lines - Background
Hi Bye!
Fill = Green + Red = 2 Text = White = 1 Lines = Black = 1 Background = White = -1 2+1+1–1=3
Color count should be ?
3
The magic of combinatory
I'm only using
three
still
but
here
colors
can
make
many
combinations
When in doubt, use Primary colors
Red
#c5000b
Yellow
#ffd320
Green
#008000
Blue
#0084d1
In LibreOffice: Chart 11, Chart 3, Green, Chart12
These are awesome for diagrams
Color is great for Stress or Status
Wrong
OK Alert OK OK OK Alert
Right
OK Alert Alert OK OK OK Alert Alert
Alert
OK
Alert Alert
OK
OK
OK
Color is not great for lines
Wrong Right
More easily seen from far away
Use bright background colors
Wrong Right
Some projectors don't handle dark slides well
Don't use pale colors in foreground
Wrong Right
Gray 10%
Gray >20%
To projectors, any pale color = white
Printing: Black and White
OK Alert OK
OK OK Alert
Alert
OK
OK Alert OK
OK OK Alert
Alert
OK
OK
OK
Black and White = information loss
Printing: Graceful Degradation
OK Alert Alert OK
OK OK Alert Alert
Alert Alert
OK
OK Alert Alert OK
OK OK Alert Alert
Alert Alert
OK
OK
OK
Use contrast and borders to compensate
5. ext
©http://www.flickr.com/photos/rahulchhiber/5177233766/
First and foremost:
optometrist?
Are you an
©http://www.flickr.com/photos/sveinhal/2182773789/
Then don't make us feel like this.
Smallest font size:
20px
Otherwise it's impossibly difficult to read from far away
Only one font
Wrong
a a
a a
a
Right
a a
a
Exception: Typographic diagrams
Nice
Yuck
Bigger shape ? Bigger or equal text
Wrong Right
A
Letters
A
Letters
Otherwise text size contradicts shape size
Italics: Don't bother
Wrong Right
a
a
No one will notice the difference
Bold: Don't mix it
Wrong Right
a
a
a a
a a
Again, the difference is hard to notice
Use horizontal text
d ow n
a and with
sm
©http://www.flickr.com/photos/cobalt/1156232979/
Oblique text
al l
font.
of te n
is
hard to re
d, a
esp ec iall y
when
sid up e
© Enrique García Cota
That was it!
Now
Go
And
Make
Some
Awesome Diagrams!
Now
Go Make Some
Awesome
Diagrams!
© Enrique García Cota
Thank you!
doc_408847606.pdf