Diagrams are visual representations of information. They encompass Graphs, Charts, and Diagrams. For all types of diagrams there is a relatively small number of independent mechanisms that can be used to represent meaning.
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title: Diagram Semantic Mechanism Mind Map
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mindmap
root((Diagram Semantic Mechanisms))
Position
Absolute
Relative
Directional
Superposition
Shapes
Size, color, texture
Shape’s actual *shape*
Border style
Size, color, texture
Labels
Size, color, texture
Iconography
Size, color, texture
Arrows
Size, color, texture
Arrow heads
Size, color, texture
Form/adornments
…because that☝️looks bad on my iPad in dark mode, here’s the hierarchy:
Position Absolute Relative Directional Superposition Shapes Size, color, texture Shape’s actual shape Border style Size, color, texture Labels Size, color, texture Iconography Size, color, texture Arrows Size, color, texture Arrow heads Size, color, texture Form/adornments
In diagrams where absolute positions matter, it’s probably best to not mix-and-match other types of elements in (aside from comments or notes that are obviously for exposition only).
Different Diagram Types (index) will typically only use a subset of all the available mechanisms. This is because using them all would be overwhelming and defeat the fundamental purpose of diagrams: to transfer meaning into people’s brains quickly.
Source
- self