infographics

Infographics Decision Guide

When to Add Infographics

Add a visualization when content contains:

Content Pattern	Visualization Type	Package
3+ numeric values being compared	Bar chart	CeTZ-Plot
Values changing over time/sequence	Line chart	CeTZ-Plot
Percentage breakdown	Pie/donut chart	CeTZ-Plot
Step-by-step process (3+ steps)	Flowchart	Fletcher
System with 3+ connected components	Architecture diagram	Fletcher
Request/response between services	Sequence diagram	Pintorita
Hierarchical concepts	Mind map	CeTZ (custom)
Before/after comparison	Side-by-side boxes	Layout (no package)
Pro/con analysis	Two-column layout	Layout (no package)

When NOT to Add Infographics

• Content is purely textual/narrative
• Only 1-2 data points (use inline text instead)
• Data is already in a clear table
• The visualization would be trivially simple
• Template is already dense (cheat-sheet with limited space)

Bar Chart Pattern

Best for: Comparing quantities across categories.

#import "@preview/cetz:0.3.4"
#import "@preview/cetz-plot:0.1.1": chart

#cetz.canvas({
  chart.barchart(
    size: (9, 5),
    label-key: 0,
    value-key: 1,
    (
      ("Q1 Revenue", 2.4),
      ("Q2 Revenue", 3.1),
      ("Q3 Revenue", 2.8),
      ("Q4 Revenue", 3.5),
    ),
    bar-style: (fill: theme.chart-1.lighten(40%), stroke: theme.chart-1),
  )
})

Tips:

• Keep to 3-8 categories
• Sort by value if no natural ordering
• Use theme colors for consistency

Line Chart Pattern

Best for: Showing trends over time or continuous data.

#import "@preview/cetz:0.3.4"
#import "@preview/cetz-plot:0.1.1": plot

#cetz.canvas({
  plot.plot(
    size: (10, 5),
    x-label: "Month",
    y-label: "Users (K)",
    x-tick-step: 1,
    {
      plot.add(
        ((1, 12), (2, 15), (3, 18), (4, 22), (5, 28), (6, 35)),
        style: (stroke: 2pt + theme.chart-1),
        label: "Active Users",
      )
      plot.add(
        ((1, 8), (2, 10), (3, 11), (4, 14), (5, 16), (6, 20)),
        style: (stroke: 2pt + theme.chart-2, dash: "dashed"),
        label: "Paying Users",
      )
    },
  )
})

Tips:

• Limit to 2-3 series for readability
• Label axes clearly
• Use dashed lines for secondary series

Flowchart Pattern

Best for: Processes, decision trees, workflows.

#import "@preview/fletcher:0.5.8" as fletcher: diagram, node, edge

#diagram(
  node-stroke: 0.5pt + theme.border,
  spacing: (2em, 1.5em),

  // Process nodes
  node((0, 0), [Start], fill: theme.success.lighten(85%), shape: fletcher.shapes.pill),
  node((1, 0), [Step 1], fill: theme.surface),
  node((2, 0), [Decision?], fill: theme.warning.lighten(85%), shape: fletcher.shapes.diamond),
  node((3, 0), [Step 2A], fill: theme.surface),
  node((2, 1), [Step 2B], fill: theme.surface),
  node((4, 0), [End], fill: theme.error.lighten(85%), shape: fletcher.shapes.pill),

  // Flow edges
  edge((0, 0), (1, 0), "->"),
  edge((1, 0), (2, 0), "->"),
  edge((2, 0), (3, 0), "->", [Yes]),
  edge((2, 0), (2, 1), "->", [No]),
  edge((3, 0), (4, 0), "->"),
  edge((2, 1), (4, 0), "->", bend: 20deg),
)

Tips:

• Use shapes to differentiate node types (pill for start/end, diamond for decisions)
• Keep to 5-10 nodes max
• Flow left-to-right or top-to-bottom

Architecture Diagram Pattern

Best for: System components, microservices, layers.

#import "@preview/fletcher:0.5.8" as fletcher: diagram, node, edge

#diagram(
  node-stroke: 0.5pt + theme.border,
  spacing: (3em, 2em),

  // Layers
  node((0, 0), [Web App], fill: theme.chart-1.lighten(85%)),
  node((2, 0), [Mobile App], fill: theme.chart-1.lighten(85%)),

  node((1, 1), [API Gateway], fill: theme.chart-2.lighten(85%)),

  node((0, 2), [Auth Service], fill: theme.chart-3.lighten(85%)),
  node((1, 2), [Core Service], fill: theme.chart-3.lighten(85%)),
  node((2, 2), [Notification], fill: theme.chart-3.lighten(85%)),

  node((1, 3), [PostgreSQL], fill: theme.chart-4.lighten(85%)),

  // Connections
  edge((0, 0), (1, 1), "->"),
  edge((2, 0), (1, 1), "->"),
  edge((1, 1), (0, 2), "->"),
  edge((1, 1), (1, 2), "->"),
  edge((1, 1), (2, 2), "->"),
  edge((0, 2), (1, 3), "->"),
  edge((1, 2), (1, 3), "->"),
)

Tips:

• Group related components visually
• Use color to indicate layers/types
• Show data flow direction with arrows
• Label edges only when the relationship isn't obvious

Sequence Diagram Pattern

Best for: API calls, authentication flows, message passing.

#import "@preview/pintorita:0.2.0"

#render(```
sequenceDiagram
  participant U as User
  participant C as Client
  participant A as Auth
  participant S as Server

  U->>C: Login
  C->>A: POST /auth/token
  A-->>C: JWT Token
  C->>S: GET /api/data (Bearer token)
  S->>A: Validate token
  A-->>S: Valid
  S-->>C: 200 OK + Data
  C-->>U: Display data
```)

Tips:

• Keep to 3-5 participants
• Show the happy path first
• Use solid arrows for requests, dashed for responses
• Group related exchanges with labels

Mind Map Pattern (Custom CeTZ)

Best for: Concept relationships, brainstorming, topic overview.

Use the sketchnote-canvas function from visual-sketchnote.typ or build a custom CeTZ canvas:

#import "@preview/cetz:0.3.4"

#cetz.canvas(length: 1cm, {
  import cetz.draw: *

  // Central concept
  circle((5, 5), radius: 1.2, fill: theme.primary.lighten(85%), stroke: 2pt + theme.primary)
  content((5, 5), text(weight: "bold", size: 11pt)[Core Idea])

  // Branches (positioned around center)
  let branches = (
    (angle: 0deg, label: "Topic A", color: theme.chart-1),
    (angle: 72deg, label: "Topic B", color: theme.chart-2),
    (angle: 144deg, label: "Topic C", color: theme.chart-3),
    (angle: 216deg, label: "Topic D", color: theme.chart-4),
    (angle: 288deg, label: "Topic E", color: theme.chart-5),
  )

  for b in branches {
    let x = 5 + 3.5 * calc.cos(b.angle)
    let y = 5 + 3.5 * calc.sin(b.angle)
    line(
      (5 + 1.2 * calc.cos(b.angle), 5 + 1.2 * calc.sin(b.angle)),
      (x, y),
      stroke: 1.5pt + b.color,
    )
    circle((x, y), radius: 0.8, fill: b.color.lighten(85%), stroke: 1pt + b.color)
    content((x, y), text(size: 8pt, weight: "semibold", fill: b.color)[#b.label])
  }
})

Sizing Guidelines

Template	Max Chart Width	Recommended Height
Executive Summary	100% (full width)	5-6cm
Cheat Sheet	Per-column width	3-4cm
Study Guide	80-100%	5-7cm
Technical Brief	100%	6-8cm
Visual Sketchnote	100%	8-12cm
Creative Portfolio	100%	5-6cm
Meeting Minutes	Avoid large charts	4-5cm max

Color Usage

Always use theme colors for consistency:

• theme.chart-1 through theme.chart-5 for data series
• theme.primary for emphasis
• theme.surface for node backgrounds
• theme.border for strokes
• theme.text-secondary for labels