
## Concept

Our diagramming style is inspired by **scientific field guides**: precise, informative, and aesthetically restrained. Instead of sterile vector diagrams, we use **illustrative styles** (watercolor washes and copperplate-style line drawings) to evoke the tradition of naturalist documentation. This reinforces our brand story of mapping ecosystems — in this case, the ecosystem of automation and intelligence tools.

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## Visual Characteristics

- **Medium:**
    - Illustrative watercolors (for depth, texture, and organic variation).
    - Fine copperplate-style line drawings (for clarity, technical detail, and annotation).
        
- **Color Palette:**
    - Muted, natural washes in grayscale or soft tones (aligned with brand B&W aesthetic).
    - Occasional single accent color (e.g. ochre, teal) to highlight key elements.
    
- **Line Work:**
    - Thin, deliberate strokes (0.5–0.7pt equivalent).
    - Hatching and stippling instead of heavy shading.
    - Labels in clear sans-serif or humanist serif font, no excessive decoration.
- **Composition:**
    - Diagrams feel like “plates” in a field guide: framed, balanced, often annotated with marginalia.
    - Key elements isolated and numbered/lettered for reference in captions.


## Use Cases

- **System Diagrams:** Show modules (HMMM, COOEE, CHORUS, UCXL, etc.) as if they are “species” plates. Each part annotated, as though in a botanical drawing.
- **Process Flows:** Arrows as fine copperplate strokes with watercolor “washes” behind groups or zones.
- **Comparisons:** Side-by-side “plates” with shared baseline grid, like comparative bird species pages.
- **Iconography:** Subtle, hand-drawn-style icons for recurring elements (keys for encryption, envelopes for messages, etc.).

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## Do’s & Don’ts

✅ Do:

- Use watercolor textures to suggest _context_ and _environment_.
- Keep line work clean and precise, avoiding cartoonish exaggeration.
- Maintain a sense of restraint — diagrams should feel like study plates, not marketing infographics.

❌ Don’t:

- Use flat, bright corporate vector icons.
- Overuse color — keep it subdued.
- Sacrifice clarity for style. The diagrams must be both _beautiful_ and _functional_.
    

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## Tone & Message

This style conveys:

- **Authority** — rooted in tradition of careful observation.
- **Curiosity** — exploratory, not prescriptive.
- **Trustworthiness** — beauty with clarity, emphasizing transparency.

It visually separates our work from glossy corporate diagrams, reinforcing that our approach is more **observational, careful, and context-aware**.

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✅ With this, your diagrams will feel like they belong to the same world as your _Field Guide posts_. Each image will look like a naturalist’s study plate — timeless, precise, and unique.