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Observed Skill tool call in stream-json. Skills invoked: dataviz.
What the agent did
- Read{"file_path":"C:\\Users\\<user>\\AppData\\Local\\Temp\\assay-attempt-Nzt5Xo\\print\\annual-report\\brief.md"}
- Read
- assistant_messageI need to consult the dataviz skill for color strategy on print, since this involves financial visualizations and CMYK palette decisions on uncoated stock.
- Skill{"skill":"dataviz"}
- dataviz
- Skill
- assistant_messageBase directory for this skill: C:\Users\<user>\AppData\Local\Temp\claude\bundled-skills\2.1.259\3a1ebd4d947fdb5fcd065d753f860729\dataviz # Data Visualization A chart is **read by people and executed by you**. This skill turns "make it look good" into a procedure with checks, so the result is right by construction rather than by taste. **The method here is design-system-agnostic.** Nothing in the procedure, the form heuristic, the six checks, or the mark specs is specific to one product. A design system supplies a small set of *parameters* (its ramps, a categorical order, a diverging pair, a status palette, a texture, its surfaces, its filter components); the method consumes them unchanged. A **validated default palette** is the reference instance, fully specified in `references/palette.md`. To target your brand, read that file's structure and substitute its values - touch nothing else. > The single most important habit: **the color part is computable, so compute it.** > Never eyeball whether a palette is colorblind-safe - run `scripts/validate_palette.js`. ## The procedure - do these in order Color comes LAST. Most bad charts pick colors first. 1. **Pick the form.** What is the data's job - magnitude, identity, polarity, a single headline, change-over-time? The job picks the chart type, and sometimes the answer is *not a chart* (a stat tile or hero number). -> `references/choosing-a-form.md` 2. **Assign color by the job it does.** Categorical (identity), sequential (magnitude), diverging (polarity), or status (state) - each has one rule. Assign categorical hues in fixed order, never cycled. -> `references/color-formula.md` 3. **VALIDATE the palette - run the script, don't reason about Delta E.** `node scripts/validate_palette.js "<hex,hex,...>" --mode light` (relative to this skill's base directory - or load it as `<script type="module">` in the chart's own page, where it reads `data-palette` off `<body>` and logs a `console.table` report). It returns pass/fail on the lightness band, chroma floor, adjacent-pair CVD separation, the normal-vision floor, and contrast. Fix anything that FAILs before continuing. Re-run for `--mode dark` with that mode's surface. 4. **Apply mark specs & spacers.** Thin marks, 4px rounded data-ends anchored to the baseline, 2px lines, >=8px markers, a 2px surface gap between fills (stacked segments and adjacent bars alike) and a 2px surface ring on overlapping marks, selective direct labels. -> `references/marks-and-anatomy.md` 5. **Add the hover layer - by default.** An HTML/SVG chart *is* interactive; ship a crosshair+tooltip on line/area and a per-mark hover tooltip on bar/dot/cell. The only form that skips it is a bare stat tile with no plot. Hit targets bigger than the mark; filters in one row above the charts. -> `references/interaction.md` 6. **Final accessibility pass.** For >= 2 series a legend is always present and <= 4 are also direct-labeled (a single series needs no legend box - the title names it), so identity is never color-alone; a table view exists; dark mode is **selected** - its own steps from the same ramps, validated against the dark surface, not an automatic flip; texture is available for the CVD/print/forced-colors case. 7. **Render it and look at it.** The validator checks color, not layout - open or screenshot the output and eyeball it for label collisions, geometry, and overflow before calling it done. Then check the result against **`references/anti-patterns.md`** - it is the catalog of what goes wrong. If your chart matches an entry, it's wrong. ## Non-negotiables (true in every design system) - **Assign categorical hues in fixed order, never cycled.** A 9th series is never a generated hue - it folds into "Other," small multiples, or composite encoding. - **One axis.** Never a dual-axis chart (two y-scales). Two measures of different scale -> two charts, small multiples, or indexed to a common base. *(This is the #1 chart mistake - see anti-patterns.)* - **Color follows the entity, never its rank.** A filter that changes the series count must not repaint the survivors. - **Sequential = one hue, light->dark. Diverging = two hues + a neutral gray midpoint.** Never a rainbow; never a hue at the diverging midpoint. - **Run the validator before shipping any categorical palette.** CVD Delta E >= 8 is the target (OKLab ×100); 6-8 is a floor that is legal ONLY with secondary encoding. A normal-vision floor below 15 is a hard FAIL - full-color readers can't tell the pair apart; re-step it on the adjacent pairlist (secondary encoding does not excuse this one); under `--pairs all` cut series or facet instead - see check 4. A contrast WARN obligates visible labels or a table view - it is not dismissable. - **Thin marks; a legend always present for >= 2 series (none for one), with selective direct labels (never a number on every point); recessive grid/axes.** - **Text wears text tokens, never the series color** - values, labels, and legends stay in primary/secondary/muted ink; a colored mark beside them carries identity. - **Status colors are reserved** (good/warning/serious/critical) and never reused for "series 4"; they ship with an icon + label, never color alone. ## Plugging in a design system The method is invariant; only these parameters change per system. The reference instance - every value filled in - is `references/palette.md`. | Parameter | What the system provides | |---|---| | **Ramps** | the hue scales (named steps) the palette draws from | | **Categorical theme** | the fixed hue order (a named theme); default + alternates | | **Sequential hue** | the default single hue for magnitude | | **Diverging pair** | two warm/cool poles + a neutral midpoint | | **Status palette** | good / warning / serious / critical - steps distinct from categorical | | **Texture fill** | one directional hand-drawn fill, used at 45° / 135° | | **Surfaces** | light & dark chart-surface colors (the validator needs these) | | **Filter controls** | date-range & dimension controls (behavioral spec in `interaction.md`) | To onboard a new system: fill those rows, feed its ramps to the validator, and let it snap each slot to the nearest passing step. Structure and rules stay as written. ## Reference files | File | What it answers | |------|-----------------| | `references/choosing-a-form.md` | Which chart type / is it even a chart? | | `references/color-formula.md` | The four jobs, the six checks, snap-to-passing | | `references/marks-and-anatomy.md` | Mark specs, spacers, labels, figures, hero number | | `references/interaction.md` | Tooltips & hover, filters & time ranges | | `references/components.md` | The pieces a chart is made of - build each in plain HTML | | `references/anti-patterns.md` | **What goes wrong - check every chart against this** | | `references/palette.md` | **The reference palette instance** - every parameter, filled in; swap for your brand's | | `scripts/validate_palette.js` | Runnable six-checks validator (run it; don't eyeball) |
- assistant_message## Section 4 Financials: Chart Types & Print Color Strategy ### Chart Forms **Revenue by segment (6 segments, 5 years)** - **Grouped bar chart**: Segments as five-bar clusters, years on x-axis. Cleanest for year-over-year comparison within each segment. - Alternative: stacked bar (years on x-axis, segments stacked) if you want total revenue prominence over segment comparison. - Avoid: line chart with 6 overlapping lines on uncoated stock—too hard to distinguish fine strokes and thin markers. **Headcount by region** - **Horizontal bar chart**: One bar per region, sorted by magnitude. Print-friendly; labels sit flush left. - Simple, scannable, works well at small scale on 32-page context. **Churn by cohort** - **Small multiples** (6 small line charts, one per cohort, arranged in a 2×3 grid): Each cohort's decay pattern visible without line-crossing chaos. - Alternative: **heatmap/matrix** (cohorts on y, time on x, churn rate as cell shade) if space is tight. - Avoid: 6 overlapping lines on one chart—uncoated paper loses line weight and color distinction in thin marks. --- ### Color Palette for CMYK on Uncoated Stock **The challenge:** Uncoated stock dulls saturation, fine tints fill in, and CMYK shift is unpredictable. Light pastels vanish. **Strategy: Bold, muted, CMYK-safe hues** For 6 categorical series, use this palette: | Swatch | CMYK | Hex (approx RGB reference) | Use | |--------|------|---------------------------|-----| | Navy | C80 M60 Y40 K40 | #1a3a52 | Segment 1 / Primary | | Forest Green | C70 M20 Y80 K20 | #2d6a3e | Segment 2 | | Burgundy | C30 M100 Y80 K30 | #8b2e3b | Segment 3 | | Ochre/Gold | C20 M40 Y100 K0 | #d4a040 | Segment 4 | | Slate | C40 M30 Y30 K60 | #545454 | Segment 5 | | Teal | C80 M10 Y50 K0 | #1d8a8a | Segment 6 | **Why this works on uncoated:** - Each hue is **dark enough** (K≥20) to hold on matte paper without filling or fading. - No pastels—no light tints that vanish on uncoated stock. - **High contrast between adjacent pairs**—navy ↔ gold, burgundy ↔ teal, slate stays readable. - All values stay **readable at 8-10pt print size** (small-cap context). **Grays & neutrals:** - **Rich black for outlines/axis strokes**: C60 M40 Y40 K100 (not 100% K alone—too thin on uncoated). - **Text (labels, values)**: 100% K or C40 M30 Y30 K80 (warm-dark gray, avoids dead black flatness). - **Grid (if used)**: C20 M15 Y15 K20 (very light—test on press proof; it may still fill in fine tints). **Avoid:** - Bright cyan, magenta (shift unpredictably in offset CMYK). - Any hex with RGB values >220 (too light; will vanish or fill in solid). - Pastels, tints, or "30% color" rules—uncoated paper doesn't hold them. **Validation step:** Request a **press proof** or color bar before final print. Uncoated stock varies by mill; seeing it on actual paper beats theory. If any swatch fills in, shift to the next darker step on the ramp.
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