Pre-production planning
Visualisation Diagrams
Contents
A visualisation diagram is a pre-production document that shows what a finished media product will look like. It is a sketch of an idea rather than the finished product, so it does not need to be produced to the same polished standard — rough outlines and quick notes do the job.
What it is for
It shows the layout of the product, so everyone can see where each element will sit, and it records the colour scheme and the typography — the fonts, sizes and whether text is in capitals — so the designer knows exactly what to use. Because those choices are written on the sketch, the diagram holds enough key information for a graphic designer to produce the final item from it.
It also lets the client and the rest of the design team see the idea before any production work begins, while changes are still cheap. In advertising, the diagram is reviewed with the client to check that every point in the brief has been met before production starts.
For example, you are planning a leaflet for a school summer fair. A quick sketch puts the event name in bold rounded letters across the top, a sketched photograph of a bouncy castle in the middle, and the times and ticket prices bottom right, with a note saying the background should be pale yellow. A designer could build the leaflet from that.
When it is suitable
Visualisation diagrams suit static, visual products: printed adverts, posters, magazine and book covers, leaflets and brochures, packaging, catalogues, banners, tickets, promotional and email marketing material, comic pages, web pages, and game screens, characters or environments. They are not appropriate where movement, sound or interaction over time is the main feature, because a still sketch cannot show these — a storyboard is the better choice there.
Why it is quicker
Even when the diagram is made in the same software as the final product, it takes far less time to produce, because writing an instruction such as “change the title to dark blue” is quicker than carrying the change out yourself. The designer still understands the note, so the idea is agreed before any of the slow, detailed work begins.
A visualisation diagram is a pre-production sketch that shows the components of a media product and explains how they should look. It is a plan, not the finished item, so images, photographs and graphics are shown as quick sketches rather than polished assets.
Layout and annotation
The layout and positioning of every element are shown, so the designer can see where each item will sit on the product. A poster for a school book swap might show the headline across the top, a sketched stack of books in the centre and the event details at the bottom.
Annotation is written notes on the diagram that explain the colours, the images and other details the designer needs. For example, an arrow to the background could say “pale yellow, flat colour” or a note beside the book sketch could say “show children’s books, bright spines”. Annotations are instructions for whoever makes the final product, so a change described in an annotation does not have to be carried out on the sketch itself.
Text and typography
Typography information records the font style, the font size and whether text is in capitals. The actual text is written onto the diagram, such as the title, slogan or headline, instead of leaving an empty labelled box. Writing “Book Swap Saturday” shows the designer the real words and how much space they need.
Extra components
Extra components depend on the product. A diagram may need a logo; a film rating or classification with key credits; a price, barcode, publication date or issue number; an ISBN; or cover lines giving short descriptive text about features.
In a digital diagram, images may be ones the client already owns or stock images used before a licence is bought. Stock images often carry a watermark at this stage, and a licence for the high-resolution version is bought for the final product.
A visualisation diagram is a sketch showing how a finished media product will look. It is more detailed than a wireframe layout, which marks images with crossed boxes; on a visualisation diagram you sketch the actual image content.
Your drawing does not have to be perfect, but it still needs to make clear what the finished product will look like. A rectangle with the word “lantern” written inside is not enough — draw the lantern’s shape, handle and glow. For a poster advertising a community lantern parade, sketch a row of lanterns and a small crowd rather than labelling an empty box “crowd”.
What belongs on it
Do not attach final high-resolution photographs, bespoke artwork made for the finished product, or physical materials collected for inspiration. The diagram is a planning sketch, so those final assets are added later. Backgrounds need not be filled in completely: a few quick shading strokes plus an annotation such as “night sky: dark blue” can indicate the background colour.
Keeping it clear
Make the diagram neat. Use a ruler where appropriate, for example for a border or straight text lines, and make sure every annotation and piece of text is legible. The graphic designer must be able to read your instructions without asking what they mean.
Rough versions and hand-drawing
In industry, sketches are often rough and quick so that designers can produce lots of ideas. An early, rough sketch of an idea is called a scamp; you might produce three different lantern-parade scamps before selecting one. A hand-drawn diagram can use sketching, or assets that are cut out and stuck onto the page — for example, a simple paper lantern shape glued in position while you decide where it should sit.
A visualisation diagram is a planning document used by the client and the production team to agree what a media product will look like before any production work starts. Its users are the people who turn the first idea into the finished product, plus the client paying for it. They are not the people who will eventually buy or view the product.
Client: the company or individual commissioning the work. Imagine a small games publisher wants a box cover for a new family board game. The client looks at the sketched cover and either approves it or asks for changes before any artwork is produced. This is why the diagram matters: it is much cheaper to change a sketch than to redo finished artwork.
| User | What they use the diagram for |
|---|---|
| Graphic designer, graphic artist or illustrator | Uses the layout, colours and sketches to plan and then produce the final artwork for the box cover. |
| Art director or creative director | Checks that the style, images and typography fit the brief and keep the whole creative team consistent. |
| Photographer | Sees where photographs of the game pieces will go and what they need to show, such as a close-up of the dice. |
| Editor | Checks the wording, such as the title and tagline, and makes sure the text is clear and correct. |
The general public and the target audience do not see the visualisation diagram. They only see the finished product, such as the box on a shop shelf. The diagram is a working document for the client and the production team, so it can be rough and full of notes, including annotations describing changes the client has asked for.
A visualisation diagram is effective when it does the job it was made for: it meets the client brief, matches the purpose of the product and is drawn at the right format and dimensions for where the product will be used. A diagram for a 300 by 400 mm poster is a completely different shape from one for a narrow phone banner.
It must also show what the final product will really look like — where every item sits and which colours are used — and the drawings should get the key ideas for the artwork across at a glance. Annotation then fills in what a sketch cannot show, such as the typography, which images to use and the colours, so a designer can make the final product without guessing.
Ways to improve a diagram
- Add annotation about the colour scheme, the fonts and the background, for example “pale blue background with white clouds, thick rounded font, all capitals”.
- Replace a box with the word “image” written in it with a sketch of the actual content, such as a bowl of cereal with milk splashing over the side.
- Add missing text. A leaflet that sketches the cakes on sale but never says “Two for one on Saturdays” has left out the message that makes people act, so it belongs near the top in large, bold type, with the address in the small print.
- Add conventions missing for that product type: a comic cover needs a masthead, a date and an issue number, packaging needs a barcode and price, and a game cover needs its age rating and a logo.
- Check that the format and dimensions really suit the brief.
Justify every improvement
Never suggest a change without saying how it helps. “Sketching the splashing milk instead of writing ‘image’ in a box tells the designer which photograph to take or buy, and shows the client that the serving suggestion backs up the claim that it makes a quick, healthy breakfast, so the brief is met with fewer redrafts.”