Finding Graphic Software
Dear Zettlers,
I am currently in search for a good software solution to design visuals and diagrams for my work. Here are some examples that I made using draw.io:
For the book, Christian created more visually pleasing images:
Most of the time, I ignore my software and use the image capture function of The Archive which vastly (!) speeds up my process (important to me). The images look like this:
All images protected by copyright 4.0 (enforced by Interpol, Blackrock, the Illuminati, my secret identity and third personality). So, to the lurker who likes to "borrow/bite" other people ideas:
I'd like to improve my visual game.
- I'd like to stop pestering Christian if I need something more pretty.
- Sometimes, I use using software as a creative technique.
- In few cases, I just want something pretty for myself.
And what is better than appropriate skills by just buying shiny tools? Currently, I am looking at OmniGraffle. But perhaps, you have something way better for visuals like the above?
Many thanks
Sascha
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Howdy, Stranger!
Comments
Christian shows some pretty good results there. Sould be pretty hard finding the right tool to replace him
A skilled designer could use just any tool. Simplicity often shows best results. I like LibreOffice Draw, but you'd need to learn how to use the software before getting nice results. LibreOffice is definitely not for just wanting something pretty.
I'd recommend MS Visio or Edraw for diagrams such as flow charts. The results are nice and pretty.
What do mean by your 2nd point? What limitations are you facing with draw.io?
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@Sascha said:
@zk_1000 said:
If I'm not mistaken, @Sascha uses macOS, and MS Visio is for Windows only (aside from the web-app version). Edraw has a macOS version. I am a Mac user too, and I haven't used Edraw, but it appears to be more powerful than OmniGraffle, which I use for certain purposes and like.
But before we assume that @Sascha needs a diagramming app like Edraw or OmniGraffle (which is a reasonable assumption given his example images above), first let's take a step backward and note that which software you will want to use depends on which kind of graphic you want to produce. OmniGraffle is good, but it is only one tool in the graphics toolbox. There are many different software apps specialized for producing different kinds of graphics. For example, take a look at the different software libraries for the PGF/TikZ graphics languages: these libraries give you various commands for programmatically producing different kinds of diagrams.
Second, the graphic designer in me would separate (1) the initial phase of producing the structure of the graphic and (2) the later phase of perfecting its visual beauty ("prettiness"). In my workflow, phase 1 happens in whichever software is most appropriate for the kind of graphic I am producing (which could be Excel, OmniGraffle, PGF/TikZ, SketchUp, etc.), and phase 2 usually happens (if the output is vector graphics) in Adobe Illustrator (Illustrator). The most popular free alternative to Illustrator is Inkscape, but when I tried Inkscape many years ago it was far behind the capabilities of Illustrator.
You probably don't need something like Illustrator to make something pretty enough for your needs; you just need to expand the variety of software apps in your toolbox in phase 1 and give a little more time and attention to phase 2.
I'll look into it. Thx.
See @Andy I was drawn down into the world of Mac and never came out of it.
Sometimes, using software instead of paper moves me in another mode. In some cases, I then got the solution on how to get my idea right. I use drawings not draw what is in my mind, but as the very process of thinking itself. Similar to writing.
@Andy
It almost like I do it. The difference is that I am one (or two..) pay grade lower.
I produce on paper and then go to draw.io.
I'll look into Adobe Illustrator and Inkscape, but I am pretty sure that this is above my pay grade. Most likely, I will then just hire somebody if I'd need that professional visuals.
Regarding my needs: It is mostly diagrams.
Something like this would are the more complicated images to be beautified:
I just want to make such things pretty and have some options to just drag things arround and change them with a couple of mouse clicks and key strokes.
I am a Zettler
Hi Sascha, you can try yEd (free, and made in Tübingen) https://www.yworks.com/products/yed
and/or yEd Live in a browser (https://www.yworks.com/products/yed-live).
Demo video
With some clever color palette choices and maybe some shading, you could achieve a "modern look" with this free diagram tool.
@saschaz said:
I agree: yEd is a very good tool to have in your toolbox, but as I said above, only as one tool among others; don't expect to find the one tool that will fit all your needs. (Perhaps you will find such a tool, but I would be surprised.) It's not as friendly as OmniGraffle, but it is free. yEd is especially good if you want or need to nerd out with data structures in XML. (I know that is not what you're looking for, but that is a special strength of yEd.)
Ah, yed. I forgot about it.
Many thanks for that recommendation @saschaz
@Andy How user-friendly is OmniGraffle in your estimation?
Are there use cases that might highlight? I am not sure what that would entail.
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Did you ever used ExcaliDraw that lets you easily sketch diagrams that have a hand-drawn feel to them? https://github.com/excalidraw/excalidraw
Here is an example:
Edmund Gröpl
Writing is your voice. Make it easy to listen.
@Edmund I never have, but will look into it!
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@Sascha said:
I find OmniGraffle very friendly and intuitive, more so than yEd. (I have an older version of OmniGraffle.) My opinion is partly subjective, but objectively OmniGraffle is a native Mac app while yEd is not, which affects the look and feel of the apps. You will have to try both to see if you agree.
An example is when I was trying to take argument maps made by Argdown and make them more pretty. Argdown can export to GraphML, which is an XML-based file format for graphs that yEd can read. Ultimately I decided to use Illustrator for this job as I usually do, but I was pleased to see that I could have done it in yEd. yEd can also import arbitrary XML formats, for nerds who write their own XML schemas.
yEd also imports Trivial Graph Format (TGF), which is an easy way to write a diagram in a text editor and then import it into yEd to make it pretty. OmniGraffle can do the same with DOT format, which is an easy way to write a diagram in a text editor and then import it into OmniGraffle to make it pretty (see examples of DOT format). DOT is more powerful than TGF.
Many thanks!
I think I'll go for OmniGraffle and yed first for a 3-5 day sprint to jump start the learning. (I will have to build up a list of tasks that last for 3–5 days)
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