Design Patterns for Software Diagramming
summary
Explains concrete patterns and anti‑patterns: use meta style to signal draft vs finished, avoid mixing abstraction levels (C4 context → container → component), split one giant diagram into multiple free diagrams, and always include a key. Recommends tools: C4, PlantUML, Mermaid and diagrams as code workflows; notes structurizr generates the key automatically. Covers accessibility (simulate color‑blindness; 1 in 12 men affected), orthogonal lines to reduce crossings, and warns AI still produces nonsense diagrams.
AI-written summary · about
chapters (18)
- 0:00Introduction
- 1:07Problems with diagrams
- 2:34Style communicates
- 4:21Know your audience
- 5:55Mixing levels of abstraction
- 11:02Using color effectively
- 14:02Avoiding confusing diagrams
- 15:49Line management
- 18:41Creating multiple diagrams
- 20:52Color blindness awareness
- 28:23Using keys and legends
- 33:23Acronym usage
- 37:23Diagram flow
- 39:20Providing context
- 41:42UML pitfalls
- 44:39Separating structure and behavior
- 46:01Consistency across diagrams
- 47:27Future of diagramming
related talks
41mDesign Patterns for Software Diagramming
50mMastering Visual Communication for Software Architecture
34mDiagram as Code - Decoding Architectural Diagrams
39mDiagrams as Code 2.0
41mThe lost art of software design
15mDraw me a software or the art of diagrams that stick in the mind
30m5 Things Every Developer Should Know about Software Architecture
25mDesign Patterns Unleashed: Building Elegant and Confident Solutions