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Brief.md · the rules, for pasting into an AI site tool

AESTHETARY · VISUAL-LANGUAGE RECORD

The Scientific register, performed on its own record

Page for the visual-language record scientific [1] · the record follows the references as supplementary material

Abstract. Figure numbering, inline data plots, numbered references. The register's diagnostic is a checkable apparatus: numbered figures cited in reading order, captions that stand alone, citations that resolve. This page performs each of those properties rather than describing them, and provides a control for testing one of them.

1 · The claim, and what carries it

Colour on this page appears only inside the figures, where it encodes what the record holds for each area, or the grade of a brief, and nothing else (Fig. 1).

Hierarchy in this register is documented [3] and leaves the author no aesthetic choice. Fig. 1 comes first for no reason except that the paragraph above cited it first; the distribution across eight records follows as Fig. 2, and the convention's named violation closes the sequence as Fig. 3.

Fig. 1. What the record holds for each of its 12 areas (n = 12), read from the record's structured data [1]: 6 specified (layout, typography, color, imagery, technique, hierarchy); 5 not specified by the source (surface, interface, motion, motif, density); 1 not researched yet (form). The research dimensions behind them are listed in Table S1. Bars start at zero; colour encodes the state only; the outlined bar has no colour because those areas are not researched yet.

2 · Eight records, measured from their briefs

Tallied across the art-direction briefs of eight records, the grades show the catalogue's pattern: supported and curatorial grades dominate, documented grades appear only where a published specification or literature exists (this record and Googie), and researched freedom (FREE) is rare (Fig. 2).

Fig. 2. Grades across the 64 dimension blocks of eight records' art-direction briefs (Archival, Cartographic, Googie, Pop Art, Mod, Flat Design, Neo-Brutalism, Scientific; 8 briefs × 8 blocks), tallied from each brief's provenance table [2]: 6 documented, 21 supported, 2 free, 2 N/A, 33 curatorial. A provenance table grades each block by the brief's decision, not by the record's current evidence, so Fig. 2 and Fig. 1 count different things. Bars start at zero; colour encodes grade category only. Key: DOCUMENTED = Graded by our research brief · No source attached; SUPPORTED = From our catalogue entry; FREE = Graded by our research brief · left open; N/A = Graded by our research brief · does not apply; CURATORIAL = Our reading.

3 · The named violation

The convention treats a truncated bar axis as misleading, and the record carries that as an anti-signature. Fig. 3 replots two bars of Fig. 2 with the axis starting at 15: the visual ratio between supported and curatorial roughly triples while the data does not change. The figure is retained, struck through, as the counter-example — this register forbids it, and showing the forbidden thing once is how a reader learns to catch it.

Fig. 3. Supported vs curatorial grades, eight briefs. The same data as Fig. 2 with the axis truncated at 15 — the exaggeration is the reason the convention forbids the device. Retained as a counter-example, not as evidence. Key: SUPPORTED = From our catalogue entry; CURATORIAL = Our reading.

4 · Boundaries

The live neighbour, Archival, is set against this register in the supplementary material. The record's other listed neighbour, Institutional, has no page on this site; the difference between them is verifiability against the appearance of authority.

References

  1. [1] The record's structured data, this site: data/v1/scientific.json — the resolver's own output, unedited. The citation resolves; that is the point.
  2. [2] Aesthetary's art-direction briefs for the eight records in Fig. 2, working documents not published on this site; the tallies in Fig. 2 are read from their provenance tables.
  3. [3] Figure conventions, as cited in this record's brief: CASRAI figure rules; Caltech Hixon Writing Center caption guide; AIAA journal figure guidelines.

Build with it

A starting grammar for a website in the Scientific register: figures numbered by first citation, captions that stand alone, colour that carries a variable or nothing, and lettering that survives reduction.

Web translation marks our choices for the screen. Not specified by the source marks what the sources leave open. Everything else is a rule from the record below.

The same system is in the brief (Build → Brief) and in the structured data.

Colour

Table M1. Roles of the page. None carries a variable.
RoleValueContrast
paper#FCFCFAthe ground
ink#1E222615.6:1
ink-2#555C636.6:1
rule#C9CDD1not for text
link#2C6E8A5.5:1
Fig. M1. Illustrative counts for four conditions (A to D), specimen data. Colour encodes condition only; the axis starts at zero.
The rules behind it
  • Our readingColour encodes data or it is absent; a hue that carries no variable is a violation. From our reading (colour)
  • From our catalogue entryStart bar axes at zero. From our catalogue entry (colour)
  • Web translationGive each data category one hue and keep it on every figure. Colour that encodes a variable must encode the same variable wherever it appears. From our reading (colour)
  • Not specified by the sourceThe sources do not specify a page palette. The paper, ink and link blue are this room's; choose your own and keep them carrying nothing.

Type

Sentences are set in the serif, at a reading measure.

Fig. M2. Legends, labels and references are set in the sans, and carry the explanation the figure leaves out.

Figure lettering: live text, one size throughout, legible when the figure is reduced.

The rules behind it
  • DocumentedLetter figures clearly and consistently, large enough to stay legible when the figure is reduced. From a documented finding (typography)
  • Seen in the workKeep figure lettering live and editable, not outlined. From the work itself (typography)
  • Web translationSet figure lettering in a sans and sentences in a serif. One publisher asks for sans-serif figure lettering; the running-text face is declared free. The pairing is this room's. From the work itself (typography), our reading (typography)
  • Not specified by the sourceThe sources set no field-wide face or size. Publishers disagree (Nature 5 to 7 pt sans; PLOS admits Times at 8 to 12 pt). Pick one and hold it on every figure. From the work itself (typography)

Layout

One column. Each figure sits at its width, after the paragraph that first cites it, caption below.

The rules behind it
  • Documented · Source not yet verifiedCompose in column-width panels, each a figure-and-caption unit. From a documented finding (layout)
  • Documented · Source attachedOrder figures by first citation in the text. From a documented finding (hierarchy)
  • Web translationPlace each figure directly after the paragraph that first cites it. First citation sets the order; placing the figure there keeps the reader's check one glance away. From a documented finding (hierarchy), a documented finding
  • Not specified by the sourceThe sources do not specify a multi-column grid. A single column is the room's choice; state it if you add a second.

Shape

Rules only: heavy to open and close, hairlines between. No boxes, no radius.

The rules behind it
  • Seen in the workDraw lines heavy and contrasting enough to survive reproduction. From the work itself (technique)
  • Web translationDivide with rules only: a heavy rule to open the paper and the references, hairlines around figures, no boxes or radius. The register carries no motif or surface vocabulary; rules are the apparatus, not ornament. From our reading (motif), our reading (surface)

Imagery

Inline data plots, drawn as vectors with both axes labelled by variable and unit (Fig. M1). No photography as primary imagery.

The rules behind it
  • Documented · Source not yet verifiedUse inline data plots, not photography. From a documented finding (imagery)
  • Seen in the workSupply line art and text as vectors; do not rasterize them. From the work itself (technique)
  • Web translationDraw plots as inline SVG with both axes labelled by variable and unit. Vector artwork is what publishers ask for, and an inline SVG keeps its lettering live. From the work itself (technique), a documented finding

Components

The sources do not specify interface conventions for Scientific. These four are contemporary translations of its visual rules.

Fig. M6. Specimen: responses by condition (count). Bars start at zero.
participants
The rules behind it
  • Web translationDraw buttons as ruled labels with no fill and no emphasis the action does not need. Refusing emphasis unwarranted by the data extends to the controls: the register allows no decoration. From our reading (colour), our reading
  • Web translationSet every figure as a unit at column width with its caption. The cited rule belongs to the Aesthetic's own medium; applying it to a screen component or motion is our translation. From a documented finding (layout)
  • Web translationNumber figures in order of first mention; let each caption define its panels, units and sample sizes so the figure stands alone. The cited rule belongs to the Aesthetic's own medium; applying it to a screen component or motion is our translation. From a documented finding
  • Web translationPut titles and explanations in the legend, not lettered onto the figure. The cited rule belongs to the Aesthetic's own medium; applying it to a screen component or motion is our translation. From a documented finding (typography)
  • Web translationLabel every field and state its unit. An axis is labelled with variable and unit; a field that takes a value is labelled the same way. From a documented finding
  • Not specified by the sourceThe sources do not specify journal forms. Keep the field plain; do not borrow a submission-system look.
  • Web translationNumber navigation items in reading order. Rank by order of first citation leaves no aesthetic ordering; a contents list follows the same rule. From a documented finding (hierarchy)

Motion

A paper does not animate. State changes are instant.

The rules behind it
  • Web translationDo not animate. State changes are instant. A paper does not animate; the record gives motion no place. From our reading (motion)

The apparatus

  1. The text cites Fig. 1 first, so it is Fig. 1.
  2. Its caption defines panels, units and n.
  3. Reference [1] resolves to the source.
The rules behind it
  • Documented · Source attachedNumber figures and tables in order of first mention, and cite every number in the text. From a documented finding
  • Documented · Source attachedRank by order of first citation, not by importance. From a documented finding (hierarchy)
  • Web translationMake every reference a link that resolves. The register exists so a sceptical reader can follow each assertion to its evidence; on screen that is a working link. From what it argues

SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL

The record: Scientific

S1 Research standing

Research
Partly sourced

9 sources attached.

Build guidance: Recorded in 4 of 8 research dimensions (Table S1; plotted as Fig. 1).

Table S1. Research dimensions of the record, the evidence for each, and whether it carries build guidance.
Research dimensionEvidenceCarries guidance
CompositionSpecified · Graded by our research briefyes
TypographySpecifiedyes
HierarchySpecified · Graded by our research briefyes
ColourSpecified · From our catalogue entryyes
DensityNot specified by the sourceno
ImagerySpecified · Graded by our research briefyes
Form / motif / surface / techniqueNot specified by the source: form, motif, surface · Specified: techniqueyes
MotionNot specified by the sourceno
No source attached
Argument, Recognition test
Not researched yet
Summary, Typeface guidance, Overall positions by area, Ornament and contrast scales, Moving it to screen, Source notes. Unresearched is not permission.

Note. Neither is a free hand: an area research has not reached is not permission to decide on the language’s behalf.

S2 Particulars

Where the record comes from and what it is called (Table S2).

Table S2. Particulars of Scientific.
OriginSector register
Also calledlab, clinical research, figure-led, evidence
Feeltechnical, serious
What this record coversResearch-publication register used as a design language.
ScopeThe visual register of the journal research paper: figures and tables numbered by first citation, self-sufficient captions, data plots, as Aesthetary's language drawn from manuscript requirements (ICMJE); colour-encodes-data is our rule.

S3 What it argues

A claim is only as good as the reader's ability to test it. Numbered figures, captions that stand alone, and resolvable citations exist so a sceptical reader can follow every assertion back to its evidence without taking the author's word.

It refuses
Persuasion by design, and refuses any visual emphasis that is not warranted by the data.
The costs it accepts
Persuasiveness; Warmth; Visual interest
Who it is for
A sceptical reader who will check the figure before accepting the sentence.

S4 How you recognise it

Numbered figures cited in reading order, each carrying a caption below it that defines panels, units and sample sizes so the figure stands alone, inline data plots with both axes labelled by variable and unit, colour that encodes data rather than decorating, and numbered references that resolve.

Archival orders a collection for retrieval; this orders evidence for testing. Institutional claims authority by appearance rather than by verifiability.

S5 What carries the look

0 Elements linked, by dimension (Table S3). Each row still opens its gallery.

Table S3. What carries the look: linked Elements, the faces this page is set in, and its colours as built.
Typographycarries the look

This page is set in Source Serif and Karla. Typographic research on the record.

Color
  • #FCFCFA
  • #1E2226
  • #555C63
  • #C9CDD1
  • #2C6E8A
  • #A33B2E

as built

Compositioncarries the lookNothing linked yet
ImageryNothing linked yet
SurfacesNothing linked yet
MotionNothing linked yet
Motifs & SymbolsNothing linked yet
TechniquesNothing linked yet

S6 Rules (16)

16 rules, grouped by area, each with its kind of claim (Table S4).

Table S4. Rules of the record by area. R-numbers are for citation; the evidence column is filled only where it departs from what the kind of claim implies.
No.RuleKind of claimEvidence
Layout
R1Composition: column-width panels; figure + caption unit.Documented · Source not yet verified
Typography
R2Lettering on figures should be clear and consistent throughout, and large enough to remain legible when the figure is reduced for publication.Documented · Source attached
R3Titles and explanations are set in the legend, not lettered onto the figure itself.Documented · Source attached
R4At Nature, figure lettering is sans-serif, preferably Helvetica or Arial, set small (5 to 7 pt), live and editable rather than outlined, and not coloured.Seen in the work
R5Publishers do not agree on a typeface class for figure lettering: PLOS ONE admits a serif (Times) alongside Arial and sets a larger size range (8 to 12 pt), and AIAA asks for at least 8 pt at column width.Seen in the work
R6Captions in AIAA journals are short (20 to 25 words) and centred beneath the figure.Seen in the work
Color
R7Carries a hard rule: colour encodes rather than decorates. Any hue not carrying data is a violation. Bar axes start at zero.From our catalogue entry
R8Colour encodes data or it is absent. A hue that carries no variable is decoration and breaks the register's only claim.Our reading
Imagery
R9Imagery: inline data plots, not photography.Documented · Source not yet verified
Technique
R10Figures are produced by the authors and often printed as supplied, because many journals do not redraw them.Documented · Source attached
R11The older print route was figures professionally drawn and photographed, or supplied as photographic-quality prints.Documented · Source attached
R12Publishers such as Nature ask authors not to rasterize line art or text and to supply editable, unflattened vector artwork where possible.Seen in the work
R13Line drawings must meet a minimum line weight and contrast so they survive reproduction.Seen in the work
Form
R14The governing specification addresses the manuscript and its electronic versions (sections, layering, cross-linking), not any three-dimensional object; no opened source specifies binding, format or handling.Documented · Source attached
Hierarchy
R15Rank by order of first citation. Figure 1 is first because the text mentions it first — an ordering the author does not choose aesthetically at all.Documented · Source attached
Apparatus
R16Figures are numbered in order of first mention and each caption makes its figure stand alone — panels, units and sample sizes defined in the caption, not in the image.Documented · Source attached

S7 Ruled out, or left open by the sources

Surface
Not specified by the source. The sources do not specify this area; a translation may follow.
Interface
Not specified by the source. The sources do not specify this area; a translation may follow.
Motion
Not specified by the source. The sources do not specify this area; a translation may follow.
Motif
Not specified by the source. The sources do not specify this area; a translation may follow.

S8 Often confused with

  • Archival Aesthetic

    Testing versus retrieval. Both ordered and apparatus-heavy; the purposes are opposite.

S9 Use it

Suggest a correction to ScientificRequest deeper research

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Work made in this style: a poster, a page, a type setting. Every submission is reviewed before it appears.

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