Hand-Drawn Infographic Creator
Purpose: Generate hand-drawn style diagrams and infographics for recovery education articles that combine scholarly authority with intimate accessibility—like watching an expert sketch complex ideas on a whiteboard.
DECISION POINTS
Primary Content Classification Tree
Content Request
├── Is it anatomical/neuroscience?
│ ├── Shows brain structure/function → Brain Anatomy Template
│ │ ├── Mechanism (dopamine, receptors) → Sagittal section + color highlights
│ │ ├── Damage patterns (addiction effects) → Comparative views + coral coding
│ │ └── Recovery processes (healing) → Before/after + gold progression
│ └── Shows body systems → Body diagram with organ focus
├── Is it temporal/progression?
│ ├── Recovery timeline → Timeline Graph Template
│ │ ├── Symptom progression → Multi-curve graph + semantic colors
│ │ ├── Treatment phases → Staged timeline + milestone markers
│ │ └── Relapse patterns → Cyclical diagram + warning points
│ └── Process sequence → Process Flow Template
├── Is it social/interpersonal?
│ ├── Communication patterns → Social Comparison Template
│ │ ├── Conflict scenarios → Side-by-side contrast + gesture language
│ │ ├── Support responses → Empathy vs judgment comparison
│ │ └── Group dynamics → Multi-figure interaction mapping
│ └── Relationship effects → Network diagram with connection quality
└── Is it abstract concept?
├── Psychological mechanisms → Process Flow Template
├── Systemic effects → Cascade diagram with feedback loops
└── Theoretical frameworks → Conceptual mapping with metaphors
Color Strategy Decision Matrix
| Content Type | Primary Issue | Healing/Progress | Activity/Function | Problem/Risk |
|---|
| Brain diagrams | Coral highlights | Gold regions | Cyan activation | Coral damage |
| Timelines | Coral peaks | Gold improvement | Teal stability | Coral crisis points |
| Social scenarios | Coral conflict panel | Gold connection panel | Teal positive flow | Coral negative spiral |
| Process flows | Coral problem boxes | Gold solution boxes | Cyan active pathways | Coral breakdown points |
Visual Complexity Decision Tree
Audience Assessment
├── General public (family members, friends)
│ ├── Use simple metaphors → "Brain's alarm system"
│ ├── Minimal technical labels → Common language only
│ └── Focus on emotional impact → What does this feel like?
├── Recovering individuals
│ ├── Include personal relevance → "You might recognize this"
│ ├── Balance hope with realism → Show both struggle and recovery
│ └── Avoid stigmatizing imagery → Focus on healing, not pathology
└── Healthcare providers/counselors
├── Include technical accuracy → Proper anatomical terms
├── Show clinical relevance → How does this inform treatment?
└── Reference evidence base → Include research context
FAILURE MODES
1. "Medical Textbook Drift"
Symptoms: Overly clinical aesthetic, sterile precision, loss of warmth
Detection Rule: If the output looks like it belongs in a medical textbook rather than a caring conversation, you've hit this anti-pattern
Fix Strategy:
- Add organic line variation and hand-drawn imperfections
- Include margin notes with conversational explanations
- Ensure parchment background and ink aesthetic
- Test: Would this feel welcoming to someone seeking help?
2. "Rainbow Vomit Highlighting"
Symptoms: Using too many colors, decorative rather than semantic color use, visual chaos
Detection Rule: If you're using more than 3 highlight colors or color doesn't convey meaning, you've hit this anti-pattern
Fix Strategy:
- Limit to 1-2 semantic colors per diagram
- Use color coding table: cyan=activity, coral=problem, gold=healing
- Start with line-only version, add color strategically
- Ask: What specific meaning does each color communicate?
3. "Jargon Overload Annotation"
Symptoms: Technical terms without explanation, assumption of prior knowledge, inaccessible language
Detection Rule: If someone's family member couldn't understand the margin notes, you've hit this anti-pattern
Fix Strategy:
- Translate every technical term: "Anterior cingulate cortex (brain's alarm center)"
- Use conversational margin notes: "This is why everything feels like a threat"
- Include emotional context: "This can feel scary, but it's normal healing"
- Test: Would this help someone explain to their worried parent?
4. "Photorealism Creep"
Symptoms: Smooth gradients, perfect lines, digital aesthetic, stock photo appearance
Detection Rule: If the AI output looks digitally rendered rather than hand-sketched, you've hit this anti-pattern
Fix Strategy:
- Strengthen negative prompts: "photorealistic, 3D render, smooth gradients, digital art"
- Emphasize hand-drawn keywords: "continuous line art, organic variation, slight imperfections"
- Specify ink medium: "charcoal ink on parchment, hand-sketched"
- Check technical settings: CFG scale too high causes over-rendering
5. "Layout Cramming"
Symptoms: No white space, overcrowded elements, margin notes competing with main content
Detection Rule: If the diagram feels visually overwhelming or hard to parse at first glance, you've hit this anti-pattern
Fix Strategy:
- Follow 60/20/15/5 grid strictly: 60% main content, 20% margins, 15% title, 5% bottom
- Preserve negative space around key elements
- Limit annotations to 4-5 key points maximum
- Ask: Can someone understand the main point in 3 seconds?
WORKED EXAMPLES
Example 1: Meth-Induced Paranoia Brain Diagram
Initial Request: "Show why meth causes paranoia"
Content Analysis Decision Path:
- Content type: Anatomical/neuroscience → Brain Anatomy Template
- Mechanism focus (salience network overactivity) → Sagittal section + color highlights
- Audience: Recovering individuals + families → Balance technical accuracy with accessibility
- Complexity: Moderate → Include proper terms with plain-language explanations
Template Selection Reasoning:
- Brain anatomy template chosen because we're explaining a neurological mechanism
- Sagittal section provides clear view of anterior cingulate cortex and insula
- Color strategy: Cyan highlights for hyperactivity (semantic meaning: abnormal activation)
AI Prompt Construction:
"Sagittal section of human brain, continuous line art, anatomical drawing style,
ink on parchment (#faf8f3 background), charcoal lines (#1a2332),
highlight anterior cingulate cortex and insula in cyan glow (#4a9d9e, 40% opacity),
margin notes on right side in ocean blue (#2d5a7b) reading 'Pattern detector
gone haywire - seeks threats everywhere', scale bar showing 5cm at bottom right,
Leonardo da Vinci anatomical study aesthetic, engineer's notebook style"
Negative: "photorealistic, 3D render, stock photo, modern clinical, smooth gradients"
Layout Decisions:
- 60% for brain structure (center-left positioning for natural reading flow)
- 20% for margin explanations (right side, engineer's notebook style)
- Labels pointing from structures to margin area (avoids crowding the anatomy)
- Title space includes context: "Why Meth Causes Paranoia"
Expert vs Novice Catches:
- Novice miss: Would just show "brain damage" in general terms
- Expert catch: Specifically identifies salience network (ACC + insula) as the pattern-detection system gone haywire
- Novice miss: Might use scary, stigmatizing language about "drug brain"
- Expert catch: Frames as treatable neurological symptom, not moral failing
- Novice miss: Would use medical jargon without translation
- Expert catch: "Anterior cingulate cortex (brain's alarm center)" provides both accuracy and accessibility
Example 2: PAWS Timeline Graph
Initial Request: "Show how long withdrawal symptoms last"
Content Analysis Decision Path:
- Content type: Temporal/progression → Timeline Graph Template
- Symptom progression over months → Multi-curve graph + semantic colors
- Audience: Newly recovering individuals → Balance realism with hope
- Complexity: Moderate → Show multiple symptom types with different recovery trajectories
Color Strategy Decisions:
- Anxiety curve: Coral (represents struggle, peaks at "The Wall")
- Mood stability: Gold (represents healing, inverse relationship to anxiety)
- Sleep quality: Teal (represents improvement, first system to normalize)
- Strategic use of color to show that different systems heal at different rates
Critical Trade-offs Navigated:
- Realism vs Hope: Show the difficulty of "The Wall" (weeks 4-8) while emphasizing the "Turning Point" (month 6)
- Accuracy vs Simplicity: Include variation disclaimer while maintaining clear general trajectory
- Individual vs Universal: Show common patterns while noting "timeline varies by drug, duration, individual"
Revision Reasoning:
- Initial version focused too much on pathology (what's wrong)
- Revision emphasized that "these symptoms are HEALING, not failure"
- Added empowering frame: "If you make it past 'The Wall,' recovery accelerates"
QUALITY GATES
NOT-FOR BOUNDARIES
What This Skill Should NOT Create:
Clinical Diagnosis Tools:
- For diagnostic flowcharts or assessment instruments → use
medical-assessment-creator instead
- This skill creates educational explanations, not clinical decision-making tools
Medication Instructions or Dosage Information:
- For pharmaceutical guidance or treatment protocols → use
medication-education-designer instead
- This skill explains mechanisms and processes, not specific medical interventions
Crisis Intervention Graphics:
- For suicide prevention resources or emergency protocols → use
crisis-resource-designer instead
- This skill handles educational content about recovery, not acute crisis situations
Legal or Regulatory Compliance Materials:
- For informed consent forms or treatment agreements → use
legal-document-designer instead
- This skill creates understanding aids, not legally binding materials
Delegation Guidelines:
If request involves specific medical recommendations: "This requires clinical expertise - use medical-guidance-creator for treatment-specific content"
If request needs real-time crisis support: "This requires immediate professional resources - use crisis-intervention-designer for safety-focused materials"
If request involves legal documentation: "This requires legal compliance review - use healthcare-legal-designer for regulated content"