Visual Grammar

Arketype uses a shared set of 10 visual patterns to help readers recognize the shape of a Kristal. These are diagram conventions, not a mandatory set of classes in the Kristal Framework. A model can have a primary pattern and multiple secondary patterns.

Pattern ID	English name	Sketch	Typical purpose
linear	Linear sequence	A → B → C	Steps, learning paths, simple transitions
branching	Branching sequence	A → decision → B/C	Protocols, conditional procedures
hub	Center and satellites	observations ↔ problem ↔ tests	Diagnostics, proof maps
cluster	Cluster / constellation	interconnected groups	Semantic references, media worlds
tree	Tree / taxonomy	root → classes → leaves	Natural classification, hierarchies
timeline	Timeline	t₁ — t₂ — t₃	Logs, research history, case follow-up
matrix	State matrix	systems × attributes	Equipment status, comparison
casefile	Casefile	case → notes/pieces/actions	Testimony, employee follow-up
multilayer	Layered model	observations / hypotheses / interpretations	Alternative views or organizational layers
network	Network / federation	independent nodes with references	Campuses, subsystem federations

Illustrative diagrams vs. logical models

Every card in the HTML catalogue can use a situated diagram with named nodes, from inventaires/diagrammes-situes.json. Its nodes and edges are explicitly illustrative. The layout coordinates are only visual; they are not canonical data identifiers or proof relationships.

The diagram format includes a kind (archetype or profile), a slug, a pattern, labeled nodes, edges, and a non-canonical status. The renderer creates SVG locally from these JSON objects.

A taxonomy is often a tree, but natural classification can include synonyms, exceptions and cross-links. A troubleshooting model may look like a hub in a summary diagram but include a causal network and chronological observations. Do not force the underlying data to match a pictogram.

How to choose a primary pattern

Choose the pattern that best expresses the main structural responsibility, not merely what looks attractive. If the intended primary question is “what happened and when?”, start with a timeline. If it is “which systems have which states?”, start with a matrix. If it is “which class contains this object?”, start with a tree. Other motifs may be secondary projections.

Sources: inventaires/grammaire-visuelle.json, inventaires/archetypes-visuels.json, inventaires/diagrammes-situes.json.