# Editorial Infographic Brief

## Story

- Working headline:
- One-sentence takeaway:
- Why it matters:
- Audience:
- Reader's likely prior knowledge:
- Decision, debate, or curiosity this should support:

## Evidence

- Dataset:
- Time span:
- Geography or population:
- Unit and denominator:
- Required comparison:
- Baseline or reference value:
- Uncertainty, missingness, or caveat:
- Source and method note:

## Sensitive Subject Ledger

Use this when the topic involves conflict, disaster, civilian harm, displacement, migration, political violence, or humanitarian need.

| Evidence layer | Source | Date or update cadence | Evidence status: measured / estimated / schematic | Caveat |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Primary layer |  |  |  |  |
| Context layer |  |  |  |  |
| Human-impact layer |  |  |  |  |

- Humane language constraints:
- What the visual must not imply:
- Static screenshot requirements:

## Design Direction

- Editorial artifact mode:
  - data-first chart
  - generated object marks
  - illustrated substrate
  - cartographic flow field
  - 3D or camera-led surface
  - scrollytelling sequence
- Primary chart form:
- Why this form fits the takeaway:
- Why this should not be a dashboard tile:
- Imagery, illustration, or generated asset plan:
- Animation or staged reveal plan:
- Direct-label strategy:
- Annotation plan:
- Color roles:
- Typography roles:
- Whitespace and pacing:
- Small-multiple or panel plan:
- Large-screen layout:
- Mobile portrait layout:
- Mobile landscape layout, if needed:
- Main visualization visibility on mobile:
- Touch, keyboard, spotty-connection, and capability notes:

## Concept Generation Plan

- Is Codex image generation needed for visual design concepts:
- Concept scope:
  - visualization only
  - existing page integration
  - report or deck placement
  - generated asset or substrate
  - animation or reveal key frame
- Existing page, report, deck, or app context to inspect first:
- Evidence that the concept must preserve:
- Data layers, labels, values, caveats, and source notes that must stay editable:
- Label-safe regions or overlay constraints:
- Required concept images:
  - large-screen:
  - mobile portrait:
  - mobile landscape, if needed:
- User design approval status: pending / approved / rejected
- Approval response, date, or review note:
- Requested changes and iteration notes:
- Approved concept set path or screenshot summary:
- Approved large-screen concept path or screenshot reference:
- Approved mobile portrait concept path or screenshot reference:
- Approved mobile landscape concept path or screenshot reference, if needed:
- Semantic design contract path:
- Concept review response:
  - large-screen concept image shown to user:
  - mobile portrait concept image shown to user:
  - mobile landscape concept image shown to user, if needed:
  - concise plan bullets:
  - concise interaction bullets:
  - approval question asked before project changes or implementation code:
- Concept contract fidelity:
  - locked concept elements:
  - flexible production details:
  - material deviations requiring user approval:
  - approved deviations:
  - concept-to-result traceability notes:

## Originality Guardrail

- Publications, practitioners, or screenshots used only as principle references:
- Principle learned from each reference:
- Original transformation for this dataset:
- Elements explicitly not copied:
- Story-specific layout, imagery, pacing, and interaction decisions:
- How the final design would change if it still resembled a reference too closely:

## Human Review

- What does the first frame say?
- What does imagery or motion add that data marks alone cannot?
- What would be removed if the design started to feel decorative?
- Does a still screenshot preserve the takeaway?
- Does the mobile portrait screenshot preserve the takeaway?
- Does the mobile layout keep the main visualization visible before or alongside settings?
- Are touch, keyboard, stale/offline, and permission fallback paths clear?
- If this is a sensitive subject, can a reader tell what is measured, estimated, schematic, dated, and caveated?
- If this includes human harm, does the visual preserve dignity and proportion?

## Acceptance Checklist

- Title states the insight.
- Subtitle defines metric, unit, time, and caveat.
- Main evidence is visible without hover.
- Artifact mode is chosen before renderer.
- Codex image-generated concept sets are used when composition affects understanding, shown to the user with concise plan and interaction bullets, and approved or iterated before project changes or implementation code begins.
- Approved concepts are converted into binding semantic design contracts and preserve claim, evidence hierarchy, source context, caveats, labels, layout intent, visual hierarchy, interaction staging, mobile portrait, optional landscape, and export continuation.
- Final results match the approved concept contract or document approved meaning-preserving deviations.
- Imagery or illustration carries analytical meaning if used.
- Animation has an explanatory verb if used.
- Labels are direct or immediately adjacent.
- Color is sparse and intentional.
- Annotations explain significance.
- Mobile portrait layout has been designed, not squeezed, and mobile landscape is designed when the evidence or interaction needs it.
- Accessibility summary, source, and notes are included.
- Sensitive stories include dated evidence states, source hierarchy, caveats, and humane framing.