Variational pictures

Abstract

Diagrams and pictures are a powerful medium to communicate ideas, designs, and art. However, authors of pictures are forced to use rudimentary and ad hoc techniques in managing multiple variants of their creations, such as copying and renaming files or abusing layers in an advanced graphical editing tool. We propose a model of variational pictures as a basis for the design of editors and other tools for managing variation in pictures. This model enjoys a number of theoretical properties that support exploratory graphical design and can help systematize picture creators’ workflows.