This anonymous document published on Pastebin presents an extremely detailed operating procedure for creating infographics, claiming an obsession with perfection "worthy of Steve Jobs." It covers the entire process, from design philosophy to final export.
The philosophy rests on ruthless reductionism, aggressive minimalism, and "unbearable clarity": making people feel the truth through design. The foundational layer sets numerical constraints: visual entropy capped at 0.18 (Shannon information density in the CIE Lab* color space), an 8×8 or 12×12 modular grid with 9-13 px gutters, a baseline grid locked to 1.414× (√2) the line height. Typography is restricted to a neo-grotesque superfamily (Akzidenz-Grotesk Next Pro or Inter), with a non-negotiable hierarchy: headline 96-144 pt, subtitle at exactly 0.618× the headline's cap height (golden ratio), body text never below 14 pt. The palette is limited to five hues, non-accent elements desaturated to ≤22%, the accent at 100% saturation, and the background strictly #FCFCFC or #0A0A0A.
The data visualization layer imposes total compliance with Tufte's principles (zero chartjunk). Pie charts are absolutely forbidden, bar charts tolerated only when converted into minimalist dot plots or ridge plots; proportional-area Euler diagrams, isometric small multiples, and horizon graphs are permitted. Axes are eliminated by default, logarithmic scale is the norm (validated by a corrected Lilliefors K-S test), and a universal 6° counterclockwise tilt creates a "proprioceptive bias." Validation goes through the "5-meter gaze test": the infographic must read as a single iconic gestalt.
The export protocol forbids PNG under any circumstances: WebP at 100% quality with a Display P3 profile, SVG fallback with CSS variables for theme switching, fluid typography clamped between 16 and 24 px. Final validation requires printing at actual size on 200 gsm paper, pinning it to a wall, and contemplating it for 72 hours: the result must feel "inevitable and slightly offensive in its aggressive simplicity," otherwise everything is deleted and redone.
Beyond its dogmatic and unrealistic character for typical commercial projects, the document offers an inspiring reference: clarity comes first, precision is non-negotiable, minimalism is a discipline, and strict validation conditions final quality.