Studio Lab
Request an audit
The Lab Research spine

Technique taxonomy

How images do their work, sorted by mechanism rather than by style. Four questions open into eight domains and 97 techniques, and every technique is counted against the desk's library of 9,415 saved references.

97 techniques, counted

Point at a spoke to read it

DifferentiateGroupSequenceInfer FeatureSpaceGestaltTimeSpaceSemanticTime Glow Saturation accent Complementary pairing Value accent Texture against flat Warm–cool split Scale disparity Silhouette Chiaroscuro Selective focus Exaggeration Pop-out Rim light Simultaneous contrast Halo framing Isolation in void Frame within a frame Center placement Viewpoint Split comparison Frame break Pattern break Direct gaze Semantic contrast Highlight and mute Size encoding Color scale Common baseline Tone on tone Similarity Value massing Color blocking Repetition Symmetry Connection Density emergence Common region Good continuation Self-similarity Proximity Face schema Stagger Common fate Shape morph Categorical hue Direct labeling Small multiples Size hierarchy Depth layering Leading lines Viewer stand-in Body vector Gaze cue Reading path Pointer Progressive reveal Temporal synthesis Staging Type-on Camera move Panel rhythm Draw-on Masked reveal Annotation Layering and separation Arbitrary color Transparency Occlusion Crop at the edge Cast-light pattern Warped grid Forced perspective Closure Hidden image Figure-ground reversal Implied presence Anthropomorphism First-person view Anchorage Fusion Graphic overlay Contextual metaphor Form substitution Word as image Side-by-side analogy Rebus Visible facture Learned symbol Genre quotation Visual quotation Sound lettering Implied motion Pregnant moment Gutter closure Count-up Match cut Pictorial units 97 techniques

How to read it

Read from the center out. The inner ring is the question an image asks of its viewer, the middle ring is the domain it works through, and each spoke is one technique. Spoke length is how many references use it, on a square-root scale: the longest, tone on tone, is in 972; the shortest, simultaneous contrast, in 1.

  • Differentiate What is different here?4,915 references
  • Group What belongs together?3,636 references
  • Sequence Where do I look next?1,097 references
  • Infer What does this mean beyond what I see?3,411 references

Counts from the desk's reference library on 2026-11-06: 8,385 of 9,415 references carry at least one technique, 15,461 tags in all. Two raters labeled the same 60 references independently and chose the same lead technique 75% of the time. Images stay off the map because they are other people's work. The four-level structure is inspired by Jason Swet's work-in-progress "taxonomy of visuals" (2026). The taxonomy is open: GitHub.

Browse all 97 techniques

Differentiate What is different here?

Feature

  • Glow911
  • Saturation accent861
  • Complementary pairing467
  • Value accent373
  • Texture against flat252
  • Warm–cool split245
  • Scale disparity229
  • Silhouette214
  • Chiaroscuro212
  • Selective focus141
  • Exaggeration56
  • Pop-out52
  • Rim light31
  • Simultaneous contrast1

Space

  • Halo framing407
  • Isolation in void373
  • Frame within a frame188
  • Center placement183
  • Viewpoint171
  • Split comparison40
  • Frame break34

Gestalt

  • Pattern break27

Social

  • Direct gaze331

Semantic

  • Semantic contrast221

Encoding

  • Highlight and mute163
  • Size encoding17
  • Color scale16
  • Common baseline9

Group What belongs together?

Feature

  • Tone on tone972
  • Similarity883
  • Value massing292
  • Color blocking82

Gestalt

  • Repetition555
  • Symmetry460
  • Connection236
  • Density emergence193
  • Common region113
  • Good continuation91
  • Self-similarity53
  • Proximity19

Social

  • Face schema10

Time

  • Stagger25
  • Common fate8
  • Shape morph6

Encoding

  • Categorical hue78
  • Direct labeling72
  • Small multiples25

Sequence Where do I look next?

Feature

  • Size hierarchy130

Space

  • Depth layering235
  • Leading lines186

Social

  • Viewer stand-in131
  • Body vector107
  • Gaze cue58

Cultural

  • Reading path26
  • Pointer25

Time

  • Progressive reveal66
  • Temporal synthesis51
  • Staging49
  • Type-on34
  • Camera move23
  • Panel rhythm14
  • Draw-on13
  • Masked reveal9

Encoding

  • Annotation32
  • Layering and separation18

Infer What does this mean beyond what I see?

Feature

  • Arbitrary color90

Space

  • Transparency327
  • Occlusion249
  • Crop at the edge166
  • Cast-light pattern103
  • Warped grid39
  • Forced perspective2

Gestalt

  • Closure40
  • Hidden image25
  • Figure-ground reversal6

Social

  • Implied presence137
  • Anthropomorphism85
  • First-person view81

Semantic

  • Anchorage320
  • Fusion249
  • Graphic overlay191
  • Contextual metaphor97
  • Form substitution61
  • Word as image53
  • Side-by-side analogy35
  • Rebus5

Cultural

  • Visible facture588
  • Learned symbol341
  • Genre quotation148
  • Visual quotation38
  • Sound lettering26

Time

  • Implied motion282
  • Pregnant moment39
  • Gutter closure13
  • Count-up13
  • Match cut4

Encoding

  • Pictorial units3

Why it matters

A critique that names the mechanism can be checked. When a review says a homepage uses a saturation accent to make one claim unmissable, or similarity to tie the wrong things together, anyone can look and agree or disagree. That's the standard the desk holds its trust audits to: name the mechanism, show the evidence, count it.

The full project

More from the Lab

01Fork confusion mapMap Where a community loses the plot in a contested fork, drawn as one connected network. 04Vault mapMap The desk's research memory as one shape: every note placed by its links, names left out.