Design Visuals with a Record

In this chapter

• Write an accessible visual brief
• Distinguish generated imagery from documentary evidence
• Record asset origin and editing history

Decide what the image is doing

An event visual may explain a process, create a welcoming mood, or document something that actually happened. Those purposes are not interchangeable. A simple drawing of a repair table can illustrate Cedar Desk's fictional workshop. A generated crowd photograph cannot prove attendance. Write the intended purpose before choosing a tool, and label illustrative or synthetic imagery where readers could mistake it for a record of a real event.

For Cedar Desk, create a three-panel visual showing a request card, a coordinator's review, and an approved event plan. Use original geometric shapes and short labels. Do not borrow a training provider's slides, recognizable logo, or distinctive character. A clear diagram is often more useful than a decorative photograph because it directly teaches the workflow. A slide editor or a hand-drawn sketch is sufficient; image generation is optional.

Make the brief testable

A workable brief reads: 'Create a light-background process illustration for a fictional community events desk. Show request, review, and plan from left to right. Use a restrained indigo accent, readable dark labels, and no real company logos. Do not depict a real attendee or imply an actual event photograph.' Add an accessibility requirement: the meaning must remain understandable without color, and the page must have a concise text equivalent.

Draft alternative text such as 'An event request moves to a coordinator for review before an event plan is approved.' If an image already repeats adjacent explanatory text, consider whether it is decorative rather than forcing a redundant description. Verify that labels are spelled correctly, arrows represent the intended order, and no depicted screen contains accidental personal information. Generated images need the same editorial review as generated text.

Keep provenance separate from truth

Record creator role, date, method, source materials, edits, permission notes, and publication status. The C2PA resource explains Content Credentials for provenance. Origin records do not prove an illustrated event happened; missing credentials alone do not prove an image false.

Reject a poster with the wrong date even when it looks attractive. Correct editable text, recheck the entire poster, and preserve its approved version.

Prepare the Cedar Desk visual pack

• Draw the three-panel workflow using original shapes or write a complete brief for an approved image tool.
• Write a text alternative and a provenance record. Mark the asset as illustrative and synthetic.
• Review the image at a small phone-sized width; correct unreadable text and record the change.

Expected checks

• No third-party branding or copied slide artwork appears.
• The visual cannot reasonably be mistaken for evidence of a real event.
• A reader can understand the process from the text alternative without seeing the image.

Check your understanding

What can a provenance record help establish?

• That every depicted event really occurred.
• That the image needs no editorial review.
• The recorded origin and editing history of an asset.

Official tools & further reading

• C2PA: Content provenance and authenticity