Purpose
Why was the style guide created?
This dimension captures the organizational motivations that visualization guidance is expected to serve.
- Consistency
- Alignment
- Capacity
- Maintenance
- Constraints
- Accountability
Framework
The PRISM dimensions
PRISM describes how visualization style guides function as organizational infrastructure: they articulate purposes, encode mechanisms, distribute responsibility, and manage flexibility.
Rules & mechanisms
How is guidance expressed and operationalized?
This dimension includes explicit design rules as well as the examples, templates, audits, training materials, and automation that make guidance actionable.
- Audits
- Standards
- Examples
- Templates
- Automation
- Training
Institutional enforcers
Who maintains, interprets, or enforces the guide?
PRISM foregrounds people, communities, workflows, and technologies as part of style guide governance.
- Individuals
- Communities
- Workflow
- Technology
Situated flexibility
When are rules strict, negotiable, or adapted?
This dimension captures how organizations make room for judgment, exceptions, escalation, and changing contexts.
- Strict
- Approved
- Escalated
- Contextual