How It Works

AI-Driven Chart Generation

When you generate a Link Magnet or pillar article with deep research data, the system:

  1. Analyzes research statistics from the brief's deep research
  2. Identifies visualization opportunities based on data patterns
  3. Generates chart specifications for bar charts, doughnuts, and line graphs
  4. Places charts strategically throughout the article for even distribution
  5. Renders charts as images using headless browser rendering

Charts are embedded as static images (not interactive), which ensures they're:

  • Edit-safe: Won't break when editing in visual editor
  • SEO-friendly: Google indexes chart images
  • Shareable: Charts remain intact when content is copied
  • Fast-loading: No external JavaScript libraries needed

Auto-Scaling Based on Article Length

The system calculates optimal chart density based on article word count:

| Word Count | Target Charts | Rationale |
|------------|---------------|-----------|
| < 1,500 words | 3 charts | Shorter content needs fewer visual breaks |
| 1,500-2,500 words | 4 charts | Standard data-driven article |
| 2,500-4,000 words | 5 charts | One chart per 800-1,000 words |
| 4,000-5,500 words | 6 charts | Longer pillar content |
| 5,500-7,000 words | 7 charts | Comprehensive guides |
| 7,000+ words | 8 charts | Maximum to avoid visual overload |

This follows best practices for visual breaks in long-form content (reading fatigue sets in after 300-500 words of continuous text).

Chart Types

Bar Chart (Vertical)

Best for: Comparing 3-6 items with short labels

Example uses:

  • Monthly search volumes for related keywords
  • Feature comparison across products
  • Annual revenue growth by year

When ILLIXIS uses this: Data points with short labels (1-3 words) that need direct comparison.

Horizontal Bar Chart

Best for: Rankings or items with long labels

Example uses:

  • Top 10 ranking factors by importance
  • Brand awareness by country (long country names)
  • Product features sorted by user preference

When ILLIXIS uses this: Labels are too long for vertical bars (would overlap), or data represents a ranked list.

Doughnut Chart

Best for: Percentages that sum to 100%

Example uses:

  • Market share breakdown
  • Traffic sources by channel
  • Budget allocation by category

When ILLIXIS uses this: Data represents parts of a whole (percentages, proportions, or breakdowns).

Line Chart

Best for: Trends over time

Example uses:

  • Search volume trends by month
  • Conversion rate changes over quarters
  • Customer growth over time

When ILLIXIS uses this: X-axis is time-based (years, months, quarters) and data shows progression.

When Charts Are Generated

Charts are automatically generated for these brief types:

Link Magnet Briefs

Trigger: Deep research contains statistics with numeric data

Link Magnet briefs include comprehensive deep research (statistics, studies, trends, expert quotes). If the brief contains at least 5 statistics with numeric data, charts are generated automatically during content generation.

Example: A Link Magnet brief on "Sustainable Swimwear Materials" contains statistics like:

  • "Recycled polyester reduces CO2 emissions by 30%" (Source: EPA)
  • "Average swimsuit: 5.87 kg CO2e" (Source: Carbonfact)
  • "Microfiber shedding: recycled materials shed 20% less" (Source: Ocean Conservancy)

ILLIXIS identifies comparative data and creates charts like:

  • Horizontal bar: CO2 emissions by fabric type
  • Doughnut: Market share of sustainable materials
  • Bar: Consumer preference for eco-friendly options

Package Content Pieces

Trigger: Expert Trends or Statistics articles (supporting pieces from pillar content)

When generating supporting articles from a package brief:

  • Chart reuse: If the pillar article has relevant charts, they're reused in supporting pieces
  • New chart generation: If the supporting article covers data NOT visualized in the pillar, new charts are generated
  • Fewer charts: Supporting articles get 2-3 charts max (vs 4-8 for pillar)

Regular Briefs (No Charts)

Keyword briefs, Trend briefs, and Custom briefs do NOT get automatic chart generation. They don't have deep research data, so there's no statistical foundation for charts.

If you need charts for these brief types, add them manually using the visual editor.

Chart Source Attribution

Every chart includes source attribution at the bottom if the data comes from a specific source:

Source display format:

  • Single source: "Source: EPA"
  • Multiple sources: "Source: EPA, Carbonfact, Ocean Conservancy"
  • No source: Chart displays without source line (when data is aggregated or generic)

Sources are extracted from the brief's deep research data (statistics, studies, and trends).

Generic sources are excluded: Terms like "research," "study," "data," or "industry data" won't appear as sources. Only specific sources like "NIH," "EPA," "Cotton Incorporated," or "Textile Exchange 2024" are shown.

Chart Placement Strategy

Charts are distributed evenly throughout the article, not clustered at the beginning.

Position-Based Placement

Each chart includes a position value (0.0-1.0) representing where in the article the chart should appear:

  • 0.0-0.33: First third of article
  • 0.34-0.66: Middle third
  • 0.67-1.0: Final third

The system places charts at the nearest H2 heading to their target position. This ensures at least 1 chart in each third of the article.

Section-Aware Analysis

ILLIXIS receives a section overview showing:
```
[SECTION 1] (5% into article) Why Sustainable Swimwear Matters
[SECTION 2] (28% into article) Understanding Fabric Types
[SECTION 3] (52% into article) The Price vs Sustainability Question
[SECTION 4] (75% into article) Brands Getting It Right
```

It then recommends charts like:

  • Chart 1: position 0.15 (matches Section 1)
  • Chart 2: position 0.55 (matches Section 3)
  • Chart 3: position 0.80 (matches Section 4)

This creates natural visual breaks throughout the article instead of loading all charts at the top.

Chart Colors

Charts use your tenant's infographic color palette by default:

Default ILLIXIS colors (purple gradient):

  • Indigo (#6366f1)
  • Violet (#8b5cf6)
  • Purple (#a855f7)
  • Fuchsia (#d946ef)
  • Pink (#ec4899)
  • Rose (#f43f5e)

Custom tenant colors: If you've set infographic accent color and section background color in Tenant Settings > Brand Voice, charts will use those colors as the primary palette.

Logo watermark: If you've uploaded a banner logo in Tenant Settings, it appears as a small watermark in the bottom-right corner of each chart for brand consistency.

Editing Chart Content

Charts are rendered as static images during content generation. You cannot edit chart data after generation.

To change a chart:

  1. Delete the chart image in the visual editor
  2. Regenerate the article (charts will be recalculated)

To remove all charts:

  1. Regenerate the article
  2. Immediately after generation starts, contact support to disable charts for that brief

To add charts to non-Link-Magnet briefs:
Charts are only auto-generated for Link Magnet briefs with deep research. For other brief types, you'll need to create charts manually using external tools (Canva, Google Sheets) and upload as images.

How ILLIXIS Decides What to Chart

ILLIXIS uses specific criteria to identify visualization opportunities:

Data Requirements

  • Minimum 2 data points: Single data points aren't visualized (just state the fact)
  • Numeric values: Data must have quantifiable metrics (percentages, counts, dollar amounts)
  • Comparative value: Data should enable comparison (before/after, A vs B, trend over time)
  • Source credibility: Data must come from the brief's deep research with a specific source

Value-Add Filter

ILLIXIS only creates charts that genuinely help readers understand the data. It rejects:

  • Data that's clearer as a single sentence (e.g., "30% of users prefer X")
  • Non-quantitative facts (e.g., "Experts recommend Y")
  • Data already visualized in another chart
  • Lists without numeric comparison (just use bullet points)

Rationale Logging

Each chart includes an internal rationale (not shown to readers) explaining why the chart was created:

  • "Comparing fabric types by CO2 emissions makes environmental impact scannable"
  • "Showing market share breakdown helps readers understand industry landscape"
  • "Trend over time demonstrates growth trajectory more clearly than text"

This ensures every chart serves a purpose beyond decoration.

Generation Workflow

Step 1: Brief Creation (3-5 minutes)

Deep research is gathered and stored in the brief.

Step 2: Chart Spec Generation (During Content Creation)

As the article is generated, ILLIXIS:

  1. Analyzes article content + brief research data
  2. Identifies 3-8 visualization opportunities (based on word count)
  3. Returns chart specifications with:
  • Chart type (bar, doughnut, line, horizontal_bar)
  • Title
  • Labels and values
  • Unit (%, kg, $, etc.)
  • Source attribution
  • Section position (for placement)

Step 3: Chart Placement (1-2 seconds)

The placement service:

  1. Extracts section positions from chart specs
  2. Finds matching H2 headers in the article
  3. Inserts chart markers at optimal positions

Step 4: Chart Rendering (2-3 seconds per chart)

For each chart marker:

  1. Build Chart.js configuration from chart spec
  2. Render chart as 650x350px PNG image
  3. Embed source attribution and logo watermark
  4. Replace marker with the rendered chart image

The entire chart generation process (steps 2-4) adds approximately 5-10 seconds to the total content generation time.

Limitations

Not Available For

  • Keyword briefs: No deep research data
  • Trend briefs: No statistical foundation
  • Custom briefs: No automated research gathering

For these brief types, charts must be added manually.

Data Source Restrictions

Charts can ONLY visualize data from the brief's deep research (statistics, analysis data, keyword metrics, SERP data).

ILLIXIS cannot create charts from:

  • Generic knowledge ("industry standard is X%")
  • Data mentioned in the article but not in the brief
  • Made-up or estimated data

This ensures every chart is backed by credible sources.

Chart Limits

  • Maximum 8 charts per article (to avoid visual overload)
  • Minimum 3 charts (for articles over 1,500 words)
  • 2-3 charts for supporting articles (Expert Trends, Statistics pieces)

No Interactive Charts

Charts are static images, not interactive components. This is intentional:

  • Prevents editing conflicts in visual editor
  • Ensures consistent rendering across all CMS platforms
  • Faster page load (no JavaScript library required)
  • Better for SEO (Google indexes images)

If you need interactive charts, export your content and add them manually in your CMS.

Troubleshooting

No charts generated: Your brief likely doesn't have deep research data. Only Link Magnet briefs with statistics get automatic charts. Verify the brief contains research data with numeric values.

Charts show generic sources: The brief's statistics lack specific source names (e.g., they just say "research" or "study"). Regenerate the brief to gather more credible sources.

Charts clustered at top of article: This is a fallback behavior when position-based placement fails. Regenerate the article to recalculate chart positions.

Chart images not loading: Charts are embedded as data URIs, which can be large. If your CMS has upload size limits, you may need to increase them.

Wrong chart type used: ILLIXIS chooses chart types based on data characteristics. If you get a doughnut chart when you wanted a bar chart, the data was likely formatted as percentages summing to 100%. Regenerate to potentially get a different interpretation.

Chart data doesn't match article: Charts are generated from brief data, not article content. If the article mentions different numbers than the chart shows, the article may have paraphrased or rounded the original statistic. Edit the article to align with chart data.

Charts missing in supporting articles: Supporting articles (Expert Trends, Statistics) only get 2-3 charts max. If you need more charts, create them manually or convert the supporting article to a standalone Link Magnet brief.

Plan Limits

Chart generation is included in all content generation:

Starter: 30 articles/month with charts
Professional: 100 articles/month with charts
Scale: Unlimited articles with charts

Regenerating an article with charts counts as a new article toward your monthly quota.

Quote Graphics Generation

Beyond data charts, ILLIXIS can generate quote graphics from article excerpts for social media sharing.

What Are Quote Graphics?

Quote graphics are shareable images featuring a compelling quote from your article, styled with your brand colors and logo. They're designed for:

  • Twitter/X posts
  • Instagram feed and stories
  • LinkedIn shares
  • Pinterest pins

How to Generate Quote Graphics

From Content Hub:

  1. Open any content piece
  2. Click "Repurpose" > "Quote Graphics"
  3. ILLIXIS extracts 3-5 quotable snippets from the article
  4. Review and select which quotes to generate
  5. Click "Generate Graphics"

Automatic extraction:
ILLIXIS identifies quotable content based on:

  • Standalone sentences that make sense without context
  • Impactful statistics or data points
  • Provocative statements or insights
  • Advice or actionable tips

Quote Graphic Styles

Layout options:
| Style | Best for |
|-------|----------|
| Centered text | Short quotes (under 100 characters) |
| Left-aligned | Longer quotes with attribution |
| Two-tone split | Quotes with supporting text |
| Minimal | Clean, text-focused design |

Background options:

  • Solid brand color
  • AI-generated themed background
  • Gradient from brand palette
  • Uploaded custom background

Brand Customization

Quote graphics use your tenant settings:

  • Brand colors: Primary and accent colors from Settings > Brand
  • Logo: Watermark in corner (optional)
  • Fonts: System fonts that match your brand aesthetic
  • Attribution: Your brand name or author name

Output Formats

| Platform | Dimensions | Format |
|----------|------------|--------|
| Instagram Feed | 1080x1080 | Square |
| Instagram Story | 1080x1920 | Vertical |
| Twitter/X | 1200x675 | Landscape |
| LinkedIn | 1200x627 | Landscape |
| Pinterest | 1000x1500 | Tall vertical |

All formats generated simultaneously - download the set for multi-platform posting.

Scheduling Quote Graphics

After generation, you can:

  1. Download immediately for manual posting
  2. Add to Social Hub queue for scheduled posting
  3. Include in email campaigns as visual breaks

Related Features

  • Link Magnet Briefs: Deep research that powers chart generation
  • Article Generation: Content creation system with chart integration
  • Content Hub: View and manage all generated articles with charts
  • Repurposing: Charts are preserved when repurposing articles into social posts
  • Social Hub: Schedule and post quote graphics across platforms

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