Describe the chart once.
Every renderer draws the same pixels.
OVP is an open, deterministic, AI-native standard for
information design. A visualization is an instruction, not an artwork:
Render CH-TIM-02 in DL-03 with data.json. Any agent, human,
or renderer that speaks the protocol produces the same visual result
from the same instruction.
The principles
Deterministic by contract
Same spec, same tokens, same data: byte-identical output, every run, every machine. No randomness, no timestamps, no jitter. A QA gate re-renders every golden and blocks the repo on a single byte of drift.
Roles, never hex
Chart specs name color roles (primary, muted, negative). Design languages bind roles to hex. Rebranding a whole deliverable is swapping one token file; no spec changes, no re-authoring.
Honest by rule
Zero baselines. Direct labels instead of legends. Declared inputs only: no silent KDE, no silent trend lines, no unstated normalization. Every chart ships with anti-patterns and a QA checklist.
Message first
Charts are coded by what the message is (ranking, deviation, distribution), not by shape. The first question an agent answers is "what is the message"; the shape is metadata.
AI-native
A controlled intent vocabulary, machine metadata on every object, a decision engine for language choice, and copy-paste blocks in two flavors: hex-resolved for design systems, role-based for themeable skills.
Canonical JSON, generated everything else
Specs and tokens are the source of truth. Blocks, chooser, decider, pattern docs, previews, and this entire site are generated from them and drift-gated where it matters.
How an agent resolves a request
Learn
Manifesto
Why OVP exists and the seven laws that never break: determinism, roles never hex, honesty by construction, message first.
Foundations
The rule sets everything builds on: token contract, canvas and grid, type scale, contrast, numbers and scales, perceptual research.
Reference
The protocol
The normative reference: object grammar, layer model, determinism contract, conformance levels, lifecycle and stability policy.
Taxonomy
The full object map: every family, every entry, statuses, and the exclusions with their reasons.
Explore
Design languages
16 complete visual identities, each built on a philosophy: a civilization, a principle, a motto, and design laws that explain why the rules exist.
Chart objects
74 built entries coded by message family, each with exact geometry, honesty rules, QA checklist, golden renders in all 16 languages, and one-click copy blocks.
Build
Business questions
Start from what is being asked: each question names its observations, patterns, charts, and the narrative skeleton that tells the finding.
Analytical patterns
The layer above charts: recognize what the data shows, read its meaning, take the recommended chart codes.
Language decider
Audience, purpose, medium in; design language out. Ordered rules over a controlled vocabulary, validator-enforced.
Components
Titles, sources, KPI cards, chips, callouts: the furniture around charts, same role contract, composable into recipes.
Recipes
Fully determined pages: language, charts, components, exact positions. A recurring deliverable renders identically forever.
Implement and automate
Implement
Build an OVP-conformant renderer or validator from the published schemas, the determinism contract, and the conformance levels. No questions to the authors required.
AI
How agents speak OVP: the resolution order, the machine registry, the controlled vocabularies, and the copy-paste blocks.
Get the code
Every chart page carries copy buttons for two block flavors. Design-system blocks resolve colors to hex for one language: paste into any CLAUDE.md or design-system doc, zero dependencies. Skill blocks stay role-based: paste next to a language token block and re-theme by swapping that one block.