OmniGraffle Palettes

Our Palettes (and Tips) for OmniGraffle

OmniGraffle is a diagramming and flowcharting tool from Omni Group. It supports plug-in palettes of shapes and objects to use in your diagrams, and we've created several for you to use. These palettes will work with any version of OmniGraffle for Mac OS X.

Installation

The OmniGraffle online help explains how to install palettes. Here's a quote from the relevant section:

Frequently used palette files (OmniGraffle documents set to appear as palettes when opened) can be installed so that they appear in the Tools > Palettes menu and are easily accessible. If you're an administrator, you can also install them such that they're easily accessible for all users.

Download

Small Icons Click the icon to download. (StuffIt archive, encoded as Binhex - 280k) A collection of small (32x32) icons to use in your charts and diagrams. These images are all from Mac OS X and assorted OS X applications. View screenshot.

Small Icons 2 Click the icon to download. (StuffIt archive, encoded as Binhex - 136k) More small (32x32) icons to use in your charts and diagrams. View screenshot.

Large Icons Click the icon to download. (StuffIt archive, encoded as Binhex - 1.3Mb) A collection of large (128x128) icons to use in your charts and diagrams. View screenshot.

Large Icons 2 Click the icon to download. (StuffIt archive, encoded as Binhex - 1.4Mb) More large (128x128) icons to use in your charts and diagrams. View screenshot.

Mind Map Click the icon to download. (StuffIt archive, encoded as Binhex - 388k) A template Mind Map for you to use! Each line is a separate item, as are the notes and callouts. Use any combination of the pieces to construct your own Mind Maps. View screenshot.

Tips and Notes about making Mind Maps with OmniGraffle:

• The "official" size for a Mind Map (according to Tony Buzan, the creator of Mind Maps) is A3, which is twice as large as A4. You can easily create an A3 document in OmniGraffle, by making a new document from the A4 template, then making it two pages wide by one page tall.
• However, it's often necessary to make smaller Mind Maps (I tend to use single-sheet Mind Maps, to fit in loose-leaf binders along with my print-outs and project notes). Just create an A4 (or US Letter) document, and use the Page Setup dialog to change the orientation to Landscape.
• Switch off Snap to Grid when making Mind Maps; the grid will interfere with the organic movement of your connecting lines.
• I appreciate that the Mind Map template doesn't completely stick to Tony Buzan's Mind Map rules (specifically, it doesn't stick to the "make lines the same length as the words on them" rule), but until OmniGraffle supports labels on a path (not just labels parallel to the nearest point of the line's path), the template offers the best compromise. Besides, one of the other Mind Mapping rules is to use your own style!
• I've added shadows to the connecting lines because I think it looks more striking; I suggest you do too. An important Mind Mapping rule is to use depth and perspective to enhance the beauty of the Mind Map, and thus enhance your brain's desire to examine and store it.
• In case you were wondering, the lightbulb graphic was drawn by me in Adobe Illustrator. You're welcome to use it for anything you want.
• To draw "outline-embracing" irregular shapes, draw lines with multiple points, which end at the same place they started. Add thickness and shadows as appropriate.