--- name: mckinsey-style-visualization description: > Professional consulting-style data visualization and infographics creation skill for strategic analysis and executive presentations. Create high-density, boardroom-ready visualizations in McKinsey/BCG style with institutional authority and editorial financial-report aesthetics. Covers 11 visualization types (including cover slides), detailed color palettes with hex codes, aspect ratio standards, prompt engineering templates, and strategic framing guidance for insight-driven deliverables. --- # McKinsey/BCG Style Visualization **Professional consulting-style data visualization and infographics creation skill for strategic analysis and executive presentations.** --- ## Overview This skill enables the creation of high-density, professional consulting presentation slides and data visualizations in the style of top-tier strategy firms (McKinsey, BCG, Bain). The output combines institutional authority with editorial financial-report aesthetics, designed for boardroom-ready executive presentations. --- ## When to Use This Skill Use this skill when: - Creating strategic analysis presentations for executive audiences - Developing competitive benchmarking visualizations - Building data-driven consulting deliverables - Designing market analysis infographics - Producing high-information-density business reports - Visualizing complex strategic frameworks and comparisons **Do NOT use for:** - Marketing materials or promotional content - Startup pitch decks with bright colors - Decorative or artistic visualizations - Low-information-density slides --- ## Core Design Principles ### 1. Strategic Framing (Mandatory) Every visualization must be **hypothesis-driven, not descriptive**. **Requirements:** - State a clear, insight-led headline that answers a strategic question directly - Every section must drive toward a specific strategic implication - Avoid neutral comparison — highlight structural trade-offs, capability gaps, competitive moats, and strategic asymmetries - The visualization should implicitly support an executive-level decision (e.g., invest, partner, build, acquire, differentiate) **Bad Example:** "Comparison of AI Video Models" **Good Example:** "Temporal Consistency Emerges as the Key Differentiator in GenAI Video — Seedance 2.0 Leads on Technical Benchmarks but Lags on Ecosystem Integration" --- ### 2. Visual & Design Standards #### Aesthetic - **Tech-minimalist but information-heavy** - Clean, sharp, authoritative - Institutional and boardroom-ready - **NOT** startup-style or decorative #### Typography **For Cover Slides:** - **Main Title:** Serif font (Times New Roman / Georgia / Playfair Display / Libre Baskerville) - Size: Very large (48-72pt equivalent) - Weight: Regular or Medium (not bold - maintains elegance) - Color: White `#FFFFFF` - **Subtitle:** Sans-serif (Inter / Helvetica / Arial) - Size: Medium (18-24pt equivalent) - Weight: Light or Regular - Color: Light Grey `#E5E7EB` - **Metadata:** Sans-serif (Inter / Helvetica / Arial) - Size: Small (10-12pt equivalent) - Weight: Light - Color: Light Grey `#E5E7EB` **For Content Slides:** - **Headlines:** Serif (Times New Roman / Georgia) - Size: Large (24-36pt equivalent) - Weight: Bold - Color: Black `#000000` - **Body Text:** Sans-serif (Inter / Helvetica / Arial) - Size: Medium (14-16pt equivalent) - Weight: Regular - Color: Dark Grey `#374151` - **Data Labels:** Sans-serif (Inter / Helvetica / Arial / Roboto) - Size: Small-Medium (12-14pt equivalent) - Weight: Medium or Semibold - Color: Black `#000000` or Deep Royal Blue `#1E3A8A` - **Emphasis:** Bold for key numbers and strategic insights #### Color Palette **For Content Slides (Data Visualizations):** - **Background:** Pure White `#FFFFFF` - **Primary Text:** Sharp Black `#000000` - **Primary Accent:** Deep Royal Blue `#1E3A8A` - **Secondary Accent:** Medium Blue `#2563EB` - **Grey Hierarchy:** - Dark Grey (primary text): `#374151` - Medium Grey (secondary text): `#6B7280` - Light Grey (borders/dividers): `#D1D5DB` - Very Light Grey (subtle backgrounds): `#F3F4F6` **For Cover Slides:** - **Background:** Deep Navy Blue `#1E3A5F` - **Alternative Background:** Gradient from `#1E3A5F` to `#2C4A6F` - **Primary Text:** Pure White `#FFFFFF` - **Secondary Text:** Light Grey `#E5E7EB` - **Optional Accent:** Subtle Gold `#D4AF37` (for premium touch, use sparingly) **General Rules:** - **NO gradients** on content slides (only subtle gradients allowed on cover slides) - **NO bright startup colors** (avoid neon, pastels, or vibrant hues) #### Graphic Rules - **Hairline borders** for tables (thin, precise lines) - **Precise vector lines** for charts and frameworks - **NO decorative icons** (use functional icons only when necessary) - **NO visual clutter** (every element must serve a purpose) --- ### 3. Aspect Ratio Standards **CRITICAL: Always use landscape (horizontal) orientation for consistency.** **Recommended aspect ratios:** - **Landscape (16:9):** Default for all visualizations — ensures consistency across slides - **Landscape (3:2):** Alternative for wider layouts **Avoid:** - Portrait orientation (unless specifically requested) - Square formats (unless for specific use cases like social media) **Rationale:** - Landscape orientation is standard for business presentations - Maintains visual consistency when multiple charts are used together - Optimized for screen sharing and projection - Easier to read in document formats --- ## Visualization Types & Use Cases ### Type 1: Time-Series Growth Charts **Use when:** Showing adoption rates, market growth, performance over time **Elements:** - Line chart or bar chart with clear time axis - Large percentage numbers above data points - Annotation box for key insights (e.g., "2x growth in 2 years") - Clean gridlines every 10-20% - Upward arrow for positive trends **Example:** AI adoption rate from 38% (2023) to 72% (2025) --- ### Type 2: Gap/Funnel Visualizations **Use when:** Highlighting dramatic differences, maturity gaps, conversion funnels **Elements:** - Horizontal bars or funnel shape - Extreme contrast in bar lengths to emphasize gap - Large percentage labels - Annotation explaining the implication (e.g., "Only 1 in 90 organizations...") **Example:** 90% using AI vs. 1% with mature operations --- ### Type 3: Before/After Comparisons **Use when:** Demonstrating impact, ROI, performance improvement **Elements:** - Two vertical bars side by side - Different colors (grey for "before", royal blue for "after") - Curved arrow with improvement metric (e.g., "+28.8 points") - Y-axis with clear scale - Annotation box for context (e.g., "RCT study in Pakistan") **Example:** Diagnostic accuracy 50% → 78.8% after 20-hour training --- ### Type 4: Market Share / Adoption Rate **Use when:** Showing percentage breakdowns, market penetration **Elements:** - Donut chart with center percentage - Left side: chart; Right side: key statistics in large text - Two-color scheme (primary + grey) - Legend with color-coded boxes **Example:** 77% of US medical schools adopted AI curriculum --- ### Type 5: Investment / Scale Infographics **Use when:** Comparing organizational investments, scale of operations **Elements:** - Horizontal layout with vertical divider - Left section: Organization A with icon, large numbers, context - Right section: Organization B with icon, large numbers, context - Clean vector icons in royal blue - Hairline divider between sections **Example:** Kaiser Permanente (40 hospitals, 600+ facilities) vs. Mayo Clinic ($1B, 200+ projects) --- ### Type 6: Timeline Visualizations **Use when:** Showing chronological events, policy changes, milestones **Elements:** - Horizontal timeline with circular nodes - Icons above each milestone - Event labels above line, dates below line - Connecting line in royal blue - Clean sans-serif labels **Example:** 2025 medical education AI integration (July AAMC → Fall Stanford → November AMA) --- ### Type 7: Comparison / Contrast Diagrams **Use when:** Highlighting differences between regions, organizations, or strategies **Elements:** - Split design with vertical divider - Left side: data-rich with bullet points and icons - Right side: sparse or question marks to emphasize gap - High contrast between sections - Clear header labels **Example:** US/Global Leaders (72%, 77%, $1B+) vs. Japan (status unclear, unknown data) --- ### Type 8: Strategic Frameworks **Use when:** Positioning analysis, capability assessment, competitive mapping **Elements:** - 2×2 matrix with clearly labeled axes - Positioning markers for each player - Thin vector lines for grid - Quadrant labels explaining strategic implications **Example:** Market Share (x-axis) vs. Technical Capability (y-axis) --- ### Type 9: Competitive Benchmarking Tables **Use when:** Detailed multi-dimensional comparison across players **Elements:** - Multi-row, multi-column table - Quantified metrics (numbers, percentages, scores) - Clear ranking or benchmarking logic - Hairline borders - Numeric alignment and hierarchy - Visual indicators for leaders/laggards (e.g., color coding) **Example:** Comparison of GenAI video models across architecture, consistency, prompt adherence --- ### Type 10: Waterfall Charts **Use when:** Showing cumulative effect, step-by-step changes, variance analysis **Elements:** - Horizontal bars showing incremental changes - Starting value → intermediate steps → ending value - Color coding for positive (blue) and negative (grey/red) changes - Connecting lines between bars - Clear labels for each step **Example:** Revenue bridge from Q1 to Q4 showing growth drivers --- ### Type 11: Cover Slide **Use when:** Creating the opening slide for a consulting presentation **Elements:** - Deep navy blue background (solid `#1E3A5F` or subtle gradient from `#1E3A5F` to `#2C4A6F`) - Large serif font title in white (centered or left-aligned) - Subtitle in smaller sans-serif font - Optional metadata (date, author, organization) in small text at bottom - Optional subtle gold accent (`#D4AF37`) for premium touch - Minimal or no graphics — focus on typography **Example:** "The Future of AI in Healthcare: Strategic Implications for 2026" --- ## Prompt Engineering Templates When generating visualizations using image generation tools, use these templates: ### Template 1: Time-Series Growth Chart ``` Create a professional consulting-style time-series growth chart in landscape 16:9 format. White background, black text, royal blue (#1E3A8A) line chart. Serif headline in bold: "[Your Insight-Driven Headline]" X-axis: [Time periods], Y-axis: [Metric with gridlines every 10-20%] Large percentage labels above data points: [Data points] Annotation box in top right: "[Key insight, e.g., '2x growth in 2 years']" Clean, minimal, institutional aesthetic. No gradients, no decorative elements. ``` ### Template 2: Gap/Funnel Visualization ``` Create a professional consulting-style gap visualization in landscape 16:9 format. White background, black text. Serif headline in bold: "[Your Insight-Driven Headline]" Two horizontal bars: - Top bar (royal blue #1E3A8A): [X%] - [Label] - Bottom bar (light grey #D1D5DB): [Y%] - [Label] Extreme contrast in bar lengths to emphasize gap. Large percentage labels on right side of each bar. Annotation below: "[Strategic implication]" Clean, minimal, institutional aesthetic. No gradients, no decorative elements. ``` ### Template 3: Before/After Comparison ``` Create a professional consulting-style before/after comparison chart in landscape 16:9 format. White background, black text. Serif headline in bold: "[Your Insight-Driven Headline]" Two vertical bars side by side: - Left bar (grey #6B7280): [Before value] - labeled "Before" - Right bar (royal blue #1E3A8A): [After value] - labeled "After" Curved arrow between bars with improvement metric: "+[X] points" Y-axis with clear scale from 0 to [max value] Annotation box: "[Context, e.g., 'RCT study in Pakistan']" Clean, minimal, institutional aesthetic. No gradients, no decorative elements. ``` ### Template 4: Cover Slide ``` Create a professional consulting-style cover slide in landscape 16:9 format. Deep navy blue background (#1E3A5F) with subtle gradient to (#2C4A6F). Large serif font title in white (#FFFFFF), centered or left-aligned: "[Your Title]" Subtitle in smaller sans-serif font, light grey (#E5E7EB): "[Your Subtitle]" Optional metadata at bottom in small text: "[Date | Author | Organization]" Optional subtle gold accent (#D4AF37) for premium touch (use sparingly). Minimal or no graphics — focus on elegant typography. Clean, institutional, boardroom-ready aesthetic. ``` **General prompt engineering tips:** - Always specify "landscape 16:9 format" at the beginning - Always specify "white background" for content slides, "deep navy blue background" for cover slides - Always specify "serif headline in bold" for content slides - Always include exact hex codes for colors - Always emphasize "clean, minimal, institutional aesthetic" - Always add "No gradients, no decorative elements" at the end for content slides - Use specific data points and labels from your analysis - Include strategic insight in the headline --- ## Workflow 1. **Define the strategic question** — What decision does this visualization support? 2. **Choose the visualization type** — Select from the 11 types above 3. **Draft the insight-driven headline** — Make it hypothesis-driven, not descriptive 4. **Gather and structure data** — Organize data points, labels, and annotations 5. **Select the prompt template** — Use the appropriate template from above 6. **Customize the prompt** — Fill in your specific data, headline, and insights 7. **Generate the visualization** — Use image generation tools with the customized prompt 8. **Review and refine** — Check against the quality checklist below --- ## Language Considerations **Default language: English** While this skill can be used in Japanese or other languages, **English is strongly recommended** for the following reasons: 1. **Font rendering:** Image generation models handle English typography more reliably 2. **Consistency:** Serif/sans-serif font pairing works better in English 3. **Readability:** Latin characters render more clearly at small sizes 4. **International audience:** English is standard for global business presentations **If Japanese is required:** - Use sans-serif fonts only (avoid serif for Japanese text) - Increase font sizes for better readability - Test rendering quality before finalizing - Be prepared for potential issues: - Font substitution - Character spacing problems - Inconsistent font rendering **Best practice:** Use English for all text in visualizations, then provide Japanese translations in accompanying documents if needed. --- ## Multi-Visualization Projects When creating multiple visualizations for a single project: 1. **Maintain consistent aspect ratio** — Use landscape for all charts 2. **Use the same color palette** — Deep royal blue, greys, white, black 3. **Apply consistent typography** — Serif for headlines, sans-serif for data 4. **Align visual density** — Similar level of information across all charts 5. **Create a visual hierarchy** — Most important insights first **Batch generation:** - Generate up to 5 images per batch using image generation tools - Ensure all images in a batch use the same aspect ratio - Review all images for consistency before delivering --- ## Quality Checklist Before delivering any visualization, verify: - [ ] **Aspect ratio:** Landscape orientation used - [ ] **Color palette:** White background, black text, royal blue accents, no gradients (for content slides) - [ ] **Typography:** Serif headline, sans-serif data labels - [ ] **Data accuracy:** All numbers, percentages, and labels are correct - [ ] **Strategic insight:** Headline is insight-driven, not descriptive - [ ] **Visual clarity:** No clutter, every element serves a purpose - [ ] **Annotations:** Key insights and context provided - [ ] **Consistency:** If multiple charts, all follow same design system - [ ] **Language:** English used to avoid rendering issues (unless Japanese explicitly requested) --- ## Common Pitfalls to Avoid ❌ **Decorative over functional** — Every element must serve a strategic purpose ❌ **Bright, startup-style colors** — Stick to institutional blue, grey, black, white ❌ **Portrait orientation** — Always use landscape for consistency ❌ **Descriptive headlines** — Use insight-driven, strategic headlines ❌ **Low information density** — Pack in data while maintaining clarity ❌ **Marketing language** — Use analytical, objective tone ❌ **Inconsistent design** — Maintain visual consistency across all charts --- ## Example Use Cases ### Use Case 1: Market Analysis **Scenario:** Analyze GenAI video model market **Visualizations needed:** - Competitive benchmarking table (architecture, consistency, prompt adherence) - 2×2 positioning matrix (technical capability vs. market share) - Timeline of product launches - Investment comparison infographic ### Use Case 2: Performance Reporting **Scenario:** Show quarterly business performance **Visualizations needed:** - Waterfall chart (revenue bridge) - Before/after comparison (KPI improvements) - Time-series growth chart (adoption metrics) - Gap visualization (target vs. actual) ### Use Case 3: Strategic Recommendation **Scenario:** Support investment decision **Visualizations needed:** - Comparison diagram (option A vs. option B) - Strategic framework (capability assessment) - Investment scale infographic - Timeline of implementation milestones --- ## Integration with Other Skills This skill works well with: - **design-sensei:** For additional design principles and accessibility - **paper-presentation-slides:** For academic presentation context - **paper-article-generator:** For article-embedded visualizations --- ## Version History - **v1.1** (2026-02-11): Added Type 11 Cover Slide, detailed color palette with hex codes, enhanced typography specifications, and cover slide prompt templates - **v1.0** (2026-02-11): Initial skill creation with comprehensive visualization types, aspect ratio standards, and prompt engineering templates --- ## References - McKinsey & Company presentation style guidelines - BCG visual identity and data visualization standards - Financial Times editorial design principles - Harvard Business Review chart design best practices --- **Skill Author:** KEN **Last Updated:** 2026-02-11 **Skill Type:** Visualization & Design