Don’t create Ugly Architecture Diagrams: 7 Tips to turn confusing into clear!

Ever stared at a software architecture diagram so messy it gave you a headache? You're not alone—and it doesn’t have to be this way.

For the last few years, I’ve focused on architecture modernization projects, often working for C-level executives who need to make critical decisions about the future direction of the software that runs their businesses. Working with my clients, I observe things about architecture that cuts across industries and organizations from start-ups to Fortune 100. I normally keep these observations to myself, but this year I’m going to call these things out. Not just what's wrong, but how to make it better, too.

Ugly Architecture Diagrams

Let’s kick off 2025 with something I see in nearly every organization: horribly ugly architecture diagrams. You know the ones. Don't be ashamed, they exist in your company too. Perhaps you even created them!

Clients pay me and my colleagues at SingleStone , in part, to draw the architecture they have today and the one they desire in the future. When I see their current architecture diagrams, I quickly understand why they hired us. These diagrams confuse everyone in the company!

This confusion translates into a lack of understanding and confidence, at the highest levels, of where they are today and where they should go in the future. Lots of people have opinions and lots of buzz-word technology is tossed about, but there's often no visual way to show the architecture in a way everyone understands both current and future states.

Once engaged we get down to work and a few weeks later we’ve created clear architecture diagrams everyone - not just IT - understands. The creation of the diagrams creates a common language and mental model for describing how it works today. This in turn gives us a jumping off point for describing how it could work better in the future.

As evidenced by the 50+ architecture diagrams I see a year, it is clear that communicating software architecture visually is 1) not a topic taught in school nor 2) is it taught on the job. I’m amazed at the number of very smart people who create very confusing diagrams that make no sense to anyone but themselves.

Creating Clear Architecture Diagrams

It doesn’t have to be this way. Software architects don’t need graphic design degrees to create clear and compelling visuals. When it comes to visualizing complex software architecture, whether current or future states, here are the things I do that make a difference. Doing these will help you create clear and compelling visuals of any software system that you want to improve.

1. Start with C4 Model - Above all else, don’t invent your own iconography and language for visualization. You’re not good at it. I have found the C4 model, a hierarchical set of diagrams, the best way to start visualizing any system of any size. Last year, I did a context diagram for a system with 73 integrations, and it was just fine. Start at the highest context level and work down from there. This Miro template helps us do this quickly with teams, often in a single day.
2. Don’t Mix Static and Runtime - Runtime concerns like environments, networking, computing, and storage are important, but they don’t belong in the same diagram as the static components of your software architecture. Start by diagramming the static elements and annotating the runtime details. If you want a separate runtime diagram that’s fine, create it, just don’t mix the two concerns together.
3. Focus on What Over How - Getting names and dependencies right is the name of the game, starting at the context level and working down from there. Build consensus on naming things as you go; this is important for communicating with clarity. Use arrows to capture dependencies, not data flows. It’s OK to capture technology specifics, but add these as annotations or notes. Remember: cluttering up the diagram of a hundred product logos nobody understands doesn’t convey anything but confusion to readers.
4. Label for Clarity, Avoiding Jargon - Each line in the diagram needs a label to describe its purpose. Why does it exist? Write that. I use short and descriptive content that makes it easy for everyone to understand what’s going on, not just techies. I prefer a Verb + Noun format that summarizes the purpose (e.g., View employment history). Avoid adding network protocols, data formats and overly-generic words to labels that convey little meaning, they just add noise.
5. Limit the Color Palette - I’ve seen diagrams where you’d think the goal was to use every color in the rainbow. Don’t do this. Use a limited color palette for uniformity and consistency. Start with your organization’s brand guide, add the official colors to your favorite tool, and only use those colors (or shades of them) + black, white, and gray. This makes your diagrams easier to understand and results in fewer headaches. Bonus points for being on-brand!
6. Keep it Uniform - A mishmash of fonts and border sizes adds is visually distracting. Simplify by picking one font for everything. Choose only 1 or 2 border and line widths and use for everything. Consider making dependency lines dark gray so they are visible the focus is on the shapes. For more complex diagrams, colored lines can work if they help clarify an important point (e.g. all lines connecting to the database are blue), but only do this if there’s a compelling reason.
7. Create with the Team - Visualizing the architecture isn’t a solo activity; it takes input and collaboration from people who know the working system. Pulling these people together for brief periods of time to get what’s in their heads into a single visual helps create a shared mental model for how the system works today. It also creates a shared language to begin describing the future state. The workshop described in the Miro template is the recipe I follow. During these workshops our diagrams get very messy and that’s fine, we clean them up afterwards. In my experience, one productive day with the team saves weeks of time understanding the current state of any system.

Visualize for Understanding

There’s no question that software architects need to focus on the details of designing, building, and running software systems. Yet they also need to show leadership to colleagues and C-level executives who want to scale their business, which runs on software.

Visualizing complex architectures in a way everyone - not just IT - can understand can be an important part of this leadership. Architects have a unique role to play in today's modern software-driven organization and visualization is a skill that can be mastered over time, it just takes guidance and practice.

If you are an architect, 2025 is the year to stop creating ugly diagrams. Follow these 7 tips to create visualizations that have a real impact and don’t give everyone headaches!

Seen some really ugly diagrams? Got tips for creating clear ones? Please share them as comments below.

Please like or repost if I should keep writing stuff like this, thanks.

A big thanks to Abigail Franks for her design help, Jordan Bachmann for his architecture opinions and Matt Carroll for the content ideas.