# Venn diagram

Venn diagrams are simple enough that the only thing worth getting right is the labels in the overlaps. An unlabelled intersection is decoration.

Two or three sets works. Four is possible and almost never readable.

![Venn Diagram](https://help.gocapable.com/images/att1435894237.svg)

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## When to reach for one

* Comparing options or capabilities with genuine overlap.
* Explaining scope: what is in, what is out, what is shared.
* Teaching set logic or eligibility rules.

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## How to draw it in Capable

| **Route**  | **Use when**                               |
| ---------- | ------------------------------------------ |
| Mermaid    | Built-in template                          |
| draw.io    | Precise circles, colours and transparency. |
| Excalidraw | Sketch versions for a discussion.          |

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## Getting the labels right

| **Region**            | **What it should say**                                  |
| --------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------- |
| Each circle alone     | What is true only of that set                           |
| Each pairwise overlap | What both share and the third does not                  |
| The centre            | What all of them share, which is often the actual point |

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## A few things that catch people out

* Label the intersections, not just the circles. That is where the information is.
* Do not use area to imply proportion unless you have actually sized the circles.
* Above three sets, use a table or an UpSet-style chart instead.

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## Related

[Mind mapOne idea in the middle, branches outward.](https://help.gocapable.com/diagrams/mind-map.html)

[Concept mapLabelled relationships, not just a hierarchy.](https://help.gocapable.com/diagrams/concept-map.html)

[ExamplesWorking diagrams you can copy.](https://help.gocapable.com/diagrams/examples.html)

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_Generate first. Organise second._