# Nature Figure

> Publication-ready matplotlib figures for Nature/high-impact journals and academic papers. Covers bar charts, grouped bars, heatmaps, line/trend plots, forest plots, microscopy-style image panels, schematic + quantitative composites, radar plots, and multi-panel layouts with Nature-style typography (Arial/sans-serif), restrained color systems, and SVG/PDF export conventions. Use when creating scientific figures that must match Nature publication standards. Do NOT use for interactive dashboards (Plotly, Bokeh) or Illustrator/Figma-first infographic workflows.

- Skill: `cangyeone/nature-figure` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 24 files)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add cangyeone/nature-figure`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/cangyeone/nature-figure/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Design & Media
- Author: cangyeone (https://skillmd.com/u/cangyeone)
- Updated: 2026-09-17
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/cangyeone/nature-figure

---


# Nature Figure Making Skill

A complete guide for producing publication-quality matplotlib figures matching Nature journal standards.
Derived from the [figures4papers](https://github.com/ChenLiu-1996/figures4papers) repository
(papers published in *Nature Machine Intelligence* and top ML venues), then extended with direct
visual observations from a 2026 `Nature` sample spanning materials science, genomics,
neuroscience, plant biology and clinical studies.

Color policy: prefer **unified method families across all panels** over maximal hue separation.
For dense Nature Machine Intelligence-style figure pages, use the low-saturation `NMI pastel`
family described in `references/api.md` and reserve green/red mainly for gains, drops, and other directional cues.

## Quick-start: Mandatory rcParams

Always apply these at the top of every script:

```python
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt

plt.rcParams['font.family'] = 'sans-serif'
plt.rcParams['font.sans-serif'] = ['Arial']
plt.rcParams['svg.fonttype'] = 'none'          # editable text in SVG/PDF
plt.rcParams['font.size'] = 16                 # 24 for large bar panels
plt.rcParams['axes.spines.right'] = False
plt.rcParams['axes.spines.top'] = False
plt.rcParams['axes.linewidth'] = 2.5           # 3 for big bars, 2 for compact
plt.rcParams['legend.frameon'] = False
```

Use `text.usetex = True` only when LaTeX is installed and math-rich labels are required.

## Default operating stance

- Start by classifying the requested figure into one of four archetypes:
  `quantitative grid`, `schematic-led composite`, `image plate + quant`, or `asymmetric mixed-modality figure`.
- Prefer one **hero panel** plus subordinate evidence panels over filling the canvas with equal-sized subplots.
- Keep the background white for plots and diagrams; switch to black only for microscopy / volume-rendering image plates.
- Prefer direct labels over legends when categories are spatially fixed or the legend would force unnecessary eye travel.
- Keep one restrained palette per figure: usually one neutral family, one signal family, and one accent family.
- When the user asks for broad `Nature` style rather than ML/NMI-specific style, read `references/nature-2026-observations.md` before choosing layout.

## When to load this skill

- Matplotlib figures for **papers, slides, or reports** targeting Nature, NeurIPS, ICLR, or similar venues.
- Requests involving **grouped bars, trend lines, heatmaps, radar plots, multi-panel grids**, or **PDF/SVG/high-DPI** output.
- Any mention of "Nature style", "publication figure", "paper figure", or "high-quality scientific plot".

## When NOT to load

- Plotly, Altair, Bokeh, or other interactive/web-first plotting.
- EDA-only plots without a publication target.
- Primary workflow is 3D, GIS, or non-matplotlib tooling.
- Illustrator / Figma–first layout.

## Related files

| File | Open when |
|------|-----------|
| [references/design-theory.md](references/design-theory.md) | Typography, color theory, layout rationale, export policy |
| [references/api.md](references/api.md) | PALETTE, helper function signatures, validation rules |
| [references/common-patterns.md](references/common-patterns.md) | Ultra-wide panels, legend-only axes, print-safe bars |
| [references/nature-2026-observations.md](references/nature-2026-observations.md) | Real `Nature` page archetypes: schematic-led composites, dark image plates, clinical triptychs, asymmetric hero layouts |
| [references/tutorials.md](references/tutorials.md) | End-to-end walkthroughs: bars, trends, heatmaps |
| [references/chart-types.md](references/chart-types.md) | Radar, 3D sphere, fill_between, scatter patterns |