Use when designing or auditing figures for an Advanced Materials manuscript, including the lead figure, multi-panel characterization figures, and the Table-of-Contents graphic, where visual quality is a house expectation. Designs figure strategy; does not run the analysis or write prose.
SkillScore87Maintained
Automatic
◆Research pack
Last verified 8/15/2026
What it changes
Passed 20 of 23 test cases with the skill, and 16 of 23 without it.
Without skill70%
With skill87%
Checks it passed that the model alone missed
The response rejects using a cropped data panel as the TOC graphic.
The response explicitly recommends shifting optimization sweeps and extra sample data to the Supporting Information.
The response advises that the TOC graphic must be designed as a standalone entry with a short blurb rather than a cropped panel.
and 3 more in the full report
4 fixed16 passed either way3 still failing0 broke
Pass-rate lift
+17 pp
Tokens
+20%
Agent turns
0%
Response time
-31%
Model gemini-3.6-flashMeasured 8/15/2026v120 of 23 cases passed with skill
Tokens, turns and time describe resource use, not a dollar price.
See it in action
One of 4 test cases the skill fixed. Same model, same prompt, with and without the skill.
1 of 4
Prompt
We are getting our materials science manuscript ready for Advanced Materials and need to review our draft figures. Figure 1 shows our synthetic scheme and primary demonstration, followed by multi-panel characterization figures, but we aren't sure if some data should move to the supplementary information. Please evaluate our figure layout and provide the standard figure assessment breakdown covering figure count checks, Figure 1 visual clarity, structure-property chain alignment, micrograph scale bar checks, color coding consistency, colorblind/grayscale friendliness, TOC graphic readiness, and next workflow steps.
What was checked, without and with the skill
Checked
Without skill
With skill
The response explicitly recommends shifting optimization sweeps and extra sample data to the Supporting Information.
Missed
Passed
The response specifies that characterization figures must strictly address a single link in the structure-property-function chain.
Missed
Passed
The response notes that color palettes must remain readable when converted to grayscale or viewed by color-blind readers.
Passed
Passed
case-02 · gemini-3.6-flash · 8/15/2026 · answers are capped and redacted
What's inside
The instructions your model reads when the skill loads.
SKILL.md82 linessingle file
Advanced Materials Figures (advmat-figures)
When to trigger
You have many candidate panels and need a coherent figure set
Your lead figure does not convey the central advance at a glance
Characterization panels are crowded, mislabeled, or unreadable at column width
You have no Table-of-Contents (TOC) graphic, or it is an afterthought
A coauthor wants to "add one more panel just in case"
Figure strategy for Adv. Mater.
Advanced Materials is a visually demanding journal — striking, cover-quality figures are a house expectation, and the journal actively selects work for cover art. But visual polish must serve the science. The hierarchy:
Lead figure (Figure 1) — usually a schematic of the material/design concept plus the single most decisive piece of evidence. A reader skimming should grasp the advance from this figure and its caption alone.
Characterization figures — each closes one link of the structure → property → function chain (e.g. one figure for structure by XRD/TEM, one for the property, one for the device + benchmarking).
The TOC graphic — a small, self-explaining image plus a short blurb that sells the advance to a browsing reader; treat it as a designed object, not a cropped panel.
Everything else — optimization sweeps, extra samples, raw traces → Supporting Information.
If a panel does not advance the central claim or one essential link, move it to the SI.
Multi-panel characterization figures
Materials figures are dense by nature; discipline keeps them readable:
Principle
Practice
One figure, one link
Group panels that jointly prove one claim (e.g. all structure)
Reading order
Label (a),(b),(c) top-left to bottom-right; caption follows it
Scale bars, always
Every micrograph carries a scale bar in the image, not only the caption
Consistent color-coding
The same sample/condition keeps one color across all figures
Annotate the feature
Arrow/label the lattice fringe, peak, or interface that matters
Overlay, don't scatter
Show theory-vs-experiment or before-vs-after on shared axes
Production standards (Wiley format)
Design for the journal's two-column layout; check legibility at final printed width.
Fonts, axis labels, and tick numbers legible at print size; keep a consistent typeface across figures.
Vector formats for line art/schematics; high-resolution raster (meeting Wiley's DPI requirement) for micrographs — verify the current DPI/format spec.
Color is free in Adv. Mater. (online and print), but keep palettes color-blind-safe and distinguishable in grayscale; never encode by color alone.