Multi-Diagram Representation of Enterprise Architecture: Layout and Aesthetics

Visual modeling is essential for documenting and sharing enterprise models. Most modeling languages for enterprise architecture are defined in term of the abstract syntax and the concrete syntax, leaving aesthetic issues in enterprise modeling such as diagram layouts on the sidelines. In this paper, we specifically address the diagrammatic layout and aesthetics in enterprise modeling by revisiting SeamCAD - a modeling language and an accompanying toolkit that emphasize hierarchies in the representation of enterprise architecture. The modeling notation of SeamCAD comes with distinctive layout and diagrammatic aesthetics for the purposes of visually capturing the hierarchical containment in EA models. We walk through real-life EA applications to demonstrate the aesthetic aspects of our visual language.