# Mystique: Deconstructing SVG Charts for Layout Reuse

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2307.13567 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2307.13567/

## Key facts

- Cited by 4 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Builds on 11 of its 52 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 25 Jul 2023.

## Builds on (most cited first, 11 of 11)

- [Hierarchical Clustering: Objective Functions and Algorithms](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1704.02147/) (2017)
- [Towards Automated Infographic Design: Deep Learning-based Auto-Extraction of Extensible Timeline](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1907.13550/) (2019)
- [Beagle: Automated Extraction and Interpretation of Visualizations from the Web](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1711.05962/) (2017)
- [A Two-stage Framework for Compound Figure Separation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2101.09903/) (2021)
- [Falx: Synthesis-Powered Visualization Authoring](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2102.01024/) (2021)
- [Converting Basic D3 Charts into Reusable Style Templates](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1609.05283/) (2016)
- [Data Changes Everything: Challenges and Opportunities in Data Visualization Design Handoff](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1908.00192/) (2019)
- [Integrated Visualization Editing via Parameterized Declarative Templates](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2101.07902/) (2021)
- [Critical Reflections on Visualization Authoring Systems](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1907.13568/) (2019)
- [The State of the Art in Creating Visualization Corpora for Automated Chart Analysis](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2305.14525/) (2023)
- [Exploring D3 Implementation Challenges on Stack Overflow](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2108.02299/) (2021)

## Built on by (most cited first, 4 of 4)

- [ChartKG: A Knowledge-Graph-Based Representation for Chart Images](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2410.09761/) (2024)
- [Vector Prism: Animating Vector Graphics by Stratifying Semantic Structure](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2512.14336/) (2025)
- [Challenges & Opportunities with LLM-Assisted Visualization Retargeting](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2507.01436/) (2025)
- [Chart2SVG: Editable SVG Generation from Raster Chart Images](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2608.26544/) (2026)

## Abstract (arXiv)

To facilitate the reuse of existing charts, previous research has examined how to obtain a semantic understanding of a chart by deconstructing its visual representation into reusable components, such as encodings. However, existing deconstruction approaches primarily focus on chart styles, handling only basic layouts. In this paper, we investigate how to deconstruct chart layouts, focusing on rectangle-based ones, as they cover not only 17 chart types but also advanced layouts (e.g., small multiples, nested layouts). We develop an interactive tool, called Mystique, adopting a mixed-initiative approach to extract the axes and legend, and deconstruct a chart's layout into four semantic components: mark groups, spatial relationships, data encodings, and graphical constraints. Mystique employs a wizard interface that guides chart authors through a series of steps to specify how the deconstructed components map to their own data. On 150 rectangle-based SVG charts, Mystique achieves above 85% accuracy for axis and legend extraction and 96% accuracy for layout deconstruction. In a chart reproduction study, participants could easily reuse existing charts on new datasets. We discuss the current limitations of Mystique and future research directions.