(The full requirements are described in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2, clause 6.6.5 Figures.)

Wherever possible, avoid using text within the figure (except where doing so would confuse the reader).

Instead of explanatory labels placed in the figure itself, use references (numbers or letters) and explain them in a key below the figure. This will avoid problems when the image is resized. More importantly, it will facilitate translations and national adoptions, as the image can be adapted to all languages by simply translating the key.

Place notes and footnotes outside the figure frame and before the figure caption.

Example:

Related topics:

• Using text in figures gives practical tips on combining text elements and images