I'm using the following color scheme for the examples here:ĭon't be afraid to use the sides of the screen as a scratch pad. I like because they take items like fruit baskets and convert those into schemes. You can use a color picker or you can check out where people vote on different schemes. You don't want the boring black and white diagrams, you want something that has a little color to it. This is one of the most important things you need to do. After installing Inkscape it is a good idea to browse their tutorials via the help->tutorials menu. They have binaries for Linux, Windows and Mac OS X so it should be easy enough to get it installed. You will want to download Inkscape first. I've put together a list of 10 tips that will help make better looking diagrams with Inkscape. But for those of us without a Mac or who are just very cheap I think the best solution starts with Inkscape.

If you have a Mac you are probably not in as bad a situation since you can buy OmniGraffle for $79. I'm not creating enough diagrams to justify buying something expensive and I don't feel like finding a graphics designer to make Dia diagrams prettier. After multiple attempts to find a good free diagraming application I think I have found a decent solution.

Inkscape schematic drawing