How to draw a "circle grid" with editable colours and background colours?

Question

Could advise on how I would create the image shown? I am not a graphic designer but really need to create something like this. I have no idea even what package to use! Any help would be appreciated.

Answer 1

If you are at university then you probably have access to Mathematica, use that. Mathematica allows you to easily do this out of data, within a reporting environment.

dotNred[red_, dot_] := Graphics[{
   Red,
   Table[Rectangle[{-red[[a]] - 0.5, -0.5 + a}, {-0.5, 0.5 + a}], {a, 
     1, 10}],
   EdgeForm[Black],
   Table[{ 
     If[a <= dot[[b]], Black, White],
     Disk[{-a, b}, 0.30]
     }, {a, 1, 10}, {b, 1, 10}
    ]
   }
  ]

redrows = { 8, 3, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0};
dotrows = {10, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0};
dotNred[redrows, dotrows]

Results in Image 1, off course you can generate any number of these with different data points.

Image 1: One possible output

Mathematica does the images in vector form so you can export these to nearly any format you wish.

Ammendum

red can come form oppsite end no problem even black can come form that end if you wish.

dotNred2[red_, dot_] := 
  Graphics[{Red, 
    Table[Rectangle[{red[[a]] - 0.5 - 10, -0.5 + a}, {-10.5, 
       0.5 + a}], {a, 1, 10}], EdgeForm[Black], 
    Table[{If[a <= dot[[b]], Black, White], Disk[{-a, b}, 0.30]}, {a, 
      1, 10}, {b, 1, 10}]}]

redrows = {8, 3, 1, 3, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0};
dotrows = {10, 2, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0};
dotNred2[redrows, dotrows]

Image 2: Different config, ordering is arbitrary

Since you dont describe what the graph is for its hard to make the code work sanely. It might be that you just want 2 different counts inside each other. Then it would be pointless to pass arrays but counts instead. Theers no problem in leaving 2 dots away from top row.

dotNred3[red_, dot_] := 
 Graphics[{Red, 
   Table[Rectangle[{red[[a]] - 0.5 - 10, -0.5 + a}, {-10.5, 
      0.5 + a}], {a, 1, 10}], 
   Table[{If[a > 8 && b == 10, EdgeForm[None], EdgeForm[Black]], 
     If[a <= dot[[b]], Black, White], Disk[{-a, b}, 0.30]}, {a, 1, 
     10}, {b, 1, 10}]}]

redrows = {8, 3, 1, 3, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0};
dotrows = {10, 2, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0};
ImageResize[dotNred[redrows, dotrows], 200]

Image 3: Even more variation on the theme.

Rest i'm afraid you must do yourself.

Answer 2

Adobe Illustrator would likely be your best bet, especially if it's readily available at your university. The most basic of beginner tutorials should walk you through enough of the interface to show you how to get this done. If you're not familiar with graphic design programs, this is going to be a very different animal to anything you've worked with before. Don't get discouraged. It's not terribly intuitive, but there is a wonderful community of support here (and out there in the innernets) to help you. Good luck!

Answer 3

In Adobe Illustrator

Use the Ellipse Tool (L). Draw a circle on the page. Select the circle with the Selection Tool (V) (The black arrow).

Go to Object -> Transform -> Move

Put in distance for horizontal and 0 in for vertical. Click Copy.

Press CTRL + D or Command + D to make the transformation again. When the row is complete, select all of the circles. Go to Object -> Transform -> Move and now make the horizontal 0 and select the distance for vertical.

Now save your artwork

In Adobe InDesign

Use the Ellipse Tool (L). Draw a circle on the page. Select the circle with the Selection Tool (V) (The black arrow).

Go to Edit -> Step and Repeat...

Input the number of circles you want in that row, set vertical to 0 and set the horizontal distance. Click Ok.

select all of the circles. Go back to Edit -> Step and Repeat... and now do another count but with horizontal 0 and set the vertical distance.

In GIMP

Filters → Map → Tile...