Degree Names That Survive a Redraw
A field note from the Degree Labeling Intensive on keeping Primary, Intermediate, and Minor labels legible after a count revision.
Wave degree vocabulary collapses when traders invent personal shorthand mid-session. Six months later the chart is unreadable even to its author.
In the intensive we standardize on a small set of classical degree names and a single ink color per degree family. The constraint feels fussy until a redraw happens under the clock.
When a count breaks, erase the lowest-degree marks first. Preserving the higher skeleton keeps the conversation focused on what actually failed.
We ask each participant to leave with a legend taped inside their chart folder. The legend is dull; the future self who opens that folder at midnight is grateful.
If you join a public clinic after the intensive, bring that legend. Shared language is half the value of sitting at the same table.