Caplo vs. ArchiMate

ArchiMate Element Mapping to Caplo Node Types

ArchiMate is a widely used enterprise architecture modeling language with a comprehensive set of elements across different layers. Caplo's default metamodel provides a simplified yet powerful alternative that covers the most commonly used architectural concepts while maintaining ease of use.

Accessibility-First Icon Design

In the ArchiMate standard, many elements share identical icon shapes and are only differentiated by color. For example, Business Event, Application Event, Technology Event, and Implementation Event all use the exact same arrow shape—the only difference is the background color (yellow, cyan, green, or pink).

ArchiMate Icon	ArchiMate Element	Caplo Extended MetamodelComing soon
	Business Event	Business Event
	Application Event	Application Event
	Technology Event	Technology Event
	Implementation Event	Implementation Event

Notice how all four ArchiMate icons in the first column are identical—only the background color differs.

This approach creates significant accessibility challenges:

• Color blindness: Users with color vision deficiencies cannot distinguish between elements that differ only by color
• Black & white printing: When diagrams are printed in grayscale, these elements become indistinguishable
• Cognitive load: Relying on color requires users to memorize color-layer associations rather than recognizing unique symbols

In the element mapping table above, you'll notice that ArchiMate elements with unique shapes show their actual icon in the "Caplo Extended Metamodel" column, while elements with duplicate shapes display a question mark (). This highlights which elements will need redesigned icons in Caplo's extended metamodel to ensure every element type is visually distinguishable regardless of color perception.

Enhanced Color Contrast

ArchiMate's standard color palette uses pastel shades that were designed decades ago, primarily for print-based documentation. These colors—like pale yellow (#FFFFB5) for the Business layer and light cyan (#B5FFFF) for the Application layer—often struggle to provide sufficient contrast against both light and dark backgrounds commonly used in modern digital tools.

Caplo uses a more saturated color palette specifically chosen for:

• Higher contrast ratios: Colors are more vibrant to stand out clearly on white, dark, and gray backgrounds
• Digital-first design: Optimized for screen display in modern applications and presentations
• Consistent visibility: Elements remain clearly visible in both light and dark mode interfaces

Relations: ArchiMate vs. Caplo

ArchiMate defines 11 different relationship types, each with specific semantics and visual representations. While comprehensive, this complexity often leads to confusion among users—especially business stakeholders—and inconsistent modeling practices across teams.

Caplo takes a radically simpler approach with just 4 relation types, designed to cover 90%+ of real-world enterprise architecture modeling needs while keeping the experience intuitive for business users.

ArchiMate (11)	ArchiMate Description	Caplo Relation Types (4)
Composition	Strong ownership (is part of)	Parent-Child via nesting
Aggregation	Weak grouping relationship
Realization	Implementation of	Realizes via smart inference
Assignment	Allocation of responsibility	Association default
Serving	Provides functionality to
Influence	Affects with positive/negative impact
Triggering	Causes or initiates
Specialization	Is a type of (inheritance)
Association	Unspecified relationship
Access	Reads or writes data	Contains via nesting
Flow	Transfer of data or material	FlowComing Soon