three-directions sketch + the scene decides the theme

Paul's a11 review: heroes are safe SaaS viewports, everything
predictable; mobile Operate ships dark despite a brief that specifies
outdoors-in-motion use. Decide-then-build now opens with three
one-line directions differing in concept (the instinctive pick that
any studio would reach for is the default wearing your name); the
Operate mode adds: the usage scene is part of the spec, the theme
follows the scene, not the category's habit.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Fable 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
This commit is contained in:
Paul Bakaus
2026-07-12 17:36:45 -07:00
co-authored by Claude Fable 5
parent cfbac54440
commit 073e17e180
28 changed files with 56 additions and 28 deletions
+1 -1
View File
@@ -47,7 +47,7 @@ Name the visitor's mode before designing; the page's grammar follows from it, an
**Persuade** (landing pages, marketing, campaigns; design IS the product). The deliverable is an impression that stops the scroll, earns the click, converts. Spans every genre (tech, luxury, consumer); don't collapse them into one look. Briefs that imply imagery must ship real, verified imagery; a colored rectangle where a photo belongs reads as incomplete. New Persuade surfaces take their typeface procedure and reject list from [reference/new-work.md](reference/new-work.md).
**Operate** (app UI, dashboards, admin, tools; design SERVES the task). A person getting something done: density, scanability, and consistency outrank expressiveness. These surfaces earn trust by feeling native to their platform: system font stacks and workhorse UI faces are legitimate and often correct here (the Persuade reject list does not apply). The brand lives in the details: focus states, empty states, microcopy, one owned accent.
**Operate** (app UI, dashboards, admin, tools; design SERVES the task). A person getting something done: density, scanability, and consistency outrank expressiveness. These surfaces earn trust by feeling native to their platform: system font stacks and workhorse UI faces are legitimate and often correct here (the Persuade reject list does not apply). The brand lives in the details: focus states, empty states, microcopy, one owned accent. The usage scene is part of the spec: an interface read outdoors, in motion, or at a glance must survive its real ambient light, and the theme follows the scene, not the category's habit.
**Read** (documentation, guides, editorial, long-form). The deliverable is comprehension: typographic rigor, a navigable structure the reader can hold in their head, hierarchy built for scanning, chrome that stays out of the way. Density follows the reader's task, not atmosphere, and nothing stands between the reader and the answer. The brand lives in type, spacing, and small accents.
@@ -12,7 +12,9 @@ Name one concrete subject, its audience, and the page's single job. The subject'
## Decide, then build
Before writing code, state the direction as one confirmable paragraph: the concept, the palette's anchor, the faces, the signature. When a user can respond and the work is substantial, pause there for confirmation; when the harness has native image generation, follow [codex.md](codex.md)'s mock flow before code. When no user can respond, record the decision in your reasoning and proceed without pausing. Either way the decision comes first; code that precedes a direction is the template reflex in motion.
Sketch three directions in one line each before choosing: they must differ in concept, not in polish. If the direction you'd instinctively ship is the one any competent studio would also reach for, it is the default wearing your name; pick the direction that is most specific to this subject and still serves the mode.
Then state the chosen direction as one confirmable paragraph: the concept, the palette's anchor, the faces, the signature. When a user can respond and the work is substantial, pause there for confirmation; when the harness has native image generation, follow [codex.md](codex.md)'s mock flow before code. When no user can respond, record the decision in your reasoning and proceed without pausing. Either way the decision comes first; code that precedes a direction is the template reflex in motion.
## Plan, self-check, build