| 1 | # DARWIN - DESIGN LOCK (binding; every front-end agent MUST obey) |
| 2 | |
| 3 | Zion's explicit, repeated directive: **use the reference aesthetic we chose. NEVER revert to generic |
| 4 | "Claude base design" / AI-SaaS-template / admin-dashboard defaults.** If it looks like a stock |
| 5 | shadcn/Material starter, it has FAILED. Study the references before writing a line of UI. |
| 6 | |
| 7 | ## Study FIRST (not optional) |
| 8 | - Reference images: `/shared/projects/Claud-Design-Revamp/` - monolithstudio, wildyriftian, donprod |
| 9 | (bold brutalist type, near-black, classical/organic hero, motion, editorial whitespace). |
| 10 | - Motion + tokens: `/shared/projects/darwin/_ops/motion-system.md`. |
| 11 | - The existing Darwin hero (the big "DARWIN" wordmark + organism) is the established look - extend it, |
| 12 | do not replace it with something blander. |
| 13 | |
| 14 | ## BANNED (these = generic; do not produce them) |
| 15 | - Default rounded-2xl + drop-shadow "feature cards" in a 3-up grid. |
| 16 | - The "centered hero headline + subtitle + two pill buttons + 3 cards" SaaS template. |
| 17 | - Purple/indigo gradient AI-startup hero. (Our accent is teal, used sparingly.) |
| 18 | - Light mode. Default system font stacks. Generic admin-dashboard chrome/sidebars. |
| 19 | - Emoji used as UI icons. Bootstrap/Material/default-shadcn visual signatures. |
| 20 | - Soft, safe, "corporate friendly" spacing and type. Timid. |
| 21 | |
| 22 | ## REQUIRED (the Darwin look) |
| 23 | - **Canvas:** near-black `#050607`. Deep, confident, cinematic. |
| 24 | - **Accent:** ONE bioluminescent teal `#16e0c8`, used sparingly (glow, key data, focus). Restraint. |
| 25 | - **Type:** brutalist, monolithic, oversized, confident display (Space Grotesk bold lineage) + |
| 26 | clean mono (JetBrains Mono) for data/paths. Big size contrast. Editorial whitespace. |
| 27 | - **Motion:** easeOutExpo `cubic-bezier(0.16,1,0.3,1)` dialect everywhere; Lenis smooth scroll; |
| 28 | low-amplitude restraint; silk, never janky. |
| 29 | - **Soul:** the living organism (data-as-creature, health=anatomy). Tension between cold brutalist |
| 30 | geometry and a warm living form IS the signature. Awwwards calibre, not template calibre. |
| 31 | - **Mobile:** must stay ON-BRAND - brutalist editorial that reflows, NOT a generic mobile card stack. |
| 32 | Bold type, near-black, teal accent, real motion - just thumb-reachable and single-column/tabbed. |
| 33 | |
| 34 | ## DESIGN GATE (before any UI task is "done") |
| 35 | 1. Put a screenshot next to the reference images. If it reads as "generic AI SaaS / dashboard," REDO. |
| 36 | 2. Is the type bold/brutalist and oversized, or timid/default? Must be the former. |
| 37 | 3. Is the canvas deep near-black with ONE restrained teal accent, or a busy/light/gradient mess? |
| 38 | 4. Does it feel alive (organism, motion) or static/corporate? |
| 39 | 5. Mobile: on-brand and usable, or a degraded generic stack? |
| 40 | |
| 41 | If unsure, it's too generic - push it bolder, toward the references. |