Public vault · the index · compare
Compare families & landscape
Put any two of the 40 populated aesthetic families side by side to inspect their typefaces, open-source font stand-ins, measured WCAG contrast pairs, and move-by-move steal-notes — then synthesize a working DESIGN.md brief or CSS :root sheet, or benchmark how Trova compares to peer platforms.
Aesthetic Differential Workbench
Select two families to compare side by side
Curated Synthesis Presets
01 · Structural & Chromatic Anatomy
Are.na / Spatial Channel Pinboard vs. Dark Premium
Are.na / Spatial Channel Pinboard
Minimalist square blocks containing text snippets, URLs, and image uploads connected into collaborative visual thought channels.
Observed Typefaces (4)
- ABC Diatype1/2
- Inter1/2
- Newsreader1/2
- Times New Roman1/2
Free Loadable Stand-Ins
- ABC Diatype (licensed) → Inter
Captured Palette Chromatography
- #f2f2f5
light neutral - #0d0d0f
dark neutral - #1c1b19
dark neutral - #71717a
mid neutral - #78756f
mid neutral
Verified WCAG Readable Pairs
- Steal this.#0d0d0f on #f2f2f5 · 17.4:1
- Steal this.#1c1b19 on #f2f2f5 · 15.4:1
Anchor References
Dark Premium
Near-black fields, hairline gradients, one metallic or electric accent, understated serif. Whispers expensive; the restraint is the flex.
Observed Typefaces (10)
- Inter2/8
- Berkeley Mono1/8
- Domaine1/8
- GT Walsheim1/8
- Inter Display1/8
- Inter Variable1/8
Free Loadable Stand-Ins
- Berkeley Mono (licensed) → JetBrains Mono
- Söhne (licensed) → Inter
Captured Palette Chromatography
- #08090a
dark neutral - #f7f8f8
light neutral - #e5e5e5
light neutral - #201819
dark neutral - #26283b
dark neutral
Verified WCAG Readable Pairs
- Steal this.#08090a on #f7f8f8 · 18.7:1
- Steal this.#08090a on #e5e5e5 · 15.8:1
02 · Mechanism Comparison by Move Type
Move-by-move steal-note matrix
How Are.na / Spatial Channel Pinboard and Dark Premium solve the same 7 structural design dimensions differently. Every observation is cited to a specific captured specimen in the vault.
Are.na / Spatial Channel Pinboard
No recorded typography notes in this slice.
Dark Premium
Tiempos Headline / Söhne pairing: old-money serif for claims, neutral grotesque for evidence. Finance gravitas without cliché.
18-endex · Endex
The upper-left brand lockup uses serif type, while each book retains its own cover typography. Keep the interface restrained when the collection already contains many visual voices.
109-stripe-press-a-catalogue-composed-from-book-spines · Stripe Press — a catalogue composed from book spines · model draft
Are.na / Spatial Channel Pinboard
Masonry columns maintain a fixed 280px width with 24px gutters while image captions remain hidden at rest and appear in a 12px monospace footer rail only on card focus or hover.
160-cosmos-spatial-cluster-curated-element-stream · Cosmos — Spatial Cluster & Curated Element Stream
Two-column hanging-indent resume timeline: a 140px left date column (`2023 — Present`) aligned to the cap-height of the right-hand role description and collaborator chips.
161-read-cv-posts-quiet-archival-professional-graph · Read.cv / Posts — Quiet Archival Professional Graph
Dark Premium
Hairline borders at 8% white opacity define all structure; no shadows anywhere in dark mode.
16-linear · Linear
The captured catalogue centers a vertical stack of book spines on a dark field, with generous space around the stack. The physical objects become the organizing structure rather than sitting inside a conventional product-card grid.
109-stripe-press-a-catalogue-composed-from-book-spines · Stripe Press — a catalogue composed from book spines · model draft
Are.na / Spatial Channel Pinboard
No recorded color notes in this slice.
Dark Premium
Purple accent appears ONLY in glows and gradients, never as flat fill — light, not paint.
16-linear · Linear
Most of the visible color belongs to the book spines against the dark background. Let the objects supply variety while the surrounding interface stays quiet; this observation does not establish keyboard or motion behavior.
109-stripe-press-a-catalogue-composed-from-book-spines · Stripe Press — a catalogue composed from book spines · model draft
Are.na / Spatial Channel Pinboard
No recorded motion/interaction notes in this slice.
Dark Premium
Feature cards tilt ≤2° on hover with a 400ms ease — motion you sense rather than watch.
16-linear · Linear
Are.na / Spatial Channel Pinboard
Clicking 'Connect' on any artifact opens a lightweight inline cluster search rather than a modal, showing which other curators saved the same work.
160-cosmos-spatial-cluster-curated-element-stream · Cosmos — Spatial Cluster & Curated Element Stream
Collaborator tags render as 24px pill chips with tiny 16px avatars that preview the co-worker's role on hover, turning a static resume into a verifiable graph.
161-read-cv-posts-quiet-archival-professional-graph · Read.cv / Posts — Quiet Archival Professional Graph
Dark Premium
Pricing table where the free tier is visually equal to paid — confidence signaling that converts better than dark-patterning.
17-raycast · Raycast
There is no global monthly/yearly switch: a "Billed yearly" toggle appears only in the Basic and Business columns, while the same row reads "Free for everyone" under Free and "Annual billing only" under Enterprise. Steal the per-plan billing row, which places a toggle only where it changes a price and uses the slot to state terms everywhere else.
81-linear-pricing · Linear — pricing · model draft
Are.na / Spatial Channel Pinboard
No recorded texture/material notes in this slice.
Dark Premium
Subtle noise grain over every gradient stops the banding AND adds materiality at 2% opacity.
17-raycast · Raycast
The right half holds a single 3D cube of near-black facets in mixed finishes (matte, perforated, speckled), lit from above, with one pale light band sweeping diagonally across the lower third of the black ground. Steal one monochrome rendered object as the hero image, giving depth without adding a color.
78-resend-homepage-hero · Resend — homepage hero · model draft
Are.na / Spatial Channel Pinboard
No recorded copywriting notes in this slice.
Dark Premium
Six words on the entire first viewport. Institutional confidence = information withheld.
18-endex · Endex
03 · Executable Output · DESIGN.md, Agent Harness Rules & CSS Tokens
Synthesize a working system brief, `.cursorrules` / `CLAUDE.md`, or CSS tokens
Moodboards stall when it is time to open an editor. Export a cited DESIGN.md brief combining Are.na / Spatial Channel Pinboard (80% primary architecture) with Dark Premium (20% counterpoint), drop a ready-made .cursorrules / CLAUDE.md harness file into your repository, or copy Tailwind v4 @theme and CSS :root tokens mapped to open-source stand-in fonts.
Display: Inter · Body: Inter
Are.na / Spatial Channel Pinboard Architecture with Dark Premium Counterpoint
Masonry columns maintain a fixed 280px width with 24px gutters while image captions remain hidden at rest and appear in a 12px monospace footer rail only on card focus or hover.
20% Counterpoint Telemetry (JetBrains Mono)
- --surface-ground
- #f2f2f5
- --text-primary
- #0d0d0f
- --accent-primary
- #1c1b19
- --accent-counter
- #08090a
# DESIGN.md — Are.na / Spatial Channel Pinboard × Dark Premium Synthesis > **80% Primary Architecture:** Are.na / Spatial Channel Pinboard (`arena-channel-spatial`, 2 refs) > **20% Counterpoint / Accent:** Dark Premium (`dark-premium`, 8 refs) ## 1. Visual Direction & Thesis - **Primary Foundation (Are.na / Spatial Channel Pinboard):** Minimalist square blocks containing text snippets, URLs, and image uploads connected into collaborative visual thought channels. - **Secondary Counterpoint (Dark Premium):** Borrow selective tension from Dark Premium — Near-black fields, hairline gradients, one metallic or electric accent, understated serif. Whispers expensive; the restraint is the flex. ## 2. Typography & Loadable Stand-Ins - **Primary Display & Body (Are.na / Spatial Channel Pinboard):** ABC Diatype (1/2), Inter (1/2), Newsreader (1/2), Times New Roman (1/2) - **Counterpoint / Accent Face (Dark Premium):** Inter (2/8), Berkeley Mono (1/8), Domaine (1/8) - **Free Loadable Stand-Ins:** - ABC Diatype (licensed) → Inter - Berkeley Mono (licensed) → JetBrains Mono - Söhne (licensed) → Inter ## 3. Chromatic Polarity & Verified Contrast - **Primary Surface Pair (Are.na / Spatial Channel Pinboard):** `#0d0d0f` on `#f2f2f5` (17.4:1 WCAG contrast) - **Counterpoint Signal Color (Dark Premium):** `#08090a` (reserve for active state, focus ring, or single focal callout) ## 4. Structural Moves to Steal - **[Primary · grid/layout]** Masonry columns maintain a fixed 280px width with 24px gutters while image captions remain hidden at rest and appear in a 12px monospace footer rail only on card focus or hover. _(160-cosmos-spatial-cluster-curated-element-stream Cosmos — Spatial Cluster & Curated Element Stream)_ - **[Primary · component pattern]** Clicking 'Connect' on any artifact opens a lightweight inline cluster search rather than a modal, showing which other curators saved the same work. _(160-cosmos-spatial-cluster-curated-element-stream Cosmos — Spatial Cluster & Curated Element Stream)_ - **[Counterpoint · grid/layout]** Hairline borders at 8% white opacity define all structure; no shadows anywhere in dark mode. _(16-linear Linear)_ - **[Counterpoint · component pattern]** Pricing table where the free tier is visually equal to paid — confidence signaling that converts better than dark-patterning. _(17-raycast Raycast)_ - **[Counterpoint · color]** Purple accent appears ONLY in glows and gradients, never as flat fill — light, not paint. _(16-linear Linear)_ ## 5. Cited Reference Anchors - **Primary (Are.na / Spatial Channel Pinboard):** 160-cosmos-spatial-cluster-curated-element-stream Cosmos — Spatial Cluster & Curated Element Stream ★ canonical - **Primary (Are.na / Spatial Channel Pinboard):** 161-read-cv-posts-quiet-archival-professional-graph Read.cv / Posts — Quiet Archival Professional Graph - **Counterpoint (Dark Premium):** 16-linear Linear ★ canonical - **Counterpoint (Dark Premium):** 109-stripe-press-a-catalogue-composed-from-book-spines Stripe Press — a catalogue composed from book spines
Automate in CI & Your Repo · Full-Depth CLI + Headless Chromium Audit
Get a full-corpus key (27 families · 500 calls/day) →The browser workbench above synthesizes a starter preview from the top notes in each move. With a Trova access key, drop the complete 2-reference Are.na / Spatial Channel Pinboard Trovafileinto your repository and run a real headless Chromium DOM & WCAG contrast audit against your local dev server:
npx trova init --family arena-channel-spatial --token $TROVA_TOKEN npx trova audit http://localhost:3000 --family arena-channel-spatial
04 · Pre-Flight Verification · UI Code & Anti-Slop Auditor
Audit JSX / Tailwind / CSS against Are.na / Spatial Channel Pinboard
Paste any React, HTML, Tailwind, or CSS component snippet below (or load a sample) to verify its geometry, chromatic tokens, type scale, tabular numerals, and hit targets against Are.na / Spatial Channel Pinboard. Copy the generated refactor prompt at the bottom to hand directly to Claude Code or Cursor.
Diagnostic Findings (6)
- ✗ Violation · Structural GeometryRef #160 ↗
Detected oversized border-radius (`rounded-xl`/`2xl`/`3xl` or >=12px radius) that softens structural grid cells into generic SaaS bubbles.
→ Replace rounded card wrappers with `rounded-none` (`0px`) and exposed `1px solid` hairline borders aligned to Are.na / Spatial Channel Pinboard.
- ✗ Violation · Surface ElevationRef #160 ↗
Detected heavy drop-shadow (`shadow-lg`/`xl`/`2xl` or blurred `box-shadow`) simulating floating cards instead of tonal surface steps.
→ Remove drop shadows (`shadow-none`) and separate elevation through `--surface-ground` vs. `--surface-elevated` plus `1px` borders.
- ✗ Violation · Chromatic PolarityRef #160 ↗
Detected generic AI-slop indigo/purple/pink gradient classes unrelated to the family's captured chromatography.
→ Strip synthetic gradients and bind surfaces to Are.na / Spatial Channel Pinboard verified tokens (`#0d0d0f` on `#f2f2f5` (17.4:1)).
- ✗ Violation · Typographic HierarchyRef #160 ↗
Detected sub-13px micro-copy (`text-xs` or `10px–12px`), which degrades legibility and breaks archival hierarchy.
→ Raise small metadata to `text-[0.8125rem]` (13px) and differentiate with `font-mono uppercase tracking-[0.12em]`.
- △ Warning · Numeric DisciplineRef #160 ↗
Detected numeric figures, prices, or metrics without `tabular-nums` (`font-variant-numeric: tabular-nums`).
→ Add `tabular-nums` (or `.tnum`) so numerals align vertically across rows and live updates.
- △ Warning · Interactive ErgonomicsRef #160 ↗
Interactive element (`<button>`, `<a>`, `<select>`) lacks an explicit >=44px (`min-h-11`) touch/click target.
→ Add `min-h-11 inline-flex items-center` to interactive controls.
Ready-to-Paste Agent Refactor Prompt (Are.na / Spatial Channel Pinboard × Dark Premium)
Refactor the following UI component to strictly adhere to the Trova Are.na / Spatial Channel Pinboard × Dark Premium design system (Score: 0/100 · AI Slop Detected).
### Required Aesthetic Corrections
1. [Structural Geometry] Detected oversized border-radius (`rounded-xl`/`2xl`/`3xl` or >=12px radius) that softens structural grid cells into generic SaaS bubbles.
→ Fix: Replace rounded card wrappers with `rounded-none` (`0px`) and exposed `1px solid` hairline borders aligned to Are.na / Spatial Channel Pinboard. (Trova ref: 160-cosmos-spatial-cluster-curated-element-stream)
2. [Surface Elevation] Detected heavy drop-shadow (`shadow-lg`/`xl`/`2xl` or blurred `box-shadow`) simulating floating cards instead of tonal surface steps.
→ Fix: Remove drop shadows (`shadow-none`) and separate elevation through `--surface-ground` vs. `--surface-elevated` plus `1px` borders. (Trova ref: 160-cosmos-spatial-cluster-curated-element-stream)
3. [Chromatic Polarity] Detected generic AI-slop indigo/purple/pink gradient classes unrelated to the family's captured chromatography.
→ Fix: Strip synthetic gradients and bind surfaces to Are.na / Spatial Channel Pinboard verified tokens (`#0d0d0f` on `#f2f2f5` (17.4:1)). (Trova ref: 160-cosmos-spatial-cluster-curated-element-stream)
4. [Typographic Hierarchy] Detected sub-13px micro-copy (`text-xs` or `10px–12px`), which degrades legibility and breaks archival hierarchy.
→ Fix: Raise small metadata to `text-[0.8125rem]` (13px) and differentiate with `font-mono uppercase tracking-[0.12em]`. (Trova ref: 160-cosmos-spatial-cluster-curated-element-stream)
5. [Numeric Discipline] Detected numeric figures, prices, or metrics without `tabular-nums` (`font-variant-numeric: tabular-nums`).
→ Fix: Add `tabular-nums` (or `.tnum`) so numerals align vertically across rows and live updates. (Trova ref: 160-cosmos-spatial-cluster-curated-element-stream)
6. [Interactive Ergonomics] Interactive element (`<button>`, `<a>`, `<select>`) lacks an explicit >=44px (`min-h-11`) touch/click target.
→ Fix: Add `min-h-11 inline-flex items-center` to interactive controls. (Trova ref: 160-cosmos-spatial-cluster-curated-element-stream)
### Target CSS Custom Properties
/* Synthesized from Trova family: Are.na / Spatial Channel Pinboard (arena-channel-spatial) */
/* Evidence base: 2 curated reference(s) · Primary contrast 17.4:1 */
:root {
/* Surface & Polarity (Daylight-paper dominant) */
--surface-ground: #f2f2f5;
--surface-elevated: #71717a;
--text-primary: #0d0d0f;
--accent-primary: #1c1b19;
--border-hairline: color-mix(in srgb, #0d0d0f 16%, transparent);
/* Typography (Loadable open-source stack mapped from observed specimens) */
--font-display: "Inter", system-ui, sans-serif;
--font-body: "Inter", system-ui, sans-serif;
--font-mono: "IBM Plex Mono", ui-monospace, monospace;
/* Structural Geometry */
--radius-surface: 0px;
--measure-body: 62ch;
}
### Component Code to Refactor
```tsx
<div className="rounded-3xl shadow-2xl bg-gradient-to-br from-indigo-500 via-purple-500 to-pink-500 p-6">
<span className="text-[10px] uppercase text-white/70">Pro Plan</span>
<h3 className="text-2xl font-bold text-white">$49/mo</h3>
<p className="text-xs text-white/80">99.98% uptime across 12,450 nodes</p>
<button className="rounded-full bg-white px-3 py-1 text-xs text-indigo-600">
Upgrade Now
</button>
</div>
```05 · Category Benchmark · Design Reference Landscape
How Trova compares to other design reference platforms
Visual galleries (Godly, SiteInspire, Refero), product screen trees (Mobbin, Page Flows), typographic archives (Fonts In Use), and associative graphs (Are.na) each solve one slice of research. Trova is built around the missing link between seeing a reference and shipping an interface: named, testable steal-notes (447 notes across 201 references and 12 multi-step flows), verified open-source font stand-ins, measured WCAG contrast pairs, and a 6-tool MCP server for AI coding agents.
| Platform | Unit of Curation | Why-It-Works Notes | Multi-Step Flows | Type & Contrast Verification | Agent MCP & Plain-Text Export |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TrovaAnnotated Design Library & Agent MCP | Named steal-note (201 references, 447 concrete mechanism notes across 40 populated families in a 1,000-family taxonomy) | Mandatory: every reference carries 1–3 typed steal-notes (typography, grid/layout, color, motion, component pattern, texture, copywriting) | 12 step-ordered public product flows (Stripe, Linear, Raycast, Vercel, Cal.com, Plausible, Excalidraw, Squoosh, Stripe Press, iOS Dynamic Island, PostHog OS, SSENSE) | Observed typefaces + free Google Font stand-ins (`fontStandIns`) + live WCAG contrast pairs (`readablePalettePairs`) | Native 6-tool MCP server (`trova-mcp` stdio + `/api/mcp` HTTP) with surface-ranked briefsExport: `Trovafile.md`, per-family `DESIGN.md` sheets, dual-family synthesis briefs, `.cursorrules` / `CLAUDE.md`, Tailwind v4 `@theme`, and CSS `:root` tokens |
| MobbinMobile & Web Product Screen Archive | Authenticated mobile & web app screenshot trees | None — tags and screen categories without explanatory prose | Deep authenticated onboarding, checkout & settings trees | Visual inspection only; no extracted contrast pairs or font fallback mapping | None (Figma plugin & web search only)Export: None (image/Figma copy only) |
| Godly.websiteMotion-First Web Design Gallery | Short looping viewport video capture of marketing sites | None — visual browsing and tag pills only | Single marketing page scroll captures only | Lists font names and framework tags; no contrast or open-source stand-ins | NoneExport: None |
| SiteInspireEditorial Web Design Directory | Desktop landing page screenshot indexed by style/subject | None — taxonomy tags without mechanism notes | Single-screen index only | Subject/style tags only; no font or hex extraction | NoneExport: None |
| Refero.designWeb Page & UI Component Search | Full-page web screenshots and isolated UI section crops | None — visual search and bookmarking | Page collections by product, minimal step annotation | Color filter search; no computed WCAG readable pairs | NoneExport: None |
| Fonts In UseArchival Typographic Specimen Index | Print, identity, and web artifacts indexed by typeface family | Contributor commentary on historical & typographic context | Not applicable (static artifacts & specimens) | Gold-standard typeface identification; no web CSS tokens or color contrast pairs | NoneExport: None |
| Page FlowsRecorded User Flow Video Library | Screen-recorded walkthrough videos with step markers | Timestamped step labels without typographic/CSS analysis | High (video recordings of SaaS onboarding, upgrade, and churn flows) | None | NoneExport: None |
| Are.na / CosmosAssociative Cultural Research Graph | User-curated blocks connected across open-ended channels | Optional user block descriptions; unstructured | None | None | Public REST API (Are.na); no design-brief MCPExport: Channel JSON/Markdown export |
| Curated.designCraft-Focused Web Inspiration Catalog | Full-bleed landing page captures with category pills | None — visual bookmarking only | Single-page marketing captures only | Category tags only; no font or WCAG extraction | NoneExport: None |
| Lapa Ninja / Land-bookFull-Height SaaS Landing Page Directory | Full-height vertical desktop landing page screenshots | None | Single landing page only | Coarse color filter buckets only | NoneExport: None |