Public vault · every note in the open

Steal this vault

201 entries, 447 steal-notes — 281 by hand, 166 model drafts. 201 results have public source URLs. Source and classification review are recorded separately on each reference.

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73–96 of 201 references

HTML Energy

Brutalist / Indie · full website · via Httpster

Source: pending · Classification: pending

Steal · copywritingNotes by Will
'HTML is a material' — reframing markup as craft medium. Manifesto tone with zero jargon.
Steal · component patternNotes by Will
Bare <ul> of member sites, no cards, no thumbnails — the list as an aesthetic object.

Fonts: system-ui, monospace

private-reference-only

View original ↗

Source & usage rights

Original: Creator not recorded. Source verification: pending review.

Recorded rights label: private-reference-only. Original work and reproduction rights belong to their owners. A note license does not grant rights to copy a screenshot, trademark or design.

Trova notes: apply the principles in your own work, including commercial projects. Bulk republication or resale is not permitted. Usage terms.

Captured: 2026-07-21. Capture does not establish source verification.

David Carson: Ray Gun Magazine #18

Deconstructivist / Broken-Grid Radical · editorial · via Wikipedia (issue list)

Source: pending · Classification: pending

Steal · typographyNotes by Will
Extreme negative letter-spacing on headline display type (letter-spacing: -0.08em) with glyphs deliberately colliding and overlapping via mix-blend-mode: difference.
Steal · grid/layoutNotes by Will
Intentional baseline fracture: individual column paragraphs offset vertically by random 12px-36px increments, shattering the expected reading line.
Steal · texture/materialNotes by Will
High-contrast photocopier threshold filter (contrast(220%) grayscale(100%)) applied to imagery, creating grainy 1-bit punk zine textures.

Fonts: Franklin Gothic Heavy, Xerox Sans, Courier NewOriginal: David Carson (art director); Marvin Scott Jarrett (publisher)

private-reference-only

View original ↗

Source & usage rights

Original: David Carson (art director); Marvin Scott Jarrett (publisher). Work date: August 1994. Primary metadata checked 2026-10-01. Issue list dates No. 18 to August 1994, inside Carson's art direction; no museum record found. Stored image is an illustration, not a capture. Capture correspondence and reproduction rights remain unverified.

Recorded rights label: private-reference-only. Original work and reproduction rights belong to their owners. A note license does not grant rights to copy a screenshot, trademark or design.

Trova notes: apply the principles in your own work, including commercial projects. Bulk republication or resale is not permitted. Usage terms.

Captured: 2026-07-20. Capture does not establish source verification.

Braun Audio LE Series

Tactile Industrial / Braun · product UI flow · via Minimal Gallery

Source: pending · Classification: pending

Steal · typographyNotes by Will
Heavy lowercase headers with tight negative tracking, echoing Dieter Rams' 1960s typographic standard.
Steal · grid/layoutNotes by Will
Strict 3-column asymmetric layout where the product rests on an invisible baseline shelf.

Fonts: Akzidenz Grotesk, Arial

private-reference-only

View original ↗

Source & usage rights

Original: Creator not recorded. Source verification: pending review.

Recorded rights label: private-reference-only. Original work and reproduction rights belong to their owners. A note license does not grant rights to copy a screenshot, trademark or design.

Trova notes: apply the principles in your own work, including commercial projects. Bulk republication or resale is not permitted. Usage terms.

Captured: 2026-07-20. Capture does not establish source verification.

Are.na

Brutalist / Indie · product UI flow · via Are.na

Source: pending · Classification: pending

Steal · component patternNotes by Will
Blocks and channels: one primitive, one container, infinitely composable. UI disappears behind the content it holds.
Steal · grid/layoutNotes by Will
Uniform square-ish blocks in a strict grid make wildly heterogeneous content look calm — the grid does the curation.

Fonts: Arial, Courier

private-reference-only

View original ↗

Source & usage rights

Original: Creator not recorded. Source verification: pending review.

Recorded rights label: private-reference-only. Original work and reproduction rights belong to their owners. A note license does not grant rights to copy a screenshot, trademark or design.

Trova notes: apply the principles in your own work, including commercial projects. Bulk republication or resale is not permitted. Usage terms.

Captured: 2026-07-20. Capture does not establish source verification.

Neville Brody: The Face Magazine #59

Deconstructivist / Broken-Grid Radical · editorial · via V&A, National Art Library

Source: pending · Classification: pending

Steal · component patternNotes by Will
Construct custom typographic dingbats from sliced geometrical shapes, replacing traditional bullet points with radical angular arrows and sheared bars.
Steal · grid/layoutNotes by Will
Run display headers completely off the right viewport edge (overflow: visible; width: 140vw), forcing the reader to comprehend words as environmental architecture.

Fonts: Industria, Brody Gothic, ImpactOriginal: Neville Brody (art director, 1981–86)

private-reference-only

View original ↗

Source & usage rights

Original: Neville Brody (art director, 1981–86). Work date: March 1985. Primary metadata checked 2026-10-01. V&A record for The Face No. 59, March 1985, issued during Brody's art direction. Stored image is an illustration, not a capture. Capture correspondence and reproduction rights remain unverified.

Recorded rights label: private-reference-only. Original work and reproduction rights belong to their owners. A note license does not grant rights to copy a screenshot, trademark or design.

Trova notes: apply the principles in your own work, including commercial projects. Bulk republication or resale is not permitted. Usage terms.

Captured: 2026-07-19. Capture does not establish source verification.

Analogue Pocket OS

Tactile Industrial / Braun · full website · via SiteInspire

Source: pending · Classification: pending

Steal · grid/layoutNotes by Will
2px inset border lines simulating physical injection-molded plastic seams between navigation groups.
Steal · texture/materialNotes by Will
High-contrast OLED black theme where inactive controls drop to 12% opacity.

Fonts: Space Mono, Inter

private-reference-only

View original ↗

Source & usage rights

Original: Creator not recorded. Source verification: pending review.

Recorded rights label: private-reference-only. Original work and reproduction rights belong to their owners. A note license does not grant rights to copy a screenshot, trademark or design.

Trova notes: apply the principles in your own work, including commercial projects. Bulk republication or resale is not permitted. Usage terms.

Captured: 2026-07-19. Capture does not establish source verification.

GT America specimen

Swiss / International · type specimen · via Grilli Type

Source: pending · Classification: pending

Steal · typographyNotes by Will
Specimen shows the same sentence across 6 widths × 7 weights in a matrix — the family as a system, not a menu.
Steal · grid/layoutNotes by Will
Baseline-locked two-column layout where every image top-aligns to a text cap-height. Invisible rigor you feel, not see.

Fonts: GT America

private-reference-only

View original ↗

Source & usage rights

Original: Creator not recorded. Source verification: pending review.

Recorded rights label: private-reference-only. Original work and reproduction rights belong to their owners. A note license does not grant rights to copy a screenshot, trademark or design.

Trova notes: apply the principles in your own work, including commercial projects. Bulk republication or resale is not permitted. Usage terms.

Captured: 2026-07-19. Capture does not establish source verification.

Tomato UK / Underworld: Second Toughest in the Infants

Deconstructivist / Broken-Grid Radical · packaging · via Discogs (release credits)

Source: pending · Classification: pending

Steal · motion/interactionNotes by Will
Rapid staccato text-shuffling micro-animations on hover, where characters cycle through random ASCII symbols for 120ms before locking into place.
Steal · texture/materialNotes by Will
Overprinted semi-transparent text layers (opacity: 0.65; mix-blend-mode: multiply) generating ghosted typographic trails as the user scrolls.

Fonts: Univers 59 Ultra Condensed, MonacoOriginal: Tomato (artwork); Underworld (artist)

private-reference-only

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Source & usage rights

Original: Tomato (artwork); Underworld (artist). Work date: 11 March 1996. Primary metadata checked 2026-10-01. UK CD, Junior Boy's Own jbocd4, credits Artwork: Tomato; no museum record found. Stored image is an illustration, not a capture. Capture correspondence and reproduction rights remain unverified.

Recorded rights label: private-reference-only. Original work and reproduction rights belong to their owners. A note license does not grant rights to copy a screenshot, trademark or design.

Trova notes: apply the principles in your own work, including commercial projects. Bulk republication or resale is not permitted. Usage terms.

Captured: 2026-07-18. Capture does not establish source verification.

Swiss Typefaces

Swiss / International · full website · via Typewolf

Source: pending · Classification: pending

Steal · motion/interactionNotes by Will
Hover on a typeface name swaps the entire viewport background to that face's specimen — navigation IS the demo.
Steal · colorNotes by Will
Pure #000 on pure #FFF with a single fire-red. No grays anywhere; the absence of mid-tones is the brand.

Fonts: SangBleu, Euclid Flex

private-reference-only

View original ↗

Source & usage rights

Original: Creator not recorded. Source verification: pending review.

Recorded rights label: private-reference-only. Original work and reproduction rights belong to their owners. A note license does not grant rights to copy a screenshot, trademark or design.

Trova notes: apply the principles in your own work, including commercial projects. Bulk republication or resale is not permitted. Usage terms.

Captured: 2026-07-18. Capture does not establish source verification.

NeXTSTEP Interface Guidelines

Warm Retro-OS / Workstation · editorial · via bitsavers.org (mirror)

Source: pending · Classification: pending

Steal · component patternNotes by Will
Subtle 2-pixel inner shadow bevel on form inputs giving tactile depth without modern drop-shadow blur.
Steal · typographyNotes by Will
Proportional system serif used for body copy flanked by monospace system status metrics in the margin.

Fonts: Helvetica, CourierOriginal: NeXT Computer, Inc.

private-reference-only

View original ↗

Source & usage rights

Original: NeXT Computer, Inc.. Work date: November 1993. Primary metadata checked 2026-10-01. Full scan of the NeXTSTEP User Interface Guidelines, Release 3. Stored image is an illustration, not a capture. Capture correspondence and reproduction rights remain unverified.

Recorded rights label: private-reference-only. Original work and reproduction rights belong to their owners. A note license does not grant rights to copy a screenshot, trademark or design.

Trova notes: apply the principles in your own work, including commercial projects. Bulk republication or resale is not permitted. Usage terms.

Captured: 2026-07-17. Capture does not establish source verification.

Museum für Gestaltung poster archive

Swiss / International · poster · via It's Nice That

Source: pending · Classification: pending

Steal · grid/layoutNotes by Will
Müller-Brockmann concert posters: type set on a strict grid, then ONE element breaks it diagonally. The violation only works because the grid is absolute.

Fonts: Akzidenz-Grotesk

private-reference-only

View original ↗

Source & usage rights

Original: Creator not recorded. Source verification: pending review.

Recorded rights label: private-reference-only. Original work and reproduction rights belong to their owners. A note license does not grant rights to copy a screenshot, trademark or design.

Trova notes: apply the principles in your own work, including commercial projects. Bulk republication or resale is not permitted. Usage terms.

Captured: 2026-07-17. Capture does not establish source verification.

Teenage Engineering

Print-Tech Paper · full website · via Godly

Source: pending · Classification: pending

Steal · texture/materialNotes by Will
Product pages formatted like a parts catalog: SKU numbers, exploded diagrams, torque specs. The datasheet as brand voice.
Steal · component patternNotes by Will
Accessory list rendered as an order form with checkboxes — commerce disguised as engineering paperwork.

Fonts: Univers, TE mono

private-reference-only

View original ↗

Source & usage rights

Original: Creator not recorded. Source verification: pending review.

Recorded rights label: private-reference-only. Original work and reproduction rights belong to their owners. A note license does not grant rights to copy a screenshot, trademark or design.

Trova notes: apply the principles in your own work, including commercial projects. Bulk republication or resale is not permitted. Usage terms.

Captured: 2026-07-16. Capture does not establish source verification.

Berkeley Graphics — Berkeley Mono

Print-Tech Paper · type specimen · via Fonts In Use

Source: pending · Classification: pending

Steal · typographyNotes by Will
License tiers named like defense contracts ('Developer', 'Enterprise', 'Air-gapped') set in the mono itself — the font sells the font.
Steal · texture/materialNotes by Will
Form number and revision code in every page footer (BG-101 REV C). Fictional bureaucracy as world-building.

Fonts: Berkeley Mono

private-reference-only

View original ↗

Source & usage rights

Original: Creator not recorded. Source verification: pending review.

Recorded rights label: private-reference-only. Original work and reproduction rights belong to their owners. A note license does not grant rights to copy a screenshot, trademark or design.

Trova notes: apply the principles in your own work, including commercial projects. Bulk republication or resale is not permitted. Usage terms.

Captured: 2026-07-15. Capture does not establish source verification.

Standards Manual — NASA reissue

Print-Tech Paper · editorial · via Behance

Source: pending · Classification: pending

Steal · grid/layoutNotes by Will
1975 NASA manual pages: every spread is a spec sheet — logo clearspace shown WITH the measurement callouts. Annotations as decoration.

Fonts: Helvetica, Letter Gothic

private-reference-only

View original ↗

Source & usage rights

Original: Creator not recorded. Source verification: pending review.

Recorded rights label: private-reference-only. Original work and reproduction rights belong to their owners. A note license does not grant rights to copy a screenshot, trademark or design.

Trova notes: apply the principles in your own work, including commercial projects. Bulk republication or resale is not permitted. Usage terms.

Captured: 2026-07-14. Capture does not establish source verification.

The Paris Review

Editorial · editorial · via SiteInspire

Source: pending · Classification: pending

Steal · typographyNotes by Will
Tiempos at 20px/1.7 with a 65ch measure — reading comfort as the entire design thesis.
Steal · component patternNotes by Will
Interview headers set as playbill credits (INTERVIEWED BY…, ISSUE NO…) — structure borrowed from print tradition.

Fonts: Tiempos Text, Founders Grotesk

private-reference-only

View original ↗

Source & usage rights

Original: Creator not recorded. Source verification: pending review.

Recorded rights label: private-reference-only. Original work and reproduction rights belong to their owners. A note license does not grant rights to copy a screenshot, trademark or design.

Trova notes: apply the principles in your own work, including commercial projects. Bulk republication or resale is not permitted. Usage terms.

Captured: 2026-07-13. Capture does not establish source verification.

Pentagram — case studies

Editorial · full website · via It's Nice That

Source: pending · Classification: pending

Steal · grid/layoutNotes by Will
12-col grid broken by a full-bleed image every third section — rhythm of restraint, release, restraint.
Steal · copywritingNotes by Will
Case studies open with the problem in one sentence before any image. Editorial discipline applied to portfolio.

Fonts: Neue Haas Grotesk, Tiempos Headline

private-reference-only

View original ↗

Source & usage rights

Original: Creator not recorded. Source verification: pending review.

Recorded rights label: private-reference-only. Original work and reproduction rights belong to their owners. A note license does not grant rights to copy a screenshot, trademark or design.

Trova notes: apply the principles in your own work, including commercial projects. Bulk republication or resale is not permitted. Usage terms.

Captured: 2026-07-12. Capture does not establish source verification.

Obys — Zine

Editorial · full website · via Obys

Source: pending · Classification: pending

Steal · motion/interactionNotes by Will
Text blocks assemble letter-by-letter on scroll like typesetting in progress — motion that references the medium's history.
Steal · typographyNotes by Will
Serif italic display crashed into grotesque body at 4:1 scale ratio. The clash IS the hierarchy.

Fonts: Object Sans, Fragment Serif

private-reference-only

View original ↗

Source & usage rights

Original: Creator not recorded. Source verification: pending review.

Recorded rights label: private-reference-only. Original work and reproduction rights belong to their owners. A note license does not grant rights to copy a screenshot, trademark or design.

Trova notes: apply the principles in your own work, including commercial projects. Bulk republication or resale is not permitted. Usage terms.

Captured: 2026-07-11. Capture does not establish source verification.

Chromaflow Audio Synthesizer

Neo-Acid / Cyber-Organic · product UI flow · via Godly

Source: pending · Classification: pending

Steal · component patternNotes by Will
Iridescent border hairlines that cycle through spectrum colors only while audio is playing.
Steal · grid/layoutNotes by Will
Organic asymmetrical floating panels docked to a fluid liquid-metal center spine.

Fonts: Neue World, Suisse Int'l Mono

private-reference-only

View original ↗

Source & usage rights

Original: Creator not recorded. Source verification: pending review.

Recorded rights label: private-reference-only. Original work and reproduction rights belong to their owners. A note license does not grant rights to copy a screenshot, trademark or design.

Trova notes: apply the principles in your own work, including commercial projects. Bulk republication or resale is not permitted. Usage terms.

Captured: 2026-07-10. Capture does not establish source verification.

Linear

Dark Premium · landing page · via Godly

Source: pending · Classification: pending

Steal · colorNotes by Will
Purple accent appears ONLY in glows and gradients, never as flat fill — light, not paint.
Steal · motion/interactionNotes by Will
Feature cards tilt ≤2° on hover with a 400ms ease — motion you sense rather than watch.
Steal · grid/layoutNotes by Will
Hairline borders at 8% white opacity define all structure; no shadows anywhere in dark mode.

Fonts: Inter Display, Berkeley Mono

private-reference-only

View original ↗

Source & usage rights

Original: Creator not recorded. Source verification: pending review.

Recorded rights label: private-reference-only. Original work and reproduction rights belong to their owners. A note license does not grant rights to copy a screenshot, trademark or design.

Trova notes: apply the principles in your own work, including commercial projects. Bulk republication or resale is not permitted. Usage terms.

Captured: 2026-07-10. Capture does not establish source verification.

Herbert Bayer: Universal Alphabet & 1926 Bauhaus Catalog

Bauhaus / Constructivism · poster · via V&A, National Art Library

Source: pending · Classification: pending

Steal · typographyNotes by Will
Drop uppercase completely: universal lowercase eliminates capital shift keys and sets a single democratic baseline for all communication.
Steal · grid/layoutNotes by Will
Anchor dynamic 45-degree diagonal typographic bands against rigid orthogonal horizontal rules to create asymmetric kinetic tension.
Steal · colorNotes by Will
Restrict color strictly to primary hues (cadmium red, cobalt blue, chrome yellow) placed as solid geometric anchors against warm raw paper.

Fonts: Universal Sans, Futura, Bayer GroteskOriginal: Herbert Bayer

private-reference-only

View original ↗

Source & usage rights

Original: Herbert Bayer. Work date: 1926?. Primary metadata checked 2026-10-01. V&A proof sheet for Bayer's Universal alphabet. Covers the alphabet, not the 1926 catalogue. Stored image is an illustration, not a capture. Capture correspondence and reproduction rights remain unverified.

Recorded rights label: private-reference-only. Original work and reproduction rights belong to their owners. A note license does not grant rights to copy a screenshot, trademark or design.

Trova notes: apply the principles in your own work, including commercial projects. Bulk republication or resale is not permitted. Usage terms.

Captured: 2026-07-09. Capture does not establish source verification.

Raycast

Dark Premium · landing page · via Dark Mode Design

Source: pending · Classification: pending

Steal · component patternNotes by Will
Pricing table where the free tier is visually equal to paid — confidence signaling that converts better than dark-patterning.
Steal · texture/materialNotes by Will
Subtle noise grain over every gradient stops the banding AND adds materiality at 2% opacity.

Fonts: Inter, JetBrains Mono

private-reference-only

View original ↗

Source & usage rights

Original: Creator not recorded. Source verification: pending review.

Recorded rights label: private-reference-only. Original work and reproduction rights belong to their owners. A note license does not grant rights to copy a screenshot, trademark or design.

Trova notes: apply the principles in your own work, including commercial projects. Bulk republication or resale is not permitted. Usage terms.

Captured: 2026-07-09. Capture does not establish source verification.

El Lissitzky: Proun & For The Voice

Bauhaus / Constructivism · editorial · via Typographic Posters

Source: pending · Classification: pending

Steal · component patternNotes by Will
Construct tabbed thumb-index navigational notches down the right edge of the viewport, translating mechanical book thumb-tabs into browser section jumps.
Steal · grid/layoutNotes by Will
Collide heavy solid rectangular planes with thin structural hairline compass vectors to establish deep two-dimensional space without drop shadows.

Fonts: Akzidenz-Grotesk, Rodchenko Bold

private-reference-only

View original ↗

Source & usage rights

Original: Creator not recorded. Source verification: pending review.

Recorded rights label: private-reference-only. Original work and reproduction rights belong to their owners. A note license does not grant rights to copy a screenshot, trademark or design.

Trova notes: apply the principles in your own work, including commercial projects. Bulk republication or resale is not permitted. Usage terms.

Captured: 2026-07-08. Capture does not establish source verification.

Endex

Dark Premium · landing page · via Awwwards

Source: pending · Classification: pending

Steal · typographyNotes by Will
Tiempos Headline / Söhne pairing: old-money serif for claims, neutral grotesque for evidence. Finance gravitas without cliché.
Steal · copywritingNotes by Will
Six words on the entire first viewport. Institutional confidence = information withheld.

Fonts: Tiempos Headline, Söhne

private-reference-only

View original ↗

Source & usage rights

Original: Creator not recorded. Source verification: pending review.

Recorded rights label: private-reference-only. Original work and reproduction rights belong to their owners. A note license does not grant rights to copy a screenshot, trademark or design.

Trova notes: apply the principles in your own work, including commercial projects. Bulk republication or resale is not permitted. Usage terms.

Captured: 2026-07-08. Capture does not establish source verification.

Jan Tschichold: Die Neue Typographie

Bauhaus / Constructivism · editorial · via San Diego State University

Source: pending · Classification: pending

Steal · typographyNotes by Will
Asymmetric balance over axial symmetry: flush-left ragged-right body text paired with stark size contrasts (72pt lead vs 9pt metadata) without intermediate stepping.
Steal · grid/layoutNotes by Will
Thick structural black bars (4px to 12px) used as active typographic elements that terminate measure and direct reading velocity.

Fonts: Tschichold DIN, Futura PTOriginal: Jan Tschichold

private-reference-only

View original ↗

Source & usage rights

Original: Jan Tschichold. Work date: 1928. Primary metadata checked 2026-10-01. SDSU record for the 1928 edition of Die neue Typographie. Stored image is an illustration, not a capture. Capture correspondence and reproduction rights remain unverified.

Recorded rights label: private-reference-only. Original work and reproduction rights belong to their owners. A note license does not grant rights to copy a screenshot, trademark or design.

Trova notes: apply the principles in your own work, including commercial projects. Bulk republication or resale is not permitted. Usage terms.

Captured: 2026-07-07. Capture does not establish source verification.

Read the editorial record

Provenance & takedown

Publicly sourced references link to an original; private or concept examples are labelled separately. All referenced work belongs to its creators. What this vault adds — and what it is for — is the commentary: the steal-notes are the content, not the pixels. Notes are written by hand unless their card says otherwise; a model draft is always labelled. Study use only.

Made something shown here and want it removed? Email hello@trova.design with the entry title or a link to this page — it comes down promptly, no questions asked.

Try it in your agent · no key

One command puts these notes inside Claude Code. Without a key the agent sees 5 families and gets 5 calls a day — enough to judge the taste before you rent it. The key opens every family and lifts the meter.

claude mcp add --transport http trova https://trova.design/api/mcp