Cadence

# Cadence

## Philosophy

Cadence is a Swiss-grade information system for products that must stay legible under pressure. It pins every module to a numbered platform on one continuous rail and reserves a single signal ink for the one figure that matters — order you can read at a glance, like a departure board.

### Values

- position on the rail is hierarchy
- one rationed signal ink, never wallpaper
- flush-left typographic order over ornament
- tabular mono so figures line up like a schedule
- hairline rules and open space instead of boxes and shadows

### Anti-Values

- muddy beige paper washes
- an accent bar stamped on every section
- centred, symmetric, decorative composition
- rounded friendly cards and soft drop shadows
- tactile, skeuomorphic controls

### Visual Character

- a continuous numbered platform rail with a single travelling signal marker
- hairline graphite rules separating modules and rows with no decorative framing
- oversized flush-left neo-grotesk headlines with tight leading and generous negative space
- small uppercase mono labels tracked wide and aligned to a baseline grid
- a bright paper-and-graphite palette punctuated by one rationed vermilion signal

## Tokens

### Colors

| Name | Value |
|------|-------|
| bg | `#FAFAF7` |
| surface | `#FFFFFF` |
| surface_2 | `#F2F1EC` |
| text | `#14140F` |
| muted | `#6B6960` |
| border | `#1A1A14` |
| accent | `#E2231A` |
| on_accent | `#FFFFFF` |
| track | `#1F4E79` |
| amber | `#C77A0A` |
| success | `#1C7A3E` |
| warning | `#C77A0A` |
| error | `#C21807` |
| info | `#1F4E79` |

### Typography

- **Base Size**: 17px
- **Body Font**: IBM Plex Sans, Arial, sans-serif
- **Heading Font**: Archivo, Helvetica Neue, Arial, sans-serif
- **Mono Font**: IBM Plex Mono, ui-monospace, monospace
- **Heading Weight**: 800
- **Heading Transform**: none
- **Letter Spacing**: -0.03em
- **Line Height**: 1.5
- **Google Fonts Url**: https://fonts.googleapis.com/css2?family=Archivo:wght@600;700;800;900&family=IBM+Plex+Sans:wght@400;500;600;700&family=IBM+Plex+Mono:wght@400;500;600&display=swap

### Radii

- **None**: 0px
- **Sm**: 0px
- **Md**: 0px
- **Lg**: 0px
- **Full**: 9999px

### Shadows

- **Sm**: none
- **Md**: none
- **Lg**: none

### Spacing

- **Base**: 8px
- **Scale**: ["4px","8px","16px","24px","32px","48px","64px","96px"]

### Surfaces

- **Treatment**: flat paper
- **Card Style**: flat planes separated by hairline rules and open space; no elevation, no accent edges
- **Bg Pattern**: rail

### Borders

- **Default Width**: 1px
- **Style**: solid
- **Character**: hairline graphite rules used as structural dividers; the platform rail is a 2px vertical key line

### Motion

- **Duration**: 140ms
- **Easing**: cubic-bezier(0.2,0,0,1)
- **Philosophy**: snappy reveals that respect prefers-reduced-motion; the settled state renders with no JS

## Rules

### Composition

Dock every section to a numbered track on one continuous left platform rail. Separate modules with open space and hairline rules, never nested boxes. A single travelling signal marker rides the rail to mark the live moment.

### Hierarchy

Hierarchy comes from track position, scale jumps, weight, and the rationed signal ink. Headlines are oversized, flush-left, terse; labels are compact uppercase mono on a baseline grid.

### Density

High legibility at medium-high density: generous outer margins, tight headline leading, ordered tables. Whitespace is architectural, not padding inflation.

### Signature

A numbered platform rail with a single travelling vermilion now-marker; numerics fall into split-flap mono cells and the accent ink lands only on the held or live value.

## Layout

### Grid

A left platform rail (64-84px) plus flexible content columns. Wide content spans the main column; readouts and meters take shorter bands. Modules separate with hairline rules and open space.

### Whitespace

Structural and architectural: large outer margins, 48-96px between tracks, an 8px baseline rhythm inside content; negative space frames typography like a poster.

### Density

medium-high

### Responsive

Desktop keeps the full rail and multi-column readouts; at ~900px the rail narrows and readouts stack; at ~560px the rail collapses, the hero becomes a single column, tables drop non-essential columns, and the hero headline shrinks with clamp() so it never clips.

### Breakpoints

- **Wide**: 1440
- **Desktop**: 1024
- **Tablet**: 900
- **Mobile**: 560

## Guidance

### Do

- Dock every section to a numbered track and let position carry hierarchy.
- Spend the signal ink on one figure at a time — the held service, the live moment.
- Keep headlines flush-left and oversized; let the rag set the rhythm.
- Use tabular mono for times, codes, and loads so columns line up like a schedule.
- Separate modules with hairline rules and open space, not containers.

### Don't

- Do not stamp the accent on every section until it becomes wallpaper.
- Do not centre headlines or balance the page symmetrically.
- Do not add rounded cards, soft shadows, or gradient scrims.
- Do not give a card a single accent edge — the rail and rules carry structure.
- Do not let controls look tactile; they are engineered and flat.

### Accessibility

Graphite ink on bright paper holds AA+ contrast at every text size; status never relies on colour alone — a dot pairs with a mono label. Motion respects prefers-reduced-motion and the settled state renders with no JS.

## Imagery Direction

### Pairs With

offset-spot-print

### Summary

Flat-layered spot-ink screenprint imagery — two or three flat inks (paper, graphite, signal), soft halftone mid-tones, a hair of misregistration, and printer's registration crop marks. Sparse and diagrammatic; prefer live data, numbered tracks, and typographic rhythm over decorative pictures.

### Subjects

- departure halls and split-flap boards
- platforms and rail yards
- aerial city blocks
- single iconic objects
- three-quarter portraits

### Usage

One full-bleed screenprint hero with a calm bare-paper third reserved for the headline overlay; otherwise let data and type lead.

---
version: "alpha"
name: "Cadence"
description: "Agent-curated design language exported from Katagami as DESIGN.md."
colors:
  bg: "#FAFAF7"
  surface: "#FFFFFF"
  surface_2: "#F2F1EC"
  text: "#14140F"
  muted: "#6B6960"
  border: "#1A1A14"
  accent: "#E2231A"
  on_accent: "#FFFFFF"
  track: "#1F4E79"
  amber: "#C77A0A"
  success: "#1C7A3E"
  warning: "#C77A0A"
  error: "#C21807"
  info: "#1F4E79"
typography:
  headline-lg:
    fontFamily: "Archivo, Helvetica Neue, Arial, sans-serif"
    fontSize: "2.075rem"
    fontWeight: 700
    lineHeight: 1.1
    letterSpacing: "-0.03em"
  headline-md:
    fontFamily: "Archivo, Helvetica Neue, Arial, sans-serif"
    fontSize: "1.66rem"
    fontWeight: 600
    lineHeight: 1.15
    letterSpacing: "-0.03em"
  body-md:
    fontFamily: "IBM Plex Sans, Arial, sans-serif"
    fontSize: "17px"
    fontWeight: 400
    lineHeight: 1.5
    letterSpacing: "-0.03em"
  label-md:
    fontFamily: "IBM Plex Mono, ui-monospace, monospace"
    fontSize: "0.75rem"
    fontWeight: 600
    lineHeight: 1
    letterSpacing: "0.08em"
rounded:
  none: "0px"
  sm: "0px"
  md: "0px"
  lg: "0px"
  full: "9999px"
spacing:
  base: "8px"
  xs: "4px"
  sm: "8px"
  md: "16px"
  lg: "24px"
  xl: "32px"
  2xl: "48px"
  3xl: "64px"
  4xl: "96px"
components:
  color-reference-bg:
    backgroundColor: "{colors.bg}"
  color-reference-surface:
    backgroundColor: "{colors.surface}"
  color-reference-surface_2:
    backgroundColor: "{colors.surface_2}"
  color-reference-text:
    backgroundColor: "{colors.text}"
  color-reference-muted:
    backgroundColor: "{colors.muted}"
  color-reference-border:
    backgroundColor: "{colors.border}"
  color-reference-accent:
    backgroundColor: "{colors.accent}"
  color-reference-on_accent:
    backgroundColor: "{colors.on_accent}"
  color-reference-track:
    backgroundColor: "{colors.track}"
  color-reference-amber:
    backgroundColor: "{colors.amber}"
  color-reference-success:
    backgroundColor: "{colors.success}"
  color-reference-warning:
    backgroundColor: "{colors.warning}"
  color-reference-error:
    backgroundColor: "{colors.error}"
  color-reference-info:
    backgroundColor: "{colors.info}"
  button-primary:
    backgroundColor: "{colors.accent}"
    textColor: "#ffffff"
    typography: "{typography.label-md}"
    rounded: "{rounded.md}"
    padding: "{spacing.md}"
  card-surface:
    backgroundColor: "{colors.surface}"
    textColor: "{colors.text}"
    rounded: "{rounded.md}"
    padding: "{spacing.md}"
  input-default:
    backgroundColor: "{colors.surface}"
    textColor: "{colors.text}"
    rounded: "{rounded.md}"
    height: "44px"
---

# Cadence

## Overview

Cadence is a Swiss-grade information system for products that must stay legible under pressure. It pins every module to a numbered platform on one continuous rail and reserves a single signal ink for the one figure that matters — order you can read at a glance, like a departure board.

### Values

- position on the rail is hierarchy
- one rationed signal ink, never wallpaper
- flush-left typographic order over ornament
- tabular mono so figures line up like a schedule
- hairline rules and open space instead of boxes and shadows

### Anti-Values

- muddy beige paper washes
- an accent bar stamped on every section
- centred, symmetric, decorative composition
- rounded friendly cards and soft drop shadows
- tactile, skeuomorphic controls

### Visual Character

- a continuous numbered platform rail with a single travelling signal marker
- hairline graphite rules separating modules and rows with no decorative framing
- oversized flush-left neo-grotesk headlines with tight leading and generous negative space
- small uppercase mono labels tracked wide and aligned to a baseline grid
- a bright paper-and-graphite palette punctuated by one rationed vermilion signal

## Colors

Use the YAML color tokens as the normative palette. The prose below names the roles agents should preserve when generating UI.

| Token | Value |
|-------|-------|
| bg | `#FAFAF7` |
| surface | `#FFFFFF` |
| surface_2 | `#F2F1EC` |
| text | `#14140F` |
| muted | `#6B6960` |
| border | `#1A1A14` |
| accent | `#E2231A` |
| on_accent | `#FFFFFF` |
| track | `#1F4E79` |
| amber | `#C77A0A` |
| success | `#1C7A3E` |
| warning | `#C77A0A` |
| error | `#C21807` |
| info | `#1F4E79` |

## Typography

- **Headline-Lg**: Archivo, Helvetica Neue, Arial, sans-serif, 2.075rem, weight 700, line-height 1.1.
- **Headline-Md**: Archivo, Helvetica Neue, Arial, sans-serif, 1.66rem, weight 600, line-height 1.15.
- **Body-Md**: IBM Plex Sans, Arial, sans-serif, 17px, weight 400, line-height 1.5.
- **Label-Md**: IBM Plex Mono, ui-monospace, monospace, 0.75rem, weight 600, line-height 1.

## Layout

### Spacing Tokens

- **Base**: `8px`
- **Xs**: `4px`
- **Sm**: `8px`
- **Md**: `16px`
- **Lg**: `24px`
- **Xl**: `32px`
- **2xl**: `48px`
- **3xl**: `64px`
- **4xl**: `96px`

### Grid

A left platform rail (64-84px) plus flexible content columns. Wide content spans the main column; readouts and meters take shorter bands. Modules separate with hairline rules and open space.

### Whitespace

Structural and architectural: large outer margins, 48-96px between tracks, an 8px baseline rhythm inside content; negative space frames typography like a poster.

### Density

medium-high

### Responsive

Desktop keeps the full rail and multi-column readouts; at ~900px the rail narrows and readouts stack; at ~560px the rail collapses, the hero becomes a single column, tables drop non-essential columns, and the hero headline shrinks with clamp() so it never clips.

### Breakpoints

- **Wide**: 1440
- **Desktop**: 1024
- **Tablet**: 900
- **Mobile**: 560

## Elevation & Depth

### Shadows

- **Sm**: none
- **Md**: none
- **Lg**: none

## Shapes

### Rounded

- **None**: `0px`
- **Sm**: `0px`
- **Md**: `0px`
- **Lg**: `0px`
- **Full**: `9999px`

### Surfaces

- **Treatment**: flat paper
- **Card Style**: flat planes separated by hairline rules and open space; no elevation, no accent edges
- **Bg Pattern**: rail

### Borders

- **Default Width**: 1px
- **Style**: solid
- **Character**: hairline graphite rules used as structural dividers; the platform rail is a 2px vertical key line

## Components

### Composition

Dock every section to a numbered track on one continuous left platform rail. Separate modules with open space and hairline rules, never nested boxes. A single travelling signal marker rides the rail to mark the live moment.

### Hierarchy

Hierarchy comes from track position, scale jumps, weight, and the rationed signal ink. Headlines are oversized, flush-left, terse; labels are compact uppercase mono on a baseline grid.

### Density

High legibility at medium-high density: generous outer margins, tight headline leading, ordered tables. Whitespace is architectural, not padding inflation.

### Signature

A numbered platform rail with a single travelling vermilion now-marker; numerics fall into split-flap mono cells and the accent ink lands only on the held or live value.

## shadcn/ui Usage

When the target app uses shadcn/ui, copy DESIGN.md with shadcn instead of the plain DESIGN.md. It contains the same Katagami design-language source plus the shadcn/ui primitives, imports, theme variables, component recipes, and preview-shot guidance.

DESIGN.md with shadcn: `/language/en-019efd27-384d-7dc1-a053-cd1193c95856/DESIGN.with-shadcn.md`.

The shadcn page also exposes optional machine-readable files for automation, but the human-facing handoff is DESIGN.md with shadcn.

Install recommended primitives with `npx shadcn@latest add button card input textarea select dialog sheet tabs badge separator checkbox switch slider tooltip dropdown-menu table`.

Use these primitives in shadcn apps:
- button
- card
- input
- textarea
- select
- dialog
- sheet
- tabs
- badge
- separator
- checkbox
- switch
- slider
- tooltip
- dropdown-menu
- table

Implementation rule for agents: import shadcn primitives from `@/components/ui/*`, apply the generated CSS variables first, then compose the language-specific recipes from the companion MD. Katagami remains the source of truth; shadcn names are the implementation surface.

## Do's and Don'ts

- Do Dock every section to a numbered track and let position carry hierarchy.
- Do Spend the signal ink on one figure at a time — the held service, the live moment.
- Do Keep headlines flush-left and oversized; let the rag set the rhythm.
- Do Use tabular mono for times, codes, and loads so columns line up like a schedule.
- Do Separate modules with hairline rules and open space, not containers.
- Don't Do not stamp the accent on every section until it becomes wallpaper.
- Don't Do not centre headlines or balance the page symmetrically.
- Don't Do not add rounded cards, soft shadows, or gradient scrims.
- Don't Do not give a card a single accent edge — the rail and rules carry structure.
- Don't Do not let controls look tactile; they are engineered and flat.

### Accessibility

Graphite ink on bright paper holds AA+ contrast at every text size; status never relies on colour alone — a dot pairs with a mono label. Motion respects prefers-reduced-motion and the settled state renders with no JS.

## Imagery Direction

### Pairs With

offset-spot-print

### Summary

Flat-layered spot-ink screenprint imagery — two or three flat inks (paper, graphite, signal), soft halftone mid-tones, a hair of misregistration, and printer's registration crop marks. Sparse and diagrammatic; prefer live data, numbered tracks, and typographic rhythm over decorative pictures.

### Subjects

- departure halls and split-flap boards
- platforms and rail yards
- aerial city blocks
- single iconic objects
- three-quarter portraits

### Usage

One full-bleed screenprint hero with a calm bare-paper third reserved for the headline overlay; otherwise let data and type lead.

```json
{
  "$schema": "https://ui.shadcn.com/schema/registry-item.json",
  "name": "cadence",
  "type": "registry:theme",
  "title": "Cadence shadcn Theme",
  "cssVars": {
    "theme": {},
    "light": {
      "background": "#FAFAF7",
      "foreground": "#14140F",
      "card": "#FFFFFF",
      "card-foreground": "#14140F",
      "popover": "#FFFFFF",
      "popover-foreground": "#14140F",
      "primary": "#14140F",
      "primary-foreground": "#ffffff",
      "secondary": "#f4f4f5",
      "secondary-foreground": "#111111",
      "muted": "#6B6960",
      "muted-foreground": "#14140F",
      "accent": "#E2231A",
      "accent-foreground": "#ffffff",
      "destructive": "#C21807",
      "border": "#1A1A14",
      "input": "#1A1A14",
      "ring": "#E2231A",
      "chart-1": "#14140F",
      "chart-2": "#f4f4f5",
      "chart-3": "#E2231A",
      "chart-4": "#1C7A3E",
      "chart-5": "#C77A0A",
      "sidebar": "#FFFFFF",
      "sidebar-foreground": "#14140F",
      "sidebar-primary": "#14140F",
      "sidebar-primary-foreground": "#ffffff",
      "sidebar-accent": "#1F4E79",
      "sidebar-accent-foreground": "#ffffff",
      "sidebar-border": "#1A1A14",
      "sidebar-ring": "#E2231A",
      "radius": "0px"
    },
    "dark": {
      "background": "#0f1115",
      "foreground": "#f8fafc",
      "card": "#181b22",
      "card-foreground": "#f8fafc",
      "popover": "#181b22",
      "popover-foreground": "#f8fafc",
      "primary": "#14140F",
      "primary-foreground": "#ffffff",
      "secondary": "#252a33",
      "secondary-foreground": "#f8fafc",
      "muted": "#252a33",
      "muted-foreground": "#a1a1aa",
      "accent": "#E2231A",
      "accent-foreground": "#ffffff",
      "destructive": "#C21807",
      "border": "#303642",
      "input": "#303642",
      "ring": "#E2231A",
      "chart-1": "#14140F",
      "chart-2": "#f4f4f5",
      "chart-3": "#E2231A",
      "chart-4": "#1C7A3E",
      "chart-5": "#C77A0A",
      "sidebar": "#181b22",
      "sidebar-foreground": "#f8fafc",
      "sidebar-primary": "#14140F",
      "sidebar-primary-foreground": "#ffffff",
      "sidebar-accent": "#E2231A",
      "sidebar-accent-foreground": "#ffffff",
      "sidebar-border": "#303642",
      "sidebar-ring": "#E2231A",
      "radius": "0px"
    }
  },
  "meta": {
    "source": "katagami",
    "languageId": "en-019efd27-384d-7dc1-a053-cd1193c95856",
    "slug": "cadence",
    "componentManifest": [
      "button",
      "card",
      "input",
      "textarea",
      "select",
      "dialog",
      "sheet",
      "tabs",
      "badge",
      "separator",
      "checkbox",
      "switch",
      "slider",
      "tooltip",
      "dropdown-menu",
      "table"
    ],
    "installCommand": "npx shadcn@latest add button card input textarea select dialog sheet tabs badge separator checkbox switch slider tooltip dropdown-menu table",
    "nativeTokenNames": {
      "colors": [
        "accent",
        "amber",
        "bg",
        "border",
        "error",
        "info",
        "muted",
        "on_accent",
        "success",
        "surface",
        "surface_2",
        "text",
        "track",
        "warning"
      ],
      "typography": [
        "base_size",
        "body_font",
        "google_fonts_url",
        "heading_font",
        "heading_transform",
        "heading_weight",
        "letter_spacing",
        "line_height",
        "mono_font"
      ],
      "radii": [
        "full",
        "lg",
        "md",
        "none",
        "sm"
      ],
      "shadows": [
        "lg",
        "md",
        "sm"
      ],
      "spacing": [
        "base",
        "scale"
      ],
      "surfaces": [
        "bg_pattern",
        "card_style",
        "treatment"
      ],
      "borders": [
        "character",
        "default_width",
        "style"
      ],
      "motion": [
        "duration",
        "easing",
        "philosophy"
      ]
    }
  }
}
```