studio visual language (designs a vs b).

# SUB-005 — Studio visual language

Story

Studio (Site B / M5) needs a visual identity distinct from Cosmo Design System. Ishai produced two design handoffs in Claude Design — design_handoff_sett_ux_docs/ (A) and design_handoff_sett_ux_docs_B/ (B). Both share the same tokens.css and chrome JSX but differ on locked-in defaults. After implementing A and reviewing, Ishai chose B.

Decisions made

• 2026-05-06. Adopt Variant B as Studio's locked visual direction.
• 2026-05-06. Background: warm dark (#0e0d0c).
• 2026-05-06. Accent: amber #f0a24b (B), not chartreuse #d6e84a (A).
• 2026-05-06. Typography: Bricolage Grotesque single-family for display + body (B), not Instrument Serif + Inter Tight (A). Italic auto-suppressed.
• 2026-05-06. Corners: square (zero radius) locked everywhere (B), not subtle 2px (A). Avatars stay circular as deliberate exception.
• 2026-05-06. Layout: sidebar 280px left rail (B), not topbar (A). Two-tier nav: WORKSPACE primary + contextual sub-nav per active section.
• 2026-05-06. Studio uses its own visual identity — does NOT import Cosmo DS tokens. CLAUDE.md "Cosmo visuals always use Cosmo DS" rule does not apply (Studio is a separate product surface).

Open threads

• Sidebar contextual sub-nav: what subgroups appear when on /log? (currently empty)
• Bricolage weight tuning per element — display headlines use 600, body 400; review readability after a day of use
• Hero size clamp(56px, 8vw, 96px) may feel too big in 280px-sidebar narrow main; review on real screen
• Should Studio support a light theme toggle (paper / cream / bone themes already in tokens.css)? Or lock dark only?
• Sett logo SVG renders via brightness(0) invert(1) filter — fine for dark theme, breaks if light theme added

Raw refs

• design_handoff_sett_ux_docs/ — Variant A (chartreuse + Instrument Serif + topbar) — discarded
• design_handoff_sett_ux_docs_B/ — Variant B — adopted
• sites/studio/src/styles/tokens.css — synced from B
• sites/studio/src/layouts/Studio.astro — sidebar layout
• sites/studio/src/styles/global.css — Bricolage weight overrides

Last activity

2026-05-06 19:25 — B styling shipped. Open threads pending eyeball review.