Theme

v3 · Specimen 2026 · the plane and the object

Components, as objects.

The plane is a physical surface — a workshop table, lit from upper-left. Components are products placed on it: pressed keys, paper sheets, cut slots, ceramic chips. Shadow is the visual language of state. Hover lifts. Press settles. Inputs are recessed. Modals float. Nothing decorates; everything indicates a physical relationship.

EXAM-103 Examination Room Approved · 168 NSF
Linked to Revit
CATH-201 Cath Procedure In review · 650 NSF
01Card · sheet
02Button · key
03Tag · chip
04Input · slot
A

The Plane

light · shadow · elevation

The plane is warm white, lit by a single upper-left key light — the studio light of a Braun product catalog. Every shadow on this page comes from that one direction. Elevation is the visual hierarchy: an object's prominence is its height above the surface, not its color.

Elevation system
e0 · flush
e1 · resting
e2 · lifted
e3 · floating
Table rows, prose. On the plane. Cards, tags, buttons. Default state. Hovered button. Open dropdown. Modals, toasts. Truly above.
Cut · recessed
inset · cut into the plane
plane-2 · second surface

Inputs, checkboxes, and the tab-strip background are recessed — they are slots in the plane, not objects on it. The plane is intact around them.

B

Surface & Ink

warm white · graphite · one accent
Plane
--planesurface
--plane-2panel
--plane-3rail
Ink
--inkgraphite
--ink-2secondary
--ink-3muted
Accent — Rams burnt sienna
--accentindicator
--accent-washselection
--accent-linefocus ring

One accent only — the burnt indicator light on a Braun radio. Status colors are matte ceramic, not pure CMYK: a green-leaning sage for positive, an amber-ochre for warning, a brick red for negative.

Status — matte ceramic
positiveapproved
warningreview
negativeblocked
C

Type as Label

Inter · sentence case · product nomenclature

Type is the labeling on an object. Sentence case (after Helvetica-set Braun catalogs), not lowercase (v2) and not Bayer dogma. Display sizes are confident but never poster-loud. Mono is reserved for product nomenclature — EXAM-103, CATH-201 — the way a Braun T3 carries its number on its face.

Display The room is the unit. 56 / 600
Title Department · Cardiology 40 / 600
Heading Examination Room — Standard 26 / 600
Subheading Equipment requirements 18 / 500
Body A room can hold finishes, utilities, equipment, attributes, and the notes that accumulate as the project takes shape. 15 / 400
Product no. EXAM-103   168 NSF   QTY 12 JetBrains Mono
Eyebrow Cardiology · Cath Lab Suite 11 / 500 · caps
D

Objects

primitives, photographed on the plane
Button · the key

Hover lifts the key off the plane (e1 → e2). Press settles it back. This is the only diegetic hover-lift in the system — the object is literally being picked up.

Input · the slot

Inputs are not objects — they are cut into the plane. The inset shadow makes the recess physical. The plane is intact above and below.

Tag · chip · key
Default Linked Approved In review Blocked K

Tags are ceramic chips (rounded fully, slightly elevated). Status dots are LEDs. Kbd is a key with a bottom-edge highlight — the physical detail of a pressed key.

Tabs · pressed key array

The strip is recessed; the active key is raised out of it. A physical toggle switch.

E

Composition

arranging objects on the bench
Programming table · the printed page
Room Code NSF Qty Status
Examination Room — Standard EXAM-103 168 12 Approved
Cardiac Cath Procedure Room CATH-201 650 2 In review
Echocardiography Room ECHO-205 220 4 Blocked
Patient Consultation Room CONS-104 120 6 Draft

The table itself has no shadow — it is print directly on the plane. Hover briefly washes the row with plane-2 to acknowledge the cursor.

Room cards · sheets arranged on the bench
E03
Examination Room — Standard Ambulatory Care· VARF: EXAM-STD· Approved
168 NSF
C12
Cardiac Cath Procedure Room Cardiology· VARF: CATH-PRC· In review
650 NSF

Hover any card. It lifts a millimeter — the architect is picking it up to look closer. The accent code-badge marks the card currently in focus.

List + detail · the open binder

No card selected

Pick a room from the rail to bring it forward.

The shell itself is an object — a lifted binder containing pages. The rail is the spine; the main panel is the open page. The whole sits at e2.

F

Before · After

a single control
Current

Gradient, emoji, decorative hover-lift, soft radius. Six visual decisions, none about state.

Proposed

Resting at e1. On hover it lifts (e2). On press it settles (inset). The lift is diegetic — the key is being pressed.