v6 · Specimen 2026 · the precision instrument
The dial, calibrated.
Where v4 was the workshop being operated, v6 is the instrument itself. The case is brushed metal — or matte black enamel. Every region is enclosed by a single hairline rule. Quantity and state are read as domino-pip patterns. Color appears only where it labels a function, set in small enamel inlays inside the metalwork. The mechanism vocabulary of v4 is intact; the register is jeweller, not shop.
Surface & Linework
brushed metal · hairlines · tickmarksThe case is brushed metal in light theme; matte black enamel in dark. The surface itself is nearly flat — almost no shadow. Structure comes from a single hairline weight that encloses every region. Critical hierarchy uses a 2px rule. Watch-style micro-tickmarks appear at the perimeter of dials and along faders to mark scale. Linear state can also be routed into the plane as enamel-filled channels.
Every region is enclosed in a hairline rectangle. The grid is a sheet of cells. Where meaning is needed, an .enamel inlay sits inside.
A .channel is a routed groove in the plane filled with enamel. Thin channels read brighter and more precise; wider channels are quieter, more material, like color sitting under a polished surface. Use them for progress, allocation, phase depth, and subtle comparative data.
The tickmark row is a ruler face. Major ticks at every quarter, minor ticks between, and a single accent tick marks the current value. Useful as a header above faders and inside .dial perimeters.
Three brushed-metal tones, each carrying a faint 0.5px stripe at 3% opacity — applied to body, not to individual surfaces, so the brush direction holds across the whole instrument.
Enamel Palette
six jewels · one role eachSix saturated jewel-tones, each reserved for exactly one role. Color is never decorative; it labels a function. Each enamel appears in small filled cells inside hairline metalwork — champlevé, applied to UI.
Squared, round, large, small, wide, and side-strip — the same enamel applied in different cell shapes. The strip form is used as a left-side row indicator in tables.
Pips · Domino Dots
quantity as patternA new primitive for v6. Six dot wells arranged 3×2, lit in classic die patterns. The pattern reads instantly at a glance — quantity, phase, severity, count. Lit dots are filled with enamel; unlit are hairline rings.
Six phases of a project, six dot patterns. 1 = center; 2 = opposite corners; 3 = diagonal; 4 = four corners; 5 = four corners + center; 6 = full pattern. The pattern of lit dots is the data.
Click any pip group to advance the lit-count by one (rolls 6 → 0 → 1). Notice how the eye reads the new pattern instantly, without counting.
Type as Marking
Inter · JetBrains Mono · 11 / 13 / 15 / 18 / 26 / 40Inter as the case lettering; JetBrains Mono as the engraved instrument-face marking. Three weights — 400, 500, 600 — used confidently but never bombastically. Eyebrow labels track at 0.10em; mono marks track at 0.14em for a Cartier-rail feel.
Mechanisms · refined
.toggle · .knob · .btn-deep · .segmented-deep · .slot-btn · .fader · .ledOff · hairline ring only. On · ring fills with enamel. No halo, no glow. The dot is a piece of inlay, not a light.
The track is a thin pill bordered with a hairline. A small knob rides above. On the throw, the knob slides and the inlay at the on-end fills with enamel. No spring overshoot — 160 milliseconds, then it's there.
Hairline tickmarks ring the perimeter every 30°. The notch is a small triangle; the hub is a cobalt enamel dot inside a hairline ring. Very Leica aperture. Click to advance one detent.
A non-interactive instrument display. Sixty hairline ticks ring the perimeter; twelve chapter marks give it a watch face; the enamel arc sits in a routed channel and a fine hand points to the same value. The center face carries a mono number — the read.
Off · hairline rectangle, empty. On · the cell fills with enamel and the text inverts. No depression. The state is in the inlay.
The container is a hairline-outlined row of cells, divided by hairline rules. Each cell carries an inlay dot — empty until active, then filled with enamel. No depression; just the inlay change.
A precision key — ET66, not mechanical typewriter. On press the key drops one pixel and gains a thin inset rule; on release it's back. 60 milliseconds. No bounce.
The track is a hairline rule. The fill is enamel. The thumb is a small puck with a hairline mark down its centre. Above the first fader, a .tickmark-row marks the detent scale.
Inherited Primitives
all of v3 · v4, in skala registerFocus turns the outline cobalt — the precision-instrument equivalent of a focus ring. No inset cut, no glow.
Tags are hairline-outlined pills. A small enamel cell inside indicates role. The matte .dot remains for tabular badges; the .led primitive is reserved for mechanism state.
A small panel of rooms, ready for review.
Composition · the programming room
all primitives, working togetherA room is an instrument. Boolean fields are toggles. Enums are segmented cells. Phase is shown as pips — three of six lit. Area is a fader. Linking is a slot button; saving and syncing are deep keys.
| Room | Code | NSF | Qty | Phase | 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 | ||
| Imaging Suite — Standard | IMG-310 | 340 | 3 | Linked |
Before · After
a precision buttonGradient pill, shadow-driven lift. Decorative. Reading the button does not tell you anything about state.
A precision key in enamel cobalt, paired with a pip pattern that reads the current sync state at a glance. Hairline outlines do the structural work. State is in the inlay.