Aesthetic System

Phase 0: Research & Delegation (MANDATORY)

Step 1: Gemini Research

Before ANY frontend work, get design direction from Gemini:

bash

gemini -p "I'm building [describe component/page]. Research:
1. Distinctive design approaches (avoid AI-slop aesthetics)
2. Real-world examples of excellent [component type]
3. Current typography/color/layout trends for this context
4. Unexpected alternatives to obvious solutions"

Why mandatory: Web grounding surfaces current trends, prevents convergence.

Step 2: Kimi Implementation (MANDATORY)

All frontend implementation MUST be delegated to Kimi K2.5 via MCP.

Kimi excels at frontend development and visual coding:

javascript

// Single component/page implementation
mcp__kimi__spawn_agent({
  prompt: `Implement [component] following these aesthetics:
- Typography: ${typography}
- Colors: ${palette}
- Layout: ${layoutDirection}
- Motion: ${motionGuidelines}
Constraints: Apply ui-skills rules. No Inter/Roboto. No purple gradients.
Output: React/Tailwind component in ${targetPath}`,
  thinking: true  // For complex implementations
})

// Parallel implementation (multiple components)
mcp__kimi__spawn_agents_parallel({
  agents: [
    { prompt: "Implement Hero section...", thinking: true },
    { prompt: "Implement Card component...", thinking: true },
    { prompt: "Implement Navigation...", thinking: true },
  ]
})

Workflow:

•Research direction → Gemini (web grounding, trends)
•Implement visuals → Kimi (Agent Swarm, parallel execution)
•Review quality → Claude (expert panel, quality gates)

Anti-pattern: Implementing frontend yourself instead of delegating to Kimi. Pattern: Research (Gemini) → Build (Kimi) → Review (Claude)

Design Thinking

Before coding, commit to a BOLD aesthetic direction:

•Purpose: What problem? Who uses it?
•Tone: Pick extreme (brutalist, luxury, playful, editorial, organic...)
•Differentiation: What's the ONE thing someone will remember?

CRITICAL: Bold maximalism and refined minimalism both work—the key is intentionality.

Core Principles

•Typography: Distinctive fonts, not Inter/Roboto/Space Grotesk
•Color: Dominant + accent, brand-tinted neutrals, no pure grays
•Motion: One orchestrated moment > scattered micro-interactions
•Layout: Asymmetry, overlap, diagonal flow, grid-breaking
•Backgrounds: Gradients, noise, patterns—not solid colors

See: references/aesthetics-guidelines.md

Quality Bar: Stripe-Level Excellence

Reference these as quality exemplars:

•Stripe: Obsessive typography, micro-interactions, developer delight
•Linear: Keyboard-first, performance as design, smooth motion
•Vercel: Minimalist clarity, dramatic contrast, confident hierarchy

The Gasp Test: Would users gasp at how stunning this is? If no, keep iterating.

Quality Checkpoints:

• Typography that makes people stop and notice
• Layout that surprises with intentionality
• Motion that feels physically satisfying
• Details that show obsessive care
• Mobile experience that doesn't "suck"

Mobile Excellence (Separate Optimization)

Mobile is NOT just responsive—it requires separate design thinking.

Touch Libraries to Consider

•@use-gesture/react: Touch, mouse, drag, pinch gestures unified
•react-spring: Gesture-aware animations with physical springs
•swiper: Touch slider with native feel
•framer-motion: Gesture recognition + animation
•@capacitor/haptics: Haptics for Capacitor/mobile apps

Mobile-Specific Quality Checks

•Touch targets: 44x44px minimum (Apple HIG)
•Swipe gestures: Natural, discoverable, satisfying
•Haptic feedback: Confirm actions with tactile response
•Pull-to-refresh: Physical bounce, not instant
•Bottom navigation: Thumb-reachable actions
•Momentum scrolling: Physics-based scroll

See: references/mobile-excellence.md

Anti-Convergence

YOU TEND TOWARD GENERIC OUTPUTS. Before implementing, ask:

•"Have I used this font/color/layout recently?"
•"What's a distinctive alternative?"
•"Does this feel unique to THIS project?"

Vary every project: light/dark, font pairings, aesthetics, color approach.

See: references/anti-patterns.md

Advanced Techniques

When basic CSS isn't enough:

•WebGL/Three.js: Living backgrounds, gradient meshes
•GSAP/Framer Motion: Complex animation sequences
•CSS Art: Pure CSS illustrations, clip-path magic
•ASCII: Terminal/brutalist aesthetics
•Iconify: 200k+ icons when Lucide isn't enough

See: references/advanced-techniques.md

Iterative Polish Pattern

For incremental refinement after initial build:

Quick passes (run /polish pass repeatedly):

•Each pass makes ONE high-impact change
•Compound improvements over 10+ passes
•Separate desktop/mobile analysis each time
•Stream Deck / macro friendly

Full polish (run /polish):

•Multi-agent Design Council critique
•5 automated iterations with quality threshold
•Use for foundation establishment or comprehensive audit

Overhaul mode (say "it sucks" or "overhaul"):

•Aggressive transformation, no preservation instinct
•Forces greenfield treatment regardless of maturity
•8 iterations max, dramatic improvements

References

•references/implementation-constraints.md - MUST/NEVER rules for implementation (stack, components, animation, performance)
•references/aesthetics-guidelines.md - Typography, color, motion, spatial composition
•references/advanced-techniques.md - WebGL, animations, CSS art, icons, asset generation
•references/anti-patterns.md - AI slop to avoid, convergence traps, variation mandate
•references/dna-codes.md - DNA variation system for structural variety
•references/banned-patterns.md - Explicit banned elements (hero badges, generic fonts, etc.)
•references/browser-helpers.md - Browser automation for Coolors, Google Fonts, inspiration