# kaisermann.me -- Design System Reference

## 1. Visual Theme & Atmosphere

Retro-digital nostalgia built on VCR OSD Mono. A deliberate rejection of modern polish in favour of raw terminal authenticity. The site feels like a personal artefact, intimate and deliberately lo-fi.

The overall mode is **light**, with a monospaced, code-aesthetic typographic identity. Shadows and elevation are used sparingly to separate key surfaces.

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## 2. Color Palette & Roles

### Design Tokens

- `var(--text-primary)`: `#a0a0a0`
- `var(--text-secondary)`: `#fff`
- `var(--glitchy-blue)`: `rgba(2, 183, 182, .4)`
- `var(--glitchy-red)`: `rgba(183, 2, 2, .4)`

### Computed Roles

- **text (body)**: `rgb(160, 160, 160)`
- **border (a)**: `rgb(255, 255, 255)`
- **surface (div.remote)**: `rgb(241, 242, 246)`
- **surface (div.space)**: `rgb(0, 0, 0)`

**Key observations:** Token-driven colour system -- use CSS custom properties as the single source of truth. Never hardcode hex values. Light-mode-first palette.

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## 3. Typography Rules

**body** -- VCR OSD Mono, 23.04px, weight 400, line-height 32.256px

**Hierarchy principle:** A single typeface (VCR OSD Mono) handles all levels. Size and weight alone establish rhythm.

**What is absent:** No proportional serif or display face. The monospaced system is intentional -- do not introduce decorative type.

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## 4. Component Styling

**Border radii:** No border radii detected -- corners are sharp throughout.

**Interactive states:**
- `button`: tag: button.previous "◄", default: [object Object], hover: null, focus: [object Object]
- `button`: tag: button.next "►", default: [object Object], hover: null, focus: [object Object]
- `a[href]`: tag: a.skip-link "Skip to content", default: [object Object], hover: null, focus: [object Object]

**Buttons & controls:** Match the typographic register -- monospaced labels, minimal padding, high-contrast borders.

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## 5. Layout Principles

Common padding values: 0px 0px 67.7647px.

The dominant padding rhythm (0px 0px 67.7647px) suggests a fixed-pixel grid.

Avoid introducing grid lines, dividers, or decorative rules unless absolutely necessary. Let whitespace do the structural work.

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## 6. Depth & Elevation

- `element`: `"rgb(34, 34, 34) 1px 3px 0px 0px, rgb(34, 34, 34) -1px 3px 0px 0px"`

Use shadows conservatively -- reserve elevation for interactive feedback (dropdowns, modals), not decorative layering.

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## 7. Do's and Don'ts

**Do:**
- Respect the monospaced, code-aesthetic typographic voice -- every element should speak the same typeface language.
- Use whitespace as a primary design tool. When in doubt, add space rather than elements.
- Reference CSS custom properties exclusively -- never bypass the token layer.
- Keep interactions subtle: micro-transitions at 150-200ms maximum.

**Don't:**
- Do not introduce proportional or display typefaces. The monospaced grid is the identity.
- Do not add drop shadows, gradients, or decorative textures unless they are already present in the system.
- Do not use colour to communicate hierarchy -- size and weight do that work here.
- Avoid centring body text. The layout has a strong left-anchored reading rhythm.

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## 8. Responsive Behavior

Breakpoints detected: 480, 500.

Honour the breakpoints extracted above.

On small screens, collapse multi-column layouts to a single column without compromising the typographic scale. The type should remain readable -- never below 14px rendered size.

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## 9. Agent Prompt Guide

When generating UI components, extensions, or page sections for **kaisermann.me**, instruct the agent as follows:

> "Build in the style of kaisermann.me: retro-digital nostalgia built on vcr osd mono. Use VCR OSD Mono as the primary typeface. Light background, dark text. Shadows only for modal-level elevation. Token-driven colours via CSS custom properties. No animations -- immediate state changes only. Generous whitespace, strong typographic scale. Sharp corners throughout."

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*Generated by Sparkbites -- extracted from live CSS analysis*