# House Style Defaults when no `visual-style.md` or animation direction is provided. These raise the floor — not a brand identity, just professional quality. ## Before Writing HTML 1. **Interpret the prompt.** Generate real content for the topic — don't use the prompt text as body copy. A recipe lists real ingredients. A stats dashboard shows the actual numbers given. A product showcase names real features and specs. A sci-fi HUD has actual crosshairs and readouts, not a heading that says "sci-fi HUD." 2. **Pick a palette.** First decide: does this content call for a light or dark canvas? Food, weddings, children, wellness, education, lifestyle, nature, and celebrations → light palette (Warm/Editorial, Clean/Corporate, Nature/Earth, Pastel/Soft). Tech, finance, cinema, nightlife, horror, gaming, and premium → dark palette. Then load the file and pick one palette. Declare your bg, fg, and accent colors before writing any code. 3. **Pick a typeface.** Don't reach for Sora, Space Grotesk, Outfit, Playfair Display, Cormorant Garamond, or Bodoni Moda — they're overused. Explore the full range of Google Fonts. Serif for editorial, mono for technical, display for impact, handwritten for personal. 4. **Pick a layout approach.** Don't default to the same structure every time. Options: full-bleed centered hero, left-aligned editorial column, split-frame (content left / visual right or vice versa), scattered/asymmetric positioning, grid-based with uneven cells, stacked vertical sections. Vary this across compositions. 5. **Pick your entrance patterns.** Plan how elements enter — never use the same entrance pattern twice in a composition. ## Motion ### Easing Vary your eases. Don't use the same ease on more than 2 tweens in a composition. Pick from the full GSAP vocabulary: `power1-4.in/out/inOut`, `back.out(1.4-2.5)`, `elastic.out(1, 0.3-0.5)`, `circ.out`, `expo.out`, `sine.inOut`, `steps(n)` A few principles: - Opacity fades should be gentle (`power1` or `none`) — don't draw attention to the fade itself - Overshoot on scale or position feels alive — `back.out` or `elastic.out` - Snappy moves want `expo.out` or `power4.out` — fast departure, hard stop - Smooth arcs want `sine.inOut` or `circ.inOut` — no hard edges ### Timing - **0.3–0.6s** for most moves. Shorter than you think. - **Exits 2x faster** than entrances. - **Nothing starts at t=0** — offset first animation 0.1–0.3s. - **Overlap entries** — next element starts before previous finishes. Use GSAP position parameter: `tl.to(el, {...}, "-=0.15")` - **Stagger with easing**, not uniform: `stagger: { each: 0.08, ease: "power2.in" }` ### Entrance Patterns Never fade-in alone. Combine opacity with at least one transform. Never repeat the same entrance in a composition. Invent your own combinations — mix properties creatively: - **Position** — x, y, or both (diagonal). Vary the axis and distance per element. - **Scale** — from smaller or larger. Pair with overshoot easing. - **Rotation** — small angles (3-12deg) feel intentional. Large angles (45-180deg) feel dramatic. - **Clip path** — `inset()`, `circle()`, `polygon()`. Direction matters: left, right, top, center outward. - **Blur + opacity** — `filter: blur(8px)` combined with opacity creates a focus-pull effect. - **Letter spacing / word spacing** — for text, animate tracking from wide to tight or vice versa. - **Skew** — `skewX` or `skewY` gives a motion-blur feeling without actual blur. - **3D transforms** — `rotationX`, `rotationY` with `transformPerspective` for depth. Don't copy the same combination across compositions. Each composition should feel like it has its own motion personality. ### Choreography - **Combined transforms** — animate 2–3 properties together (position + scale, rotation + opacity), not one at a time. - **Coordinated entry** — when a new element enters, existing elements react. Anchor moves, follower tracks. - **Ambient motion** — keep the composition alive during holds. Don't default to zoom-in every time. Pick one per composition: - Slow pan (x or y drift on a container) - Subtle rotation (0.5–2deg over several seconds) - Scale push or pull (zoom in OR out — both work) - Parallax layers (background moves slower than foreground) - Color/opacity shift on an accent element - No ambient motion at all — stillness can be powerful - **End with intention** — don't always zoom at the end. Options: snap to black, fade to stillness, final element snaps into place, a hard cut. Vary this across compositions. ### Scene Pacing Structure compositions in three phases — don't front-load everything: - **Build (0–30%)** — elements enter. Stagger arrivals so there's a sequence, not a simultaneous dump. - **Breathe (30–70%)** — content is visible. Keep it alive with subtle motion: slow camera push, gentle drift, a color shift, a pulsing accent. Static holds feel dead. - **Resolve (70–100%)** — elements exit or the composition punctuates. Exits are faster than entrances. End with intention — a final zoom, a fade to black, a snap to stillness. Don't crowd the build phase. If you have 6 elements, let 2-3 enter, breathe, then bring in the rest. Layers of reveals beat a single wave. ## Sizing - **Text scale contrast** — headings at 3–5x body size, not 1.5x. Big contrast reads as cinematic. - **Element fill** — hero elements fill 60–80% of the frame. Don't leave them floating at 30%. - **Travel distance** — entrance moves should cover 80–200px. Under 20px looks like a glitch. - **Overshoot** — 5–10% overshoot reads as energy. Under 2% reads as a bug. ## Visual Depth Flat single-color backgrounds look digital. Avoid pure solid backgrounds — add some visual layer to break the flatness. Options include gradients, subtle background shapes, texture, shadows on cards, or border accents. Pick what fits the content — not every composition needs the same treatment. A luxury product wants subtle gradients. A children's show wants bold shapes. A news graphic wants clean borders. ## Typography Beyond choosing a typeface: - **Weight contrast** — pair a heavy weight (700-900) headline with a light weight (300-400) body. Always use at least two explicit font-weight values — even with display fonts that look bold by default, set labels or secondary text to a lighter weight. - **Case deliberately** — ALL CAPS for labels and short text (under 5 words). Sentence case for longer text. Don't uppercase paragraphs. - **Tracking** — tight tracking (-0.02em) on large headlines. Normal or wide tracking on small labels. - **One typeface, two weights** — don't mix typefaces unless you have a reason. One family at two weights creates more hierarchy than two families at one weight each. ## Anti-Defaults Things the LLM reaches for that look generic. Do the opposite. | Default | Instead | | --------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | | Inter / Roboto / system font | Pick a typeface with character — commit to it | | `#f5f5f5` / `#333` / mid-gray | Go high contrast. Near-black or near-white, not the middle | | Blue accent `#3b82f6` | No blue unless the user asks for blue | | Everything centered, equal weight | One focal point per frame. Lead the eye somewhere | | Uniform spacing | Tight clusters and open gaps. Vary deliberately | | Same entrance on every element | Never repeat an entrance pattern in a composition | | 1s duration on everything | 0.3–0.6s. Shorter than you think | | `power2.out` on everything | Vary eases — no more than 2 independent tweens with the same ease (staggers are exempt) | | Always dark background | Match the content: food, weddings, kids, wellness, education → light palette | | Inventing colors per-element | Declare palette up front. Every element references it | | Content in cards/containers | Place content directly on the canvas — separate with space and alignment, not box boundaries. Cards are a web pattern. Exception: dashboards, lower thirds, captions over footage | | Hand-drawn SVG illustrations | Don't attempt to draw real-world objects (faces, buildings, food, animals) with SVG paths — they look crude. Use geometric shapes, lines, and abstract forms only. If the composition needs imagery, use text and typography to evoke it instead | | Overlapping elements | Every element needs its own clear space. Check that positioned elements don't collide — stagger positions vertically with enough margin. Overlapping text is always ugly | ## Palettes Before writing any HTML, declare your palette: one background, one foreground, one accent. Pick from a category below — don't invent colors. **Match palette to content** — don't default to dark. Children's content, food, weddings, wellness, education, and lifestyle content should typically use light or warm palettes. | Category | Use for | File | | ----------------- | --------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------- | | Bold / Energetic | Product launches, social media, announcements | [palettes/bold-energetic.md](palettes/bold-energetic.md) | | Warm / Editorial | Storytelling, documentaries, case studies | [palettes/warm-editorial.md](palettes/warm-editorial.md) | | Dark / Premium | Tech, finance, luxury, cinematic | [palettes/dark-premium.md](palettes/dark-premium.md) | | Clean / Corporate | Explainers, tutorials, presentations | [palettes/clean-corporate.md](palettes/clean-corporate.md) | | Nature / Earth | Sustainability, outdoor, organic | [palettes/nature-earth.md](palettes/nature-earth.md) | | Neon / Electric | Gaming, tech, nightlife | [palettes/neon-electric.md](palettes/neon-electric.md) | | Pastel / Soft | Fashion, beauty, lifestyle, wellness | [palettes/pastel-soft.md](palettes/pastel-soft.md) | | Jewel / Rich | Luxury, events, sophisticated | [palettes/jewel-rich.md](palettes/jewel-rich.md) | | Monochrome | Dramatic, typography-focused | [palettes/monochrome.md](palettes/monochrome.md) | **Escape hatch:** If no category fits, derive from the color wheel — pick a base hue, take its complement or triadic, pull a dark from OKLCH lightness 15% and a light from 90%.