The taste profile that drives everything. Discovered through conversation, validated through 11 iterations, locked at v11. This is who the substrate is.
Project
DesignSubstrate.com
An AI skill that creates unique, consistent design languages. Homepage for the product itself — the page IS the proof.
Vibe
Punk zine meets terminal culture
iPod-ad boldness. Daring Fireball editorial confidence. David Carson rotated chaos. All held together by a monospace spine.
Temperature
9 / 10
Near WTF. Rule-breaking, opinionated, polarizing. Rotated slabs, massive type, solid-color blocks, stamps as labels.
Palette
Hot pink, acid yellow, electric blue on warm paper white. Not cold grays. Not indigo. Not purple. Light base, vivid slabs.
References
Apple iPod ads (mid-2000s)
Bold solid colors, unexpected vibrancy, playful energy that captures. Design as pop culture.
Daring Fireball
Clean typographic design. Editorial confidence. Content-first, opinionated.
David Carson / Ray Gun magazine
Rotated layouts, overlapping elements, type as visual expression. Controlled chaos.
Anti-References
Generic AI-startup aesthetic
Indigo gradients, three-column feature grids, "Build the Future" headlines. Everything that signals "a robot made this."
YC-company template sites
Interchangeable, zero personality, maximum safety. Swap the logo and nobody notices.
Principles
Typography
Serif + Mono
Georgia for massive display. Mono for labels, stamps, badges, code. Sans for body only.
Density
Airy then tight
Generous space between sections. Dense content within slabs. The rhythm is breathe → punch → breathe.
Layout
Rotated slabs
-1.5deg to 1.5deg. Slabs bleed past containers. Stamps at angles. Nothing sits perfectly flat.
Medium
Website
Product homepage for DesignSubstrate.com. Self-contained HTML/CSS. Zero external deps.