Foundations — VirtualLife AI Imagine DLS

Color

Our color system uses OKLCH — a perceptually uniform color space that ensures consistent lightness across hues. Colors are defined as CSS custom properties and mapped to Tailwind utility classes via shadcn's token layer.

Brand Palette

Three signature hues embody our duality. Green for Life, violet/pink for Virtual, and blue as the Bridge between them. These appear in our gradient title, wavy background, and accent moments.

Life

oklch(0.65 0.20 145)

Life Soft

oklch(0.80 0.12 145)

Life Muted

oklch(0.45 0.10 145)

Virtual

oklch(0.60 0.22 300)

Virtual Soft

oklch(0.75 0.14 300)

Virtual Muted

oklch(0.40 0.12 300)

Bridge

oklch(0.60 0.20 220)

Bridge Soft

oklch(0.75 0.12 220)

Accent Warm

oklch(0.70 0.19 340)

Gradient Signature. The brand gradient flows Blue → Pink → Green at 120°. It appears on the app title, the "Generate" button aura, and the wavy background SVG. This gradient is the single most recognizable visual element of VirtualLife AI Imagine.

Brand Gradient — 120° · Blue → Pink → Green

Semantic Tokens (Dark Mode)

Semantic tokens are the bridge between brand colors and component usage. They are defined as CSS custom properties and consumed through shadcn's Tailwind mapping. Every component references semantics, never raw values.

Token	OKLCH Value	Tailwind Class	Usage
--background	oklch(0.21 0.04 266)	bg-background	App canvas, main content area
--foreground	oklch(0.93 0.013 256)	text-foreground	Primary body text
--card	oklch(0.28 0.04 260)	bg-card	Card surfaces (used at /10 opacity)
--primary	oklch(0.68 0.158 277)	bg-primary	Primary buttons, active states, links
--secondary	oklch(0.34 0.033 261)	bg-secondary	Secondary buttons, less prominent actions
--muted	oklch(0.24 0.038 260)	bg-muted	Subdued backgrounds, disabled fields
--muted-foreground	oklch(0.71 0.019 261)	text-muted-foreground	Secondary text, placeholders, captions
--accent	oklch(0.37 0.031 260)	bg-accent	Hover highlights, sidebar active bg
--destructive	oklch(0.64 0.208 25)	bg-destructive	Delete actions, error states
--border	oklch(0.45 0.026 257)	border-border	Card edges, dividers, input borders
--ring	oklch(0.68 0.158 277)	ring-ring	Focus rings on interactive elements
--sidebar	oklch(0.21 0.04 266)	bg-sidebar	Navigation sidebar, title bar, status bar

Semantic Tokens (Light Mode)

Light mode tokens are applied via the html.light class. They maintain the same semantic names but shift values for readability on light backgrounds. Primary colors become darker; surfaces become lighter.

Token	OKLCH Value	Tailwind Class	Usage
--background	oklch(0.97 0.005 265)	bg-background	App canvas, main content area
--foreground	oklch(0.18 0.04 265)	text-foreground	Primary body text
--card	oklch(0.95 0.005 265)	bg-card	Card surfaces
--primary	oklch(0.52 0.20 277)	bg-primary	Primary buttons, active states, links
--secondary	oklch(0.90 0.010 260)	bg-secondary	Secondary buttons, less prominent actions
--muted	oklch(0.94 0.008 260)	bg-muted	Subdued backgrounds, disabled fields
--muted-foreground	oklch(0.40 0.04 257)	text-muted-foreground	Secondary text, placeholders, captions
--accent	oklch(0.92 0.008 260)	bg-accent	Hover highlights, sidebar active bg
--destructive	oklch(0.55 0.22 25)	bg-destructive	Delete actions, error states
--border	oklch(0.78 0.015 257)	border-border	Card edges, dividers, input borders
--ring	oklch(0.52 0.20 277)	ring-ring	Focus rings on interactive elements
--sidebar	oklch(0.94 0.018 272)	bg-sidebar	Navigation sidebar, title bar, status bar

Status Colors

Status colors are consistent across modes — they're designed to be accessible on both dark and light backgrounds. In light mode, darker variants (--success, --warning) are used for better contrast against white surfaces.

Status	Dark OKLCH	Light OKLCH
Success	oklch(0.723 0.219 150)	oklch(0.45 0.18 150)
Error	oklch(0.64 0.208 25)	oklch(0.55 0.22 25)
Warning	oklch(0.828 0.189 84)	oklch(0.65 0.18 84)
Info	oklch(0.68 0.158 277)	oklch(0.52 0.20 277)

Surface Scale

Surfaces layer from darkest (canvas) to lightest (elevated card) in dark mode, and from lightest to elevated in light mode. Each step is subtle — about 7% lightness change — creating depth without hard edges.

Surface	Dark OKLCH	Light OKLCH	Usage
Surface 0	oklch(0.13 0.04 265)	oklch(0.97 0.005 265)	Canvas
Surface 1	oklch(0.21 0.04 266)	oklch(0.94 0.018 272)	Background / Sidebar
Surface 2	oklch(0.28 0.04 260)	oklch(0.90 0.010 260)	Card
Surface 3	oklch(0.34 0.03 261)	oklch(0.86 0.012 261)	Elevated

Typography

Our type system uses TT Rounds Neue — a geometric rounded sans-serif by TypeType Foundry — as the primary typeface. It pairs with a monospaced face for technical precision and a serif for rare prose moments. The system supports theme-level font overrides.

Primary · Sans-Serif

The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ · abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz · 0123456789

Light 300 Regular 400 Medium 500 Semibold 600 Bold 700 ExtraBold 800

TT Rounds Neue is the primary typeface. It's a geometric rounded sans-serif with a warm, friendly character that matches VirtualLife's personality — playful yet professional. Variable font loaded locally (100–900 weight axis). Fallback chain: Plus Jakarta Sans → system-ui → sans-serif.

Licensing: TT Rounds Neue is free for personal/trial use. Commercial deployment requires a license from TypeType Foundry.

Theme overrides. Each theme can specify its own font stack. Solar Dusk uses Oxanium (a futuristic geometric face). Caffeine uses the system UI stack. The DLS tokens remain the same — only the values change per theme. The CSS variable --font-sans is the single source of truth. The default VirtualLife theme uses TT Rounds Neue; other themes fall back to Plus Jakarta Sans.

Monospace

                const imagine = (prompt) => ai.generate(prompt);
              

                ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ · abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz ·
                0123456789 · {} [] () <> = + - * / | \ _ @ # $ %
              

JetBrains Mono is used for code snippets, technical values, token names, and the version number badge. Fallback: Cascadia Code → Fira Code → ui-monospace → monospace.

Serif (Display / Prose)

Where human creativity meets artificial imagination

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ · abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz · 0123456789

Source Serif 4 is reserved for long-form prose content and special display moments. It is rarely used in the app UI but available for rich content areas. Fallback: Georgia → Times New Roman → serif.

Type Scale

Base size is 0.825rem (~13.2px) — slightly smaller than the browser default to increase information density without sacrificing readability. The scale uses --text-scaling for user preferences and Tailwind's built-in classes.

Page Title

text-lg · 600 · tight

Generate Images

Section Title

text-base · 600

Model Settings

Body

text-sm · 400

Enter a detailed description of the image you want to create.

Caption

text-xs · 400 · muted

Generated 2 minutes ago · Flux1.dev

Label

text-sm · 500

Prompt

Badge / Pill

text-xs · 600

READY

Token / Code

mono · text-xs

--primary: oklch(0.68 0.16 277)

Prose Headings (Rich Content)

Element	Size	Weight	Margin
h1	1.5em	700 (Bold)	0.67em top/bottom
h2	1.3em	600 (Semibold)	0.83em
h3	1.17em	600	1em
h4	1em	600	1.33em
p	inherit	400	0.5em

Spacing

Spacing follows Tailwind's 4px base grid. We favor a constrained set of values for consistency: the 4-8-12-16-24-32-48 scale handles virtually all layout needs.

1 · 4px
0.25rem

2 · 8px
0.5rem

3 · 12px
0.75rem

4 · 16px
1rem

6 · 24px
1.5rem

8 · 32px
2rem

12 · 48px
3rem

Spacing Usage Guidelines

Context	Tailwind	Value	When to Use
Inline element gap	gap-2	8px	Icon + text, badge contents, tight groups
Form field gap	gap-2	8px	Label to input, switch to label
Card internal padding	p-4	16px	Standard card content padding
Section vertical gap	gap-4	16px	Between cards, between form groups
Page padding	px-4 pt-4	16px	Section wrapper padding
Grid image gap	gap-4	16px	Gallery grid, catalog grid
Dialog padding	p-6	24px	Modal dialogs and popovers
Toolbar compact	px-3 py-1	12px × 4px	Status bar, compact toolbar rows

Consistency rule: Within a single container, use one gap value. Mixed spacing inside the same flex/grid creates visual noise. The 4px grid ensures everything aligns, even when nested.

Border Radius

Rounded corners are fundamental to VirtualLife's soft, approachable feel. The base radius (--radius: 0.625rem) ripples through the system via calc() expressions. Themes can override the base to shift the entire system's roundness.

sm

0.375rem · 6px

md

0.5rem · 8px

lg (base)

0.625rem · 10px

xl

0.875rem · 14px

2xl

1rem · 16px

full

9999px · pill

Radius Assignment

Element	Radius	Tailwind
Buttons (default)	md	rounded-md
Input fields	md	rounded-md
Cards	xl	rounded-xl
Dialogs	lg	rounded-lg
Badges / Pills	full	rounded-full
Images (generated)	lg or xl	rounded-lg
Main content inset	2xl (top-left only)	border-top-left-radius: 16px
Radial menu buttons	full	rounded-full
Status dots	full	rounded-full
Tab list	lg	rounded-lg
Scrollbar thumb	4px	Custom CSS

Elevation

Elevation is communicated through shadow depth and backdrop blur. In dark mode, shadows are more subtle and surface lightness shifts do most of the layering work. The glass effect replaces heavy drop shadows for most surfaces.

Level 0

No shadow

Level 1

shadow-sm

Level 2

shadow-md

Level 3

shadow-lg

Level 4

shadow-xl

Level	Used For	Shadow
0	Flat surfaces, inline elements	none
1 (sm)	Buttons, cards at rest, inputs	`0 1px 2px oklch(0 0 0/0.15)`
2 (md)	Toasts, popovers, dropdowns	`0 4px 12px oklch(0 0 0/0.15)`
3 (lg)	Image tiles on hover, dialogs	`0 15px 40px -10px oklch(0 0 0/0.50)`
4 (xl)	Image tile active hover, fullscreen overlay	Multi-layer composite

Glass & Transparency

Glass morphism is VirtualLife's signature surface treatment. Translucent backgrounds combined with backdrop blur create depth and visual interest while letting the wavy background pattern breathe through the interface.

Glass Light

The standard card surface. Most of the background shows through, with just enough blur to maintain text legibility.

bg-card/10 backdrop-blur-sm

Glass Medium

For interactive panels, filter bars, overlays on images. More opacity means more contrast for denser content.

bg-card/40 backdrop-blur-md

Glass Heavy

For sticky headers, group labels, badges on images. Nearly opaque but still part of the glass family.

bg-card/80 backdrop-blur-sm

Glass Recipes

Recipe	Opacity	Blur	Border	Used For
Glass Light	bg-card/10	backdrop-blur-sm	border-border/50	Standard cards (VLCard)
Glass Medium	bg-card/40	backdrop-blur-md	border-border	Image overlays, filter panels, edit panels
Glass Heavy	bg-card/80	backdrop-blur-sm	border-border/50	Sticky headers, group labels
Glass Scrim	bg-black/50	none	none	Image status overlays (loading/error)
Glass Overlay	bg-black/80	none	none	Dialog backdrop, fullscreen overlay

Performance note: backdrop-filter: blur() is GPU-accelerated in Chromium (Electron's renderer) but can cause compositing overhead on dense grids. Use backdrop-blur-sm (4px blur) as the default; reserve backdrop-blur-md (12px blur) for surfaces that overlay rich content like images.

Wavy Background

The wave pattern is VirtualLife's most distinctive visual element. It represents the flowing connection between human and AI creativity — organic curves rendered with digital precision.

Anatomy

Property	Value	Purpose
Curves	11 cubic Bézier paths	Fan from edges, converge tightly at center
Gradient direction	Vertical (top → bottom)	Blue → Pink → Green
Stroke width	3px	Thin enough to be texture, not distraction
Opacity ramp	0.11 → 1.00	Builds density toward center of fan
SVG opacity	0.3 (base) × 0.6 (img layer)	Subtle background presence
Dark mode blend	`mix-blend-mode: lighten`	Waves glow against dark surface
Light mode blend	`mix-blend-mode: darken`	Waves deepen against light surface
Positioning	`background-size: cover`	Always fills the content area fully

Design intent: The waves should always be perceived as ambient texture — felt more than seen. If they compete with content for attention, the opacity is too high. Glass card surfaces float above the waves, and the blur softens them further beneath interactive elements.

Theming

VirtualLife supports swappable themes that override the semantic token layer without changing component structure. Each theme is a JSON file with light/dark CSS variable overrides plus optional font and radius changes.

Theme Architecture

// theme.json structure
{
  "name": "Clean Slate",
  "cssVars": {
    "theme": { // Shared (fonts, radius)
      "--font-sans": "TT Rounds Neue, sans-serif",
      "--radius": "0.5rem"
    },
    "light": { // Light mode overrides
      "--background": "oklch(0.98 0.003 248)",
      "--primary": "oklch(0.59 0.204 277)"
    },
    "dark": { // Dark mode overrides
      "--background": "oklch(0.21 0.04 266)",
      "--primary": "oklch(0.68 0.158 277)"
    }
  }
}

Available Themes

Clean Slate

Default · TT Rounds Neue

Northern Lights

Aurora · Plus Jakarta Sans

Solar Dusk

Warm · Oxanium

Caffeine

Monochrome · System UI

Modern Minimal

Cool · Inter

Amber Minimal

Warm · Inter

Theme rules: Themes change values, never structure. A theme must provide all semantic tokens for both light and dark modes. Components never reference theme-specific values directly — they only consume semantic tokens like bg-primary. This guarantees every theme works with every component.

Light & Dark Mode

Dark mode is the primary design surface — optimized for immersive creative work where generated images pop against deep backgrounds. Light mode is a first-class alternative, not an afterthought. The .dark class on <html> toggles the active variable set. Each theme provides both dictionaries.