Kurnik — Symbol Exploration

Core idea: Shape rising from/through a boundary. The threshold moment.

• Key technique: Emergence through subtraction — cut a horizontal gap or void into ascending form to create the threshold moment.
• Angles: 55-65° inclines (engineered inevitability). Asymmetric to avoid Vercel territory.
• Fill ratio: 70-80% fill, 0-20% stroke, 0-30% negative space.
• Bounding box: Near-square (1:1 to 1:1.25). Tall narrow marks lose legibility.

DO: Asymmetric ascending forms, negative-space thresholds, filled shapes as primary mass.
DON'T: Arrows, rockets, swooshes, mountains, stacked bars/charts, plain equilateral triangles.

Core idea: The void is the subject, not the frame. Shape within shape.

• Key technique: Figure-ground reversal — brain oscillates between filled shape and empty shape.
• Proportions: Inner void = 50-65% of total area. Frame width = 12-20% of diameter.
• Containers: Circle, rounded square, chamfered rect, hexagon, squircle.
• Void approaches: Geometric cutout, slot/aperture, offset shape, broken frame with gap.

DO: Design void first, build frame around it. Broken frames suggest release.
DON'T: Literal windows/doors/keyholes. Perfectly centered symmetric shapes. Too-thin or too-thick frames.

Semantic fit: "Things grow inside here." Containment with release.

Core idea: Modular, constructed, assembled marks. Engineered, not drawn.

• Grid size: 3×3 to 5×5 cells. Not larger.
• Fill ratio: 30-60% of cells occupied (below 30% = too sparse, above 60% = QR territory).
• Shape vocabulary: Pick 1-2 per mark: filled square, circle, L-shape, T-shape, line/bar, dot, void.
• One deliberate break in pattern for focal interest. At least one empty row/column.

DO: Negative space as subject. One deliberate break.
DON'T: Checkerboard. Uniform dot arrays. 4-fold symmetric patterns. More than 2 shape types.

Core idea: Elements emanating from or converging toward center.

• Direction: Convergence (inward) > emanation (outward). Inward = focus. Outward = warmth.
• Element count: 3 (most dynamic), 4 (most architectural), 6 (most systematic). Never 8+.
• Center: Leave a negative-space void. Elements converge but don't touch.
• Rotation: 120° (3 elements), 90° (4), 60° (6). Off-axis adds dynamism.

DO: Angular/geometric elements. Varied element lengths. Separated elements.
DON'T: 8+ elements (spinner). Tapered rays (sun). Curves/rounded caps. Circular boundary (badge).

Core idea: Two shapes in dialogue. The gap between them IS the mark.

• Key technique: Design the gap first, then build shapes around it.
• Gap: 8-15% of total mark width (visible at 32px = 3-5px gap).
• Symmetry: Near-symmetry preferred (like Deutsche Bank: 53° not 45°).
• Tension strategies: Gap-defined, rotational variant, scale contrast, fill/void contrast, directional opposition.

DO: Fibonacci ratios. One slightly dominant element. Shared geometric property.
DON'T: More than 3 elements. Yin-yang trap. Perfect bilateral symmetry. Concentric shapes.

Core idea: The exact moment something changes state. Liminal instant between before/after.

• Fragmentation: Shape dissolving from solid to separated elements (IBM stripes).
• Fill-to-stroke: One part solid, one part outline within single shape.
• Element progression: 3-5 identical shapes morphing across a sequence.
• Density modulation: Dot/element size variation (monochrome gradient effect).
• Dimensional ambiguity: Necker cube effect — perceptual flip between two states.

DO: Structural variation (density, weight, fill/void). Frozen moment. Clear direction.
DON'T: Motion lines/swooshes. Opacity gradients. Organic shapes. Arrows. Tiny vanishing elements.

Core idea: Overlapping planes, layered forms, z-axis logic. Infrastructure stacking.

• Layer count: 2-3 (more gets noisy at 32px).
• Offset: 15-25% of layer height. Vertical, diagonal/isometric (30° grid), or same-axis with gap.
• Depth without opacity: Background-color gaps, fill vs outline, weight hierarchy, partial occlusion, isometric projection.
• Sub-categories: Horizontal stack, isometric box, overlapping planes, emergent form, impossible stack (Penrose), offset echo.

DO: Consistent gap widths. Background color as active element. Test at 32px.
DON'T: Gradients. Opacity variation. More than 3 layers. Literal boxes/server racks.

Source domains: Print registration marks, optical instrument reticles, oscilloscope graticules, engineering drawings, surveying instruments.

• Key technique: Interrupted crosshairs — lines approach center but stop short, leaving a gap. Shifts perception from "weapon" to "instrument."
• Weapon → Instrument: Partial circle > complete circle. Open center > filled dot. Asymmetric arms > identical arms. Weight transitions > uniform heavy strokes. Tick marks/graduations > bare lines.
• Line weight: Primary 1.5-2px at 100px viewBox. Secondary 0.75-1px. Contrast ratio 2:1 to 3:1.
• Stroke caps: butt or square (never round — machined feel).

Color bonus: Amber #d4840a on dark #0e0c0a = oscilloscope/HUD aesthetic for free.

Core idea: Where organic meets systematic. Human ideas meeting AI/machine logic. NOT literal.

• Key framing: The meeting has already happened. Show the state of connection, not the process of docking. Stable. Infrastructure.
• Curve-to-angle ratio: ~60/40 geometric-dominant (for infrastructure feel). Never 50/50.
• Approaches: The Dock (curved form in geometric receiver), The Morph (angular→curved transition), The Charged Gap, The Shared Edge, The Nested Lattice.
• Construction: Circle arcs + straight segments. Organic from tangent continuity, not freehand beziers.

DO: Circle arcs for organic curves. Uniform stroke weight. 2-3 elements max.
DON'T: Hexagonal symmetry. Gradient orbs. Neural-network diagrams. DNA/neurons. AI clichés.