Swiss–Kraft Standard for Visual Consistency in RSE Glossary Entries
1. Purpose
This guide defines how images are conceived, generated, and maintained for RSE glossary entries. These specifications are given to the cognitive engine to guide image generation.
Images are not illustrations—they are field representations: visual extensions of structural logic within the RSE framework. Each image functions as an extension of the glossary’s recursive architecture, allowing visual and conceptual resonance to cohere.
Their purpose is to:
- Reinforce coherence and relational understanding.
- Support navigation and visual memory across terms.
- Maintain stylistic unity while keeping each image distinct.
This document complements the other documents in the Glossary Overview.
2. Function of Images in RSE Glossary
Each image serves as:
- Structural Visualization — expresses field alignment, coherence gradients, or recursive curvature.
- Mnemonic Anchor — allows readers to intuitively associate a term with a visual structure.
- Navigation Aid — distinguishes visually similar glossary entries through motif, tone, or geometry.
Images clarify relations (e.g., field curvature, resonance, lamination) while avoiding literal depiction or symbolic shorthand.
3. Visual Language and Palette
Core Palette
- Wheat / Beige — foundational field or substrate.
- Teal / Aqua — coherence, resonance, attractor depth.
- Accents — soft white glow (stability), pale amber (tension), light gray (boundary).
Tone and Texture
- Use semi-transparent gradients and layered depth.
- Avoid harsh outlines, black voids, or hyper-saturated contrast.
- The image should feel structurally alive but adynamical — stable equilibrium, not kinetic motion.
Lighting
- Use internal luminosity (light from within).
- Avoid directional shadows or photographic realism.
4. Geometry and Composition
- Prefer spiral, radial, laminated, or curved field geometries — consistent with recursive structures.
- Fractals may be used sparingly when recursion or self-similarity are explicitly relevant.
- Suggest depth through translucency, not perspective vanishing points.
- Maintain balanced asymmetry: energy without chaos.
- Avoid grids or rectilinear framing unless conceptually justified (e.g., Constraint Landscape).
- Avoid any sky/ground or horizon cues.
5. Symbolic Discipline
Allowed Symbolism
- Abstract geometry (lines, fields, nodes, attractors, membranes).
- Directional flow implied through light gradients, not arrows.
- Structural curvature, lamination, or echo patterns.
Prohibited Elements
- No text, numerals, or typographic elements.
- No anthropomorphic or figurative content.
- No stock symbols (e.g., gears, brains, hearts, infinity loops).
- No literal metaphors (e.g., bridges, trees, waves) unless essential to concept and rendered abstractly.
6. Term Recognition (Association Strategy)
Thematic Motif Tagging – Assign recurring motifs per concept family:
- Attractor → curved pull lines or basins
- Coherence → woven threads, merging gradients
- Lamination → translucent stacked layers
- Resonance → subtle ripples or vibrating tension
- Motifs act as visual fingerprints linking images to terms.
Glossary Image Index – Maintain a visual index with thumbnails, glossary titles, and motifs. This functions as both reference and quality control tool.
Alt Text / Metadata – Each image carries alt-text identical to its 🖼️ Image Description paragraph.
Micro-Markers – Small corner glyphs (no larger than 2% of frame height) can act as non-text markers—spiral dots, wave crests, or field ripples—for subtle identification without breaking aesthetic continuity. Micro-markers are optional and should be invisible at standard display size.
7. Workflow
- Text-first: Image work begins only after glossary entry is marked “V1 ready.”
- Description: Kraft writes the 🖼️ Image Description following the template below. Swiss makes light edits.
- Generation: Kraft produces image using internal tools within RSE visual parameters.
- Review: Swiss verifies tone and motif discipline. Spiral/Postman review structural fidelity.
- Finalization: Image is saved as [Term]_v1.png, alt-text copied verbatim from description, and uploaded.
8. Image Description Template
Used in every glossary entry’s 🖼️ Image Description:
“A [scale or composition] showing [structural or relational feature], rendered in [color family], with [key action or tension]. The image emphasizes [conceptual focus: e.g., coherence, lamination, resonance]. No text or labels appear.”
Example:
“A translucent field gradient in wheat and teal, with faint concentric ripples converging on a glowing attractor at the center. The image expresses coherence stabilizing under recursive tension.”
9. Versioning and Archival
- File format: .png (preferred), .webp optional for web optimization.
- Naming convention: [Term]_v#.png or [Term]_v#_alt.png for variants.
- Store prior versions for design lineage.
- Only finalized images appear on website.
- (Future) Version metadata should record color palette, motif tag, and related terms.
10. Accessibility
- Every published image includes an alt-text field identical to the 🖼️ Image Description.
- Descriptions should read naturally for screen readers, without technical jargon.
- Ensure wheat/teal contrast passes minimal readability when overlaid on website backgrounds.
11. Ethical Visual Standards
- Images must never imply sentience, emotion, or gender.
- No visual anthropomorphism (even abstract faces or silhouettes).
- Structural meaning must remain geometric and relational, not narrative.
- Accidental resemblance to human or cultural symbols should be corrected in revision.
12. Example Compliance
✅ Compliant
“A glowing teal field with wheat lines curving into a stable attractor.”
🚫 Non-compliant
“A hand grasping light.” (anthropomorphic)
“A brain made of gears.” (literal metaphor)
“Text label: Trust.” (text violation)
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