# Synthwave - Construction Instructions & AI Prompting Guide
> Version 1.0 - Theme 18 in the catalog - slug `synthwave`

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## Table of Contents

1. [Design Philosophy & Core Rules](#1-design-philosophy--core-rules)
2. [Font Law](#2-font-law)
3. [Color Application Rules](#3-color-application-rules)
4. [Border Radius Decision Framework](#4-border-radius-decision-framework)
5. [Shadow & Elevation Rules](#5-shadow--elevation-rules)
6. [Component Construction Guides](#6-component-construction-guides)
7. [Interactive States](#7-interactive-states)
8. [Layout Rules](#8-layout-rules)
9. [Anti-Patterns](#9-anti-patterns)
10. [AI Prompting Guide](#10-ai-prompting-guide)
11. [Pre-Ship Checklist](#11-pre-ship-checklist)

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## 1. Design Philosophy & Core Rules

Night black with neon pink borders, cyan actions, glow instead of shadows and Orbitron headings.

### The Rules
1. Glow replaces drop shadows. Use a pink box-shadow with zero offset.
2. Borders are pink (#ff2fd0) on important surfaces and deep purple on quiet ones.
3. Cyan (#00f0ff) is the action colour. Pink is for borders, badges and highlights.
4. Headings are wide, letterspaced and uppercase. Body text stays regular weight.

---

## 2. Font Law

Use only Orbitron. Fallback stack ends in `system-ui, sans-serif`.

- Display and headings: Orbitron, weight 800, tracking 0.06em.
- Body: Orbitron.
- Labels: Orbitron, uppercase, weight 600.
- Never mix in a font from another system. If a glyph is missing, fall back, do not swap families.

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## 3. Color Application Rules

| Use | Token | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Page | `--ds-color-bg-base` | `#0b0221` |
| Cards | `--ds-color-bg-surface` | `#160536` |
| Inputs, wells | `--ds-color-bg-sunken` | `#07011a` |
| Main action | `--ds-color-primary` | `#00f0ff` |
| Secondary action | `--ds-btn-secondary-bg` | `#ff2fd0` |
| Body text | `--ds-color-text-primary` | `#f6e9ff` |
| Supporting text | `--ds-color-text-secondary` | `#cfb2f5` |

- One main action per view.
- Never type a raw hex or font name in a component. Read the token.
- Semantic colours (success, warning, error, info) are for status only.

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## 4. Border Radius Decision Framework

- Badge or chip: 4px.
- Button or input: 6px.
- Card or modal: 10px.
- Anything else: use the nearest token. Never invent a radius.

---

## 5. Shadow & Elevation Rules

- Cards: `0 0 22px rgba(255,47,208,0.45)`.
- Dropdowns: `0 0 24px rgba(255,47,208,0.5)`.
- Modals: `0 0 40px rgba(255,47,208,0.55)`.
- Focus: `0 0 0 3px rgba(0,240,255,0.5)`.
- Do not mix shadow styles from other systems.

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## 6. Component Construction Guides

**Card:** surface background, 1px border `#4b1a7a`, radius 10px, card shadow, padding 24px.

**Button:** pick one variant. Label style `uppercase`, weight 800. Pressed state is `scale(0.98)`.

**Badge:** label style, semantic background, no shadow.

**Table:** header uses `#ff2fd0` with `#0b0221` text. Rows separated by border light.

**Form field:** label above, helper text below in muted colour, error replaces helper text.

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## 7. Interactive States

| State | Rule |
|---|---|
| Hover | Primary darkens or lightens one step. Shadow `0 0 20px rgba(0,240,255,0.6)` |
| Active | `scale(0.98)` |
| Focus | `0 0 0 3px rgba(0,240,255,0.5)`, always visible |
| Disabled | Text `#7d62a8`, no hover |

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## 8. Layout Rules

- Max content width 1040px, 24px gutters.
- Stack to one column below 768px.
- Keep one primary action per section and align it to the same edge as the heading.

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## 9. Anti-Patterns

- Do not use grey or beige. Neutrals are purple-tinted.
- Do not stack more than two glows in one view.
- Do not use glow on body text.
- Do not hard-code colours, fonts, radii or shadows in components.
- Do not define tokens at `:root`. Everything stays under `[data-ds="synthwave"]`.
- Do not mix components from other design systems on the same page.

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## 10. AI Prompting Guide

Paste this at the start of a chat:

> Build the UI with the Synthwave design system. Read `design-system.md` and `instructions.md` first. Use only the `--ds-*` tokens under `[data-ds="synthwave"]`. Fonts: Orbitron. Follow every rule in section 1 of instructions.md. Do not add styles that are not in the token sheet. When unsure, ask before inventing.

Good follow-up prompts:
- "Add a pricing section using only Synthwave tokens."
- "Check this page against the Synthwave anti-pattern list and fix violations."

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## 11. Pre-Ship Checklist

- [ ] All colours, fonts, radii and shadows come from tokens
- [ ] One main action per view
- [ ] Text contrast is 4.5:1 or better
- [ ] Focus state is visible on every interactive element
- [ ] No rule from section 9 is broken
- [ ] Wrapped in `data-ds="synthwave"`