Foundations
Design principles
The six tenets that shape every Nova component. When we disagree in review, we come back to this page.
Principles are not preferences. They're the arguments we've already had, so we don't have to have them again.
Beauty is a baseline
Defaults must feel finished. If a component only looks right after five overrides, the component is wrong.
Accessible by construction
Semantics, focus order, and reduced-motion aren't polish — they're the shape. If it's not accessible, it's not shipped.
Composition over configuration
A dozen small primitives compose into a thousand shapes. Prop lists explode; composition scales.
Motion earns its place
Every animation communicates state. Decoration is fine — but never at the cost of perceived speed or clarity.
Typography is the interface
Ninety percent of a UI is text. Line-height, tracking, and rhythm come before novelty.
Craft is felt, not seen
Optical alignment, sub-pixel shadows, sculpted edges — the details users can't name but always feel.