Sanctification/docs/art-direction.md

# Sanctification TCG - Art Direction

## Purpose and Document Ownership

The product should feel sacred, beautiful, stylized, and recognizably Christian. Cards establish its visual identity while application controls remain modern and usable.

Maintain each rule in its owning document:

- [Card Art Brief](./card-art-brief.md): authoritative base-illustration style, segmentation, within-segment light/color modeling, rarity profiles, composition, palette, and illustration review. Use its shared rules and selected rarity during art generation.
- This document: product presentation, typography, frames/backings, card backs, inspection, material/finish appearance, and printing definitions.
- [Card Layer Pipeline](./card-layer-pipeline.md): prototyping/approval phases, geometry, deterministic assembly, material-map compilation, exports, and validation.

Update illustration rules in the brief rather than duplicating a summary here. This document remains current for its product responsibilities; earlier versions remain in Git history.

## Shared Card Typography and Text Palette

Cards should share a stable typographic and text-panel identity across the rarity ladder.

Use the shared P052 typography system for all card lettering. Select the exact face by text role; keep these roles consistent across rarities, subject categories, and printings.

| Text role | Weight | Shared font file | Font family / style |
|---|---|---|---|
| Card name / title | Bold · `700` | [P052-Bold.otf](../fonts/P052-Bold.otf) | P052 / Bold |
| Verse / quotation / fact excerpt | Medium · `500` | [SanctificationP052-Medium.otf](../fonts/SanctificationP052-Medium.otf) | Sanctification P052 / Medium |
| Reference / attribution | Medium · `500` | [SanctificationP052-Medium.otf](../fonts/SanctificationP052-Medium.otf) | Sanctification P052 / Medium |

Approved subtitles and descriptors also use the shared Medium face at `500`. **Sanctification P052 Medium** is the repository’s custom `optical-medium-v1` derivative of P052 Roman, with slightly expanded outlines and preserved character spacing/kerning. Use the actual Medium file and its distinct family name; assigning `500` to P052 Roman does not produce this face.

Reference these files directly from the [shared font directory](../fonts/README.md), verify their pinned [manifest hashes](../fonts/manifest.json), and validate glyph coverage. Keep licenses beside the shared files; do not copy fonts into card folders. New card assemblies and typography revisions use this role table. P052 Roman remains the source for the custom Medium and a historical comparison face.

The shared text palette remains:

- Use the same text color on every non-Legendary card: deep teal `#263f50`.
- Use the same text-backing base color on every non-Legendary card: cream `#f4ead4`.
- Keep those two colors stable across Common, Uncommon, Rare, and Extraordinary. Tier distinction may come from texture, inset linework, and restrained lozenge or ornament details layered over the shared cream backing.
- Texture and ornament must preserve text contrast and must not turn the backing into a new tier color. Record any tonal treatment as an overlay or material detail around the canonical base color.
- Legendary may use a bespoke text color and backing treatment when its art direction requires it, provided the lettering remains readable and the exception is documented in its template.


### Flourish and Footer Text Spacing

The fixed-baseline comparison was visually approved on September 14, 2026: “I think this looks really good.” See the [comparison and reproducible measurements](../spikes/flourish-spacing-20px-proof/README.md#fixed-reference-baseline-trial).

On non-Legendary backings with central flourishes, place each flourish's nearest visible edge **20 master pixels** from the inward-facing edge of the innermost rule, including stroke thickness. The title flourish and lower footer flourish anchor to the bottom rule; the upper footer flourish anchors to the top rule. This is 10px at 1000px width and 5px at 500px width on the 2000 × 2800 master canvas. Tier-specific ornament shapes and side/corner decoration remain distinct. Common does not gain a flourish merely to satisfy this rule.

Anchor reference text using a fixed line box derived from the pinned shared Medium face, independent of the letters in its wording or translation. At the reviewed 57px reference size, use **42px ascent and 17px descent**, with no added line gap. The descent includes the expanded font's global outline allowance, so letters such as lowercase p fit.

`reference baseline = lower flourish visible top − 20px − 17px`

The reference line-box bottom is therefore 20px above the lower flourish. Actual glyph clearance can be larger for references without descenders; do not move the baseline to force their ink bottoms to match NKJV. If the reference size or pinned font changes, recompute the same font-derived allowances rather than retaining these pixel values.

Center the combined visible ink bounds of all verse lines between the **upper flourish's visible bottom** and the **fixed reference line-box top**. Preserve the approved font size and line spacing. No fixed 48px margin or unequal upper/lower allowances participate in this centering; measure collision clearance separately. Keep title text clear of its flourish, including approved multiline titles.

This approval establishes spacing for subsequent template/typography revisions. The comparison does not itself update versioned shared-layer assets or existing card packages; record each adopted layout revision explicitly. Legendary exceptions and layouts without central flourishes retain their separately reviewed geometry.

---

## Product-Wide Visual Language

The card art should influence the rest of the app.

Possible shared UI motifs:

- Cathedral-window or arched shapes.
- Restrained ornamental dividers.
- Deep blue, burgundy, cream, green, and gold accents.
- Parchment, stone, linen, or subtle glass-inspired surfaces.
- Illuminated-manuscript-style decorative elements used sparingly.
- Soft lighting rather than neon effects.
- Ornament should support hierarchy rather than fill every empty space.

The application UI should still feel modern and usable.

The goal is not to make the entire interface look medieval.

The historical / sacred art direction should mostly come through:

- Cards.
- Pack openings.
- Binder / collection presentation.
- Headers and section treatments.
- Decorative accents.
- Important moments and milestones.

Normal application controls should remain clear and familiar.

---

# Card Art

## Presentation Hierarchy

The card prioritizes subject, identity, short supporting content, then ornament. Base-illustration composition and category-specific framing are maintained in the [Card Art Brief](./card-art-brief.md#composition-and-tone).

Check focal placement against the selected versioned frame and text backing, including their full opaque coverage and ornament, rather than against lettering boxes alone. A title's glyph bounds do not describe the area hidden by its backing. Before locking artwork, review essential faces and gestures with the actual overlay or a clearly labeled provisional coverage preview. If a tier's backing is not yet defined, record the surrogate layout and its limits; it does not establish an approved tier template. Keep this placement check within the art-prototyping loop described in the [Card Layer Pipeline](./card-layer-pipeline.md#art-prototyping-loop).

## Text on the Card

The physical card should stay concise.

The app itself can provide the deeper educational content when the card is inspected.

A normal card can contain:

- Name.
- Short subtitle or descriptor.
- One quiet subject-type label, such as Person, Event, Place, Object, or Doctrine.
- Short verse, quote, or historical line.
- Reference.

Example:

> **David**  
> Shepherd King  
>  
> “The LORD is my shepherd...”  
> Psalm 23:1 • KJV

The front content priority should generally be:

1. Scripture directly related to the card.
2. Historically significant Christian quotation.
3. Concise historical or theological statement.

We should not force a full verse onto the card when it harms the visual design.

A short excerpt with an ellipsis is fine when it is clearly intentional.

Do not add outer quotation marks merely because text is a Scripture excerpt or a passage from a letter. Preserve quotation marks that represent actual speech or dialogue in the selected passage. Retain the selected translation's wording and distinguish any standalone punctuation adjustment in the card's editorial source record. Timothy uses the user-selected ESV 2 Timothy 4:7 text without added outer quotes and with its original terminal period.


The full content can appear in the inspection panel.

### Text Budget and Placement

- Name: one line where practical, with an approved two-line layout for long names.
- Subtitle: optional; include it only when it adds useful information.
- Main excerpt or fact: initially target about 15-25 words, then validate actual typeset fit.
- Reference: always use the compact format "Book chapter:verse • Translation" for Scripture, such as "Matthew 4:19 • NKJV". Use the analogous short source format for non-Scripture quotations or facts. Full citations and supporting sources belong in the inspection panel.
- Use fixed text boxes, approved fonts, line spacing, alignment, and a minimum readable size for each template.
- Measure actual rendered text. If it overflows, edit the wording, select a shorter faithful excerpt, or use an approved alternate layout. Do not silently shrink or clip it.
- Typeset all lettering separately from generated imagery. Textless and Boundless contain no lettering, including the name and category.

The subject-type label should come from the Master Card Catalog taxonomy. History, period, tradition, and collection grouping belong in the inspection UI; they are different dimensions from Person or Event. Category should not introduce its own border colors or decorative badges.

---

## Card Back

The card back should generally be standardized so it does not reveal the identity of a card during pack opening.

The back should not leak:

- Card identity.
- Exact rarity.
- Printing.
- Finish.
- Material.
- Other traits that would spoil the reveal.

It can use the Sanctification branding and common visual language.

Different sets could potentially have different backs in the future, but only if this does not meaningfully spoil the card reveal.

---

# Card Inspection

The card itself should remain relatively clean.

More detailed information belongs in the inspection experience.

When inspecting a card, the user should be able to:

- Rotate the card freely.
- Flip between front and back.
- Zoom in to inspect artwork and physical characteristics.
- Observe material properties responding dynamically to lighting.
- Return quickly to the originating collection / binder context.

The inspection UI should also expose the educational and collectible information that does not need to live directly on the physical card.

Possible sections:

## About

- Full verse or quote.
- Description.
- Historical context.
- Theological context.
- Related Scripture.
- Related events / people / cards.
- Learn-more sources.

## Card

- Rarity.
- Set.
- Printing.
- Finish.
- Material.

## Provenance

- Original owner.
- Date opened.
- Population.
- Serial / instance information.

---

## Card Dimensions and Resolution

### Aspect Ratio

All standard cards should use a **5:7 portrait aspect ratio**.

This corresponds cleanly with the current physical prototype dimensions:

- Width: 63 mm
- Height: 88.2 mm

Artwork, card frames, masks, material maps, and generated assets should
all use the same 5:7 coordinate space unless a specific experiment
requires otherwise.

### Master Artwork Resolution

The standard master artwork resolution should be:

**2000 × 2800 px**

This is the source-quality asset and should be retained even if smaller
versions are generated for the application.

All associated masks should use the same dimensions and alignment where
practical, including:

- Foil masks
- Holographic masks
- Metallic masks
- Roughness maps
- Normal/bump maps
- Printing masks

### Runtime Resolutions

Runtime assets may be generated from the master depending on context:

- High-resolution inspection: 2000 × 2800
- Standard card rendering: 1000 × 1400
- Binder / collection thumbnails: 500 × 700 or smaller

Exact runtime sizes should eventually be determined through performance
testing, particularly on mobile devices.

The master artwork should never be replaced by a lower-resolution
runtime export.

---

# Layered Card Production

Base artwork follows the [Card Art Brief](./card-art-brief.md). The layered product separates illustration, border presentation, and lettering.

Author these components independently:

1. **Base art:** full-card illustration without lettering, a card frame, or a text panel baked into it.
2. **Outer frame:** reusable tier ornament or bespoke Legendary framing, with a transparent interior.
3. **Text backing:** the title and supporting-text panel shapes, without lettering.
4. **Text:** deterministic typography from the card's content data.
5. **Optional Legendary foreground:** illustrated elements above a backing or frame, separately retained and adapted where useful; see [Legendary bespoke composition](#legendary-bespoke-composition).

Outer frame and text backing are editable parts of the same border system. Export three border overlays from them: combined frame/backing, frame only, and backing only. Each printing uses at most one of these overlays.

Common through Extraordinary each use one approved frame system per rarity initially. Reuse its geometry, colors, ornament, and text regions across cards in that tier. Subject-specific symbols belong in the illustration. Legendary artwork variants may use bespoke artwork, frames, and layouts while retaining the shared printing definitions and text-readability requirements.

Exact geometry, registration, joins, and overlay export mechanics are maintained in [Card Layer Pipeline](./card-layer-pipeline.md#seam-free-border-assembly).

Reusable tier components are centralized in [artifacts/layers](../artifacts/layers/README.md), with explicit versions, editable sources, layout metadata, canonical exports and hashes. Card-specific builders reference a pinned version rather than regenerate or duplicate the shared frame/backing assets. The current `v2` candidates and [four-tier comparison](../spikes/tier-layer-library-proof/README.md) await visual approval; historical `v1` references are preserved.

Common remains plain. Uncommon uses restrained single inset linework and small lozenges; Rare adds double rules and corner details; Extraordinary adds stronger manuscript vines and emblems. Ornate backing ink uses **#806438** over base **#f4ead4**. Preserve the common palette while varying structure and texture. Check essential backing details at delivery sizes: the primary inset rule should have at least **3:1** static contrast against the local cream, and lettering at least **7:1** against its cream field. These source-asset checks supplement inspection under material lighting.

Rare and Extraordinary may use inset floating Normal panels with an intentional artwork reveal around them. The current candidates preserve the central scene window while exposing 36 master pixels for Rare and 28 for Extraordinary between solid perimeter and backing. Joining templates retain overlap; floating templates retain their explicitly defined transparency. Do not fill a designed reveal or mistake an unintended gap for one.

Borderless backings use crisp, normally antialiased boundaries across Common, Uncommon, Rare, and Extraordinary. Common keeps simple rounded corners and an opaque cream field, with no Gaussian blur, feathered perimeter, or fuzzy halo. The earlier softened Timothy treatment is a historical trial, not the current design. Normal retains its square backing and defined frame overlap; standalone Borderless geometry cannot depend on the frame to hide unfinished edges. Validate edges at master and delivery sizes and derive finish protection from the actual active backing alpha. Avoid drop shadows, heavily torn parchment, and scroll ornament for the restrained Common treatment.

Transparency masks and finish masks serve different purposes. Transparency determines visible composition; finish masks determine where surface treatment responds to light. Assemble finish coverage for each printing from its active components, with text protection derived from that printing's actual text regions. Removing a text backing also removes its associated protection.

Illustration review belongs to the [Card Art Brief](./card-art-brief.md#illustration-review). The [pipeline](./card-layer-pipeline.md#finish-coverage) owns finish-map recipes, optional region experiments, and material validation.

Keep an editable layered master and export the composed card face plus aligned finish maps. Three.js continues to supply materials, finish response, and interaction. Changing finish or substrate should not require regenerating the illustration.

The proposed template coordinates, validation checks, and GIMP/SVG tooling workflow are recorded in [Card Layer Pipeline](./card-layer-pipeline.md). The first template remains a proof to review, not a final approved layout.

## Legendary Bespoke Composition

Each Legendary artwork variant may have its own frame, backing shapes, panel positions, ornament, and illustrated overlaps. These components need not match other Legendaries or follow the Common–Extraordinary tier templates. Begin with one governing visual idea and let the layout support its subject, space, and emotional impression. Legendary presence may come from exceptional beauty, light, intimacy, or scale; ornament and overlaps are optional.

Selected illustrated elements may cross the frame or backing to integrate the subject with the card. Author them separately above the border/backing system and below the lettering. Adapt their shape, folds, silhouette, or placement when this improves the impression; a foreground version need not reproduce the artwork concealed beneath the backing exactly. Preserve visible continuity into the scene, coherent glass construction and lighting, and believable anatomy or material behavior. Do not make a backing notch or narrow revealed strip stand in for a convincing complete form.

Plan panel coverage and foreground clearance together. Use a provisional composed preview with real shared P052 lettering before investing in finished ornament. Inspect the whole card, the element's join and hem/edge, and delivery-size text clearance. Keep all lettering on a legible field and free of foreground intersections. Legendary palette exceptions remain documented template decisions; the shared font roles still apply.

For backing-specific overlaps, Normal and Borderless use the selected adapted foreground. Textless and Boundless reveal the selected full-bleed illustration without adding that foreground a second time. If an adaptation should appear in every printing, incorporate it into an explicitly revised artwork variant. Record the chosen components for each printing.

Finish coverage must follow the visible illustrated foreground, including any revised pane shapes and lead-like divisions. A foreground crossing an otherwise protected backing receives its own illustration coverage; lettering remains protected. Retain editable component sources and transforms, and compile the card face and finish map through the same layer order and alpha. See [Legendary foreground composition](./card-layer-pipeline.md#legendary-foreground-composition) and [illustrated overlaps in finish coverage](./card-layer-pipeline.md#illustrated-overlaps-in-finish-coverage).

---

# Rarity Art Direction

The [Card Art Brief's rarity profiles](./card-art-brief.md#rarity-profiles) own illustration complexity, storytelling, palettes, segmentation, and light/color modeling within segments. Rarity describes collectible presentation, never spiritual worth.

## Rarity Frame Direction

Frame and backing presentation remains a product-design responsibility. Common through Extraordinary initially share one approved frame system per tier. Subject-specific symbols belong in the illustration; Legendary variants may have bespoke frames and layouts. All non-Legendary tiers retain the shared typography and text-backing palette above.

| Tier | Frame presentation |
|---|---|
| Common | Thin, simple geometric frame; very little ornament, no gold, elaborate corner medallions, or complex manuscript scrollwork. Keep backing treatment restrained. |
| Uncommon | Slightly thicker frame, small decorative accents, limited corners, restrained leaf/manuscript motifs, and small gold accents. |
| Rare | Decorative shared frame with more ornament and gold than Uncommon. Keep subject-specific motifs in the illustration. |
| Extraordinary | Elaborate shared frame, stronger illuminated-manuscript ornament, and richer gold detailing. |
| Legendary | Bespoke frame supporting the governing idea; tasteful gilding and deliberately chosen ornament or symbolism, with density optional. |

For Common, the older ornate Timothy reference does not define the frame ceiling. Retain it as a material-comparison fixture while developing the restrained reusable template.

# Rarity vs. Physical Treatment

Rarity, material, and finish are separate systems.

This is important.

A Common holographic card should still visually read as a Common card.

A Legendary plain-paper card should still visually read as Legendary.

## Rarity controls

- Graphic design.
- Frame.
- Composition.
- Symbolic storytelling.
- Base art complexity.
- Ornamentation.

## Material controls

- The physical substrate of the card.
- Surface microtexture and roughness.
- Edge and core appearance.
- Base reflectivity and perceived weight.
- Paper, linen, metal, or wood response.

## Finish controls

- A treatment applied over the material and printed artwork.
- Selective foil reflection.
- Holographic spectral response.
- Coating strength and coverage.

For example:

- Common Paper + Printed Ink Timothy.
- Common Paper + Foil Timothy.
- Common Linen + Holographic Timothy.
- Common Metal + Printed Ink Timothy.

All of them should still use the same underlying Common Timothy card design.

Material and finish should not be treated as an unrestricted Cartesian product. A combination should exist because it has an intentional physical and visual interpretation, not merely because both options are available independently.

---

# Material and Finish Direction

If a collectible property exists, the player should ideally be able to perceive it visually or interactively.

Examples:

- Finish -> visible.
- Material -> visible.
- Printing -> visible.
- Weight -> indirectly observable.
- Provenance -> inspectable metadata.
- Population -> inspectable metadata.

The material is the card's substrate. The finish is a treatment applied over that substrate. They should remain independently identifiable when the card moves under light.

---

## Paper

- Matte with fine, irregular fibers.
- Broad, weak reflection rather than a sharp sheen.
- Grain should become visible during close inspection without making the artwork noisy.

## Linen

- Raised interlaced warp and weft rather than generic noise.
- Soft diffuse reflection.
- Small shaded recesses should help the weave read under moving light.
- Particularly compatible with tapestry-inspired artwork.

## Metal

- Reflective underprint and a visibly metallic edge.
- Darker artwork values create deeper engraved grooves; the maximum depth should remain low enough that the card still feels printed and collectible rather than sculpted.
- Groove depth should read through surface normals, restrained cavity shading, and fine bevel highlights when the card moves.
- Printed artwork colors must remain recognizable rather than becoming uniformly silver or gold.
- Visually heavier.
- Should still preserve artwork readability.

## Wood

- Warm substrate tint with a darker brown core.
- Longitudinal, slightly warped grain with shallow physical relief.
- Grain should support the card artwork rather than overpowering it.
- Reflection should remain restrained and less polished than metal.

## Foil

- Selective angle-dependent metallic reflection controlled by an art-directed mask.
- Light should sweep visibly across treated regions without washing out the entire illustration.
- Foil should remain distinguishable from a Metal substrate: foil is a localized surface treatment, while metal changes the whole card body and edge.
- Metal + Foil should preserve the printed colors and read as restrained, slightly raised champagne-metal polishing over etched steel. It should not turn the whole illustration into opaque gold.

## Holographic

- View-dependent spectral response.
- Holographic response should use masks so intentional portions of the artwork react.
- Should remain tasteful and avoid a neon / fantasy appearance.
- Spectral color can be clearly visible, but extreme white sheen at grazing angles should remain controlled.

## Finish Mask Direction

- Finish masks should be authored and reviewed as part of the card art rather than treated as arbitrary technical output.
- Preserve titles, verses, and other critical text unless a specific treatment is intentionally designed for them.
- Prefer coverage that follows stained-glass panes, ornament, borders, garments, environmental color, and other compositional regions.
- Evaluate every mask while rotating the card under multiple lighting angles. A mask that looks acceptable in a still image may look distracting in motion.

New stained-glass cards use the approved `raw-ridges-v1` [pipeline recipe](./card-layer-pipeline.md#approved-raw-ridge-recipe): preserve glass dividers and fine ink outlines while keeping pane interiors available for coating. Use the approved [Card Harness Current Defaults](../card-harness/CURRENT-DEFAULTS.md#finish-masks) as the material and finish reference. Existing David and Timothy thresholds remain fixture-specific historical recipes. Exact extraction parameters live in the shared versioned production recipe; runtime parameters remain in the harness defaults. Preserve the approved holographic response when iterating on coverage.

---


# Printing Variants

Printing should affect the graphic presentation of the same card identity.

| Printing | Full-card art | Outer frame | Text backing | Text |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Normal | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Borderless | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Textless | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Boundless | Yes | No | No | No |

Textless retains only the outer frame over the illustration. Borderless retains only the backing needed for legible text. Boundless presents the illustration alone. Educational information remains available in the inspection panel for every printing.

Artwork variant remains distinct from printing. A bespoke Legendary artwork variant may supply its own approved template, but its Normal, Borderless, Textless, and Boundless versions still follow these definitions.

Printing type should not change the underlying rarity of the card.

---

# Thumbnail Readability

All normal card designs should remain recognizable in a binder or collection grid.

At thumbnail size, the user should ideally still be able to identify:

- The subject or general composition.
- The card rarity through its frame language.
- Major color identity.
- Whether the card has an unusual printing or finish when practical.

Fine text does not need to remain readable at thumbnail size.

The card name should become readable as the card grows larger or when selected.

---

# Pack Opening Art Direction

Pack opening should create anticipation without feeling like a casino.

Rarity can affect reveal pacing and presentation.

Possible progression:

## Common

- Simple lift.
- Quick flip.
- Minimal lighting change.

## Uncommon

- Slight pause.
- Mild environmental emphasis.

## Rare

- More deliberate reveal.
- Stronger lighting transition.
- Small audio / visual flourish.

## Extraordinary

- More dramatic reveal timing.
- Larger environmental shift.
- More pronounced presentation.

## Legendary

- Unique or near-unique reveal treatment.
- Strong visual emphasis.
- Longer anticipation, but still skippable.

The goal is:

> **Rarity can affect anticipation without going full casino.**

All reveal animations should remain skippable.

---

# Product Presentation Constraints

Illustration exclusions are maintained in the [Card Art Brief](./card-art-brief.md#composition-and-tone). Product presentation should avoid:

- Casino-like reveal language, neon effects, or excessive particles.
- Generic fantasy RPG frames and ornament that obscures identity or lettering.
- Illegible typography and visual crowding.
- Giving every tier equally premium framing or distinguishing rarity only through effect intensity.

# MVP Art Goals

For the MVP, I do not need every card to be a full-scale art project.

The interesting part is proving that the entire visual system works.

The MVP should establish:

- A consistent stained-glass-inspired card style.
- A clearly readable rarity system.
- A reusable card layout system.
- At least one working example of each rarity.
- Multiple materials.
- Multiple finishes.
- Multiple printing types.
- 3D card inspection.
- Light-reactive materials.
- Pack-opening presentation.
- Thumbnail / binder representations.

I think it makes more sense to create a smaller number of highly intentional art examples and then build the other cards from the same visual system rather than independently designing all 50 cards.

---

# First Proof and Deferred Work

Timothy supplies the Common assembly reference while new artwork follows the [Common profile](./card-art-brief.md#common). Follow the [pipeline's art-prototyping loop](./card-layer-pipeline.md#art-prototyping-loop) before its production proof sequence. Template, typography stress cases, printings, and finish checks are reviewed during assembly.

The Trinity/Foundation art pass, wear/condition, and imperfections are deferred. They are outside this proof and M1 art requirements. Existing harness wear controls remain experimental tooling, not approval to add those properties to the product.

---

# Open Art Questions

Things that still need to be explored:

- Final sizing and optical placement within the approved P052 font family.
- Exact template coordinates, optical text adjustments, minimum font sizes, and seam overlap after reviewing the first proof.
- Exact color palette.
- Final subject-type vocabulary and quiet label placement, using the Master Card Catalog.
- Tradition-specific illustration and UI motifs within the shared rarity frame system.
- Exact visual treatment for controversies.
- Whether halos should be used based on historical iconography, card category, tradition, or purely artistic composition.
- How much motion should exist inside holographic cards.
- Exact distinction between Extraordinary and Legendary.
- Which Legendary artwork variants need bespoke templates or alternate compositions.
- Final card back design.

---

# Current Direction Summary

The [Card Art Brief](./card-art-brief.md) defines the shared illustration identity. Typography, frames, materials, printings, and app presentation should make the product coherent and readable.

Rarity should be apparent through design before a label is read. Material and finish enhance the card's physical character while preserving that graphic hierarchy. The product should invite collecting through beauty and reverence.