technical-explanatory-minimalismlisted

# Design — Technical-Explanatory Minimalism A skill for two related crafts that share one aesthetic: - **(A) Technical illustration** — diagrams, schematics, exploded views, cutaways, flow diagrams, and annotated explanatory figures. - **(B) Minimalist design systems** — restrained, information-dense web/interface systems (tokens, type, layout, color-as-meaning). Both follow the same school: **illustration-led explanation, quiet chrome, color as identity, decompose-then-compose.** Full philosophy and the reference-site analysis live in `references/design-principles.md` — read it when you need the *why*. ## The 10 rules (apply to every output) 1. **Decompose, then compose.** Show each part in isolation before combining. Never lead with the finished whole. 2. **Color/label = stable identity.** A part keeps the same hue and name in every figure and in the prose. Color carries meaning, never decoration. 3. **Reveal the hidden.** Use cutaways, exploded views, and X-ray/normal toggles to expose internal structure. 4. **Diagram leads, text glues.** The figure carries the explanation; prose only frames it and points at what to notice. 5. **Annotate in-place.** Labels and callouts live on the artwork, not in a separate caption. 6. **Quiet chrome, loud content.** Neutral near-paper background, generous whitespace, no ornament. All visual energy goes to the figure/content. 7. **Spatial = causal.** Layout order mirrors how the real system flows or works. 8. **One