AI Toolkit v1.0
A working style guide for the AI expression across the design system: the mark (full size and small), the mark paired with the wordmark, and the mark inside components like badges and cards.
Principles
- Match the expression to the moment. A quiet tag marks provenance, a glow highlights a recommendation, the full mark signals a judgment call.
- Mark the group once, not every control. Set the AI context at the boundary so the mark keeps its meaning.
- Pair a glow with a label. The glow draws the eye and the label says why. Limit it to one best match per view.
- Use it sparingly. The expression only reads as special when most of the UI stays neutral.
Color
Two ramps anchor the AI expression: Primary, the brand cyan, and Insight, the violet that signals intelligence. The AI gradients blend the two: the strong gradient runs Insight 600 to Primary 300, and the subtle gradient is a soft tint pair for surface fills. The full token reference lives in Foundation → Colors.
Which gradient to use
--ai-gradient-strong: the hero gradient. Use for AI marks, icon fills, and glows. Never place text on it.--ai-gradient-fill: the same gradient, darkened to carry white text at AA. Use for badges and buttons.--ai-gradient-text: use when AI text itself needs the gradient, clipped onto the letters.--ai-gradient: the quiet tint. Use for AI surface fills and backgrounds.
Primary
The brand cyan.Insight
The violet that signals intelligence.Same in light and dark
Theme-invariantAI Gradient (fill)
--ai-gradient-fillA solid fill for badges and buttons. White text on it passes AA (4.97:1+). Stays dark in dark mode so the white text keeps contrast; the text gradient lifts instead.
AI Gradient (strong)
--ai-gradient-strongThe full-strength gradient for AI marks, icon fills, and glows.
Adapts per theme
Different ramp steps per modeAI Gradient (text)
--ai-gradient-textUse when AI text needs to sit on a theme-colored surface. Matches the fill colors in light mode, and lifts to lighter steps in dark mode to hold AA contrast.
AI Gradient (subtle)
--ai-gradientThe soft tint for AI surface fills and backgrounds. The base name is the subtle tint, not the default gradient.
Mark and wordmark
The mark, the Astroid icon, paired with the wordmark, set bold with tight letter spacing.
Two fills: the AI gradient for expressive moments, and a solid fill for dense or
small contexts.
Gradient
Solid fill
In components
The small mark in context: section headers, badges, and buttons. Each example
below is labeled with when to use it. Gradient fill uses the text-safe --ai-gradient-fill
(white text, AA); soft tint uses --ai-gradient with foreground text. To implement
these, use the AI variants on the Badge and Button components.
Section header
Badges
Buttons
Timeline marker
Sourced 3 vendors
Compared price, warranty, and lead time
Thinking
Surfaces
AI surfaces. The chat input takes an AI gradient border on focus. Cards come solid or glass, and a glow, an AI gradient shadow, can sit behind either. See the Input and Card component pages for implementation.
Chat input
Input
Card (Primary)
Matches your request. $350/unit cheaper with EPP applied.
Card (selectable)
Card (Group)
Examples
Compositions that combine the mark, color, and components into real patterns. Each example shows the AI expression working alongside standard UI.
Activity timeline
A mix of AI and user activity. AI steps carry the mark across its states (complete, in progress, upcoming), while people appear as avatars.
Sync to ERP
Queued for the next run
Posting entry
9:16 AMWriting to the ledger
- PV
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9:14 AMPeter Vachon
Agent reviewed
9:10 AMPO matched, terms verified
Data extracted
9:08 AMInvoice parsed successfully
Product recommendation
Three glass product cards. The first is the AI pick: it uses the primary glass card with the glow and a gradient fill badge to set it apart from the standard results.
Pairing a glow with a label
The glow lifts the recommended card off the grid, and the gradient fill badge names why it stands out. The two work as a pair: the glow draws the eye, the label explains the emphasis. Use the combination for a single best match per view so the signal stays meaningful, and keep the glow soft. It guides attention without the hard edge of a border or a solid color block.
Recommended actions
A card group over one shared glow, headed by the mark. Each card pairs an action with its impact metrics and offers to automate or dismiss it.
Mark the group once, not every control
When several AI recommendations are grouped together, establish the AI context a single time at the section level. The shared glow contains the group, and the mark with the section title signals that everything inside is AI generated. Repeating the mark on every card, badge, and button within dilutes it and leads to mark fatigue, so the controls inside can stay neutral. Setting the expression at the boundary keeps it present and meaningful without overuse.
Plan selection
Selectable cards in a guided choice. The agent's pick is the AI variant with its gradient glow on select and an Agent pick badge, while the alternatives are standard. An AI note frames the recommendation above the options.
Which plan tier for the Denver lines?
Your T-Mobile MSA includes three business tiers. Based on the SE team's usage, Business Pro fits.