Editorial standard
IndexStyle is not a list of every term used around design. An independent entry must describe a visual language that can be recognised, reproduced and distinguished from its neighbours.
Five gates for an independent entry
- The name is established outside IndexStyle and has a reliable source.
- The work has a specific visual grammar that can be stated as at least four observable cues.
- The grammar recurs across multiple works, makers or shipped products rather than one isolated example.
- There is at least one visible point that separates it from the styles most often confused with it.
- Its type, composition and material decisions can be written as a reproducible recipe, including the point where imitation fails.
What does not become a style entry
- A medium, industry, audience or product category without a look of its own.
- A workflow, ethical principle, data format or implementation strategy whose result can take any appearance.
- A generic interface pattern that can be rendered inside unrelated design systems.
- A single project, a label coined by one article, or a broad cultural theory without recurring visual evidence.
Design systems are not accepted automatically
A design system qualifies only when its published rules produce a recognisable screen language across multiple shipped products. A component library, brand palette or typeface alone is insufficient; the distinction must survive without the logo.
Audit 1.0
The earlier review through entry 542 was rechecked against these gates. All 43 later additions were decided individually. Record completeness is also enforced for every retained entry: source, four visual cues, multiple uses, a reproduction recipe, a boundary and two comparison links.
| Candidates reviewed | 599 |
|---|---|
| Independent entries | 579 |
| Moved to supporting terms | 20 |