No Uniform Spacing Without Variation
Do not apply uniform 8pt grid spacing mechanically to every element without variation. The 8pt grid is a floor — not a ceiling.…
$ aoe install @community/rule-no-uniform-spacing-without-variationProjection
Always in _index.xml · the agent never has to ask for this.
NoUniformSpacingWithoutVariation [rule] v1.0.0
Do not apply uniform 8pt grid spacing mechanically to every element without variation. The 8pt grid is a floor — not a ceiling. Intentional spacing variation (tight groupings within a section, generous separation between sections) creates visual rhythm; uniform gap-4 or gap-8 everywhere creates visual monotony.
Loaded when retrieval picks the atom as adjacent / supporting.
NoUniformSpacingWithoutVariation [rule] v1.0.0
Do not apply uniform 8pt grid spacing mechanically to every element without variation. The 8pt grid is a floor — not a ceiling. Intentional spacing variation (tight groupings within a section, generous separation between sections) creates visual rhythm; uniform gap-4 or gap-8 everywhere creates visual monotony.
Meta
- License: Apache-2.0
- License Provenance: package-authorship-claim
Severity
warning
Use Instead
- Within-section spacing: 4–12px (tight relationship between related elements)
- Between-section spacing: 48–96px (generous separation between content groups)
- Section padding: varies by persona — 24px for dense, 64–96px for editorial/marketing
- At minimum 5 distinct spacing values in any complete page design
Loaded when retrieval picks the atom as a focal / direct hit.
NoUniformSpacingWithoutVariation [rule] v1.0.0
Do not apply uniform 8pt grid spacing mechanically to every element without variation. The 8pt grid is a floor — not a ceiling. Intentional spacing variation (tight groupings within a section, generous separation between sections) creates visual rhythm; uniform gap-4 or gap-8 everywhere creates visual monotony.
Meta
- License: Apache-2.0
- License Provenance: package-authorship-claim
Severity
warning
Use Instead
- Within-section spacing: 4–12px (tight relationship between related elements)
- Between-section spacing: 48–96px (generous separation between content groups)
- Section padding: varies by persona — 24px for dense, 64–96px for editorial/marketing
- At minimum 5 distinct spacing values in any complete page design
Relations
related: [@community/rule-spacing-rhythm, @community/anti-pattern-ai-generated-ui, @community/rule-grid-baseline-aligned]
Rationale
AI models default to 2-3 spacing values for the entire UI (gap-4 and gap-8 account for 70%+ of gap usage in training data). Uniform spacing is a convergence signal — it communicates that no spacing decisions were made. Rhythm requires contrast between dense and generous spacing zones.
Meta
- License: Apache-2.0
- License Provenance: package-authorship-claim
Severity
warning
Use Instead
- Within-section spacing: 4–12px (tight relationship between related elements)
- Between-section spacing: 48–96px (generous separation between content groups)
- Section padding: varies by persona — 24px for dense, 64–96px for editorial/marketing
- At minimum 5 distinct spacing values in any complete page design
Source
aoe-engine/examples/frontend-design/primes/compiled/@community/rule-no-uniform-spacing-without-variation/atom.yaml