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II — VISUALS

Imagery

Photography and texture guidelines for the CX visual world.

Photography rules

  • High contrast — deep blacks, bright highlights, minimal mid-tones.
  • Cinematic — every frame could be a film still.
  • Dark / moody — available light preferred, never overlit.
  • Candid over posed — catch people in motion, mid-gesture, unaware.
  • B&W or desaturated preferred. Color only when it earns its place.
  • Editorial composition — asymmetry, negative space, tension in the frame.

Image treatment

Every image should pass through the CX filter before use. This isn’t a preset — it’s a discipline.

Step 1

Desaturate

Convert to B&W or pull saturation to 15–30%. Color is earned, not default.

Step 2

Crush the blacks

Push shadows toward true black. Lift highlights slightly. The curve should be steep.

Step 3

Add grain

Subtle film grain (2–5%). Analog texture, not noise. It should feel found, not filtered.

Step 4

Crop with intent

Off-center subjects. Cut into people. Leave negative space where the eye should rest.

Do / Don’t

Do
  • Dark, moody, high-contrast shots
  • Candid moments, mid-motion
  • B&W or heavily desaturated
  • Asymmetric crops with negative space
  • Grain and analog texture
  • One image per surface
Don’t
  • Bright, flat, evenly-lit stock photos
  • Staged smiles or corporate poses
  • Saturated / HDR / over-processed
  • Centered, symmetrical, safe framing
  • Instagram filters or color overlays
  • Collages or image grids (one idea per surface)

Texture

Raw grain, brushstrokes, paper creases. The “Blkmarket / Copyscan” aesthetic — photocopy artifacts, risograph bleed, analog imperfection on digital precision.

mix-blend-mode: exclusion; /* overlay texture layer */

Apply texture overlays with Exclusion blend mode for that distressed-but-intentional look.

CX image feels like…

“The back room of a gallery opening”

“A Polaroid from a party you weren't supposed to be at”

“The last frame of a Kubrick film”

“A contact sheet from a 3 AM shoot”

“Something beautiful that doesn't care if you noticed”

Motifs

  • Thin white lines — for structure only, never decorative.
  • No decorative patterns, no gradients, no drop shadows.
  • Lines create grids, borders, and spatial rhythm — nothing more.

File specs

ContextFormatMin resolution
Web heroWebP / AVIF2400 × 1600
Social / cardPNG / WebP1200 × 630
PrintTIFF / PSD300 DPI at output size
Texture overlayPNG (transparent)Match canvas size