Shown on its own paper ground, #F4F5F2.
A · considered watchkeeping
Vigil
An editorial watch report: one sentence says what needs attention, then a site log with times in the margin and footnotes on certainty.
Round 1 · comparison canvas · nonfinal
Three directions for MainsKeeper
The same product, the same frozen scenario and the same question each time: what needs my attention, what happened, and how certain are we? Previews are live pages scaled down. Open any of them full size from the links.
Demonstration data — not real equipment
Directions side by side
Shown on its own graphite ground, #0E1113.
B · utility dispatch
Feeder Board
A dense control-room board: an annunciator strip for alarms, dispatch tickets for incidents, a one-line mimic diagram and an event ledger.
Shown on its own lacquer ground, #0A0708.
C · power after dark
Brownout
The back room of a 3 a.m. club that runs the switchboard: flat alarm plates over an italic marquee, sites as velvet booths, jokes only where nothing is urgent.
Same questions, three answers
Comparison matrix
Read against the incident state of the shared scenario. Demonstration data — not real equipment.
| Question | A · Vigil | B · Feeder Board | C · Brownout |
|---|---|---|---|
| Where incidents appear | First as a headline sentence (“Two sites need attention…”), then an incidents list; the Duplex incident opens a drawer styled as a ledger page. | An annunciator strip across the top of the board for alarms; each incident opens as a dispatch ticket. | Flat “house lights” alarm plates on top, above the marquee; the Duplex incident opens a velvet-rope drawer, “the back room”. |
| Freshness and “last known” | Reading ages sit in the margin like log times; Shop is marked Last known with a footnote giving its age (15:10, 12 min old). | Instrument readout grid with reading age; stale values carry the [LAST] code and “LAST KNOWN 15:10”; counts read “UPS comms 5 / 6 communicating”. |
Each booth carries a freshness line; the rule is stated on the page: values are live unless marked “Last known”. |
| Estimates vs measurements | Plain means measured; estimates carry “est.” and are drawn dashed beyond now on the watch line; a footnote says time on battery says nothing about capacity. | [EST] code plus “(UPS estimate)” against runtime; measurements carry [OK]. |
“13 min on battery (measured)” set apart from “est. 18 min remaining (UPS estimate)”; the [EST] tag in the CLI. |
| Backlog and history gap | Backlog block in the ledger drawer; the 14:30–14:52 gap is a hatched “No records” band on the 24h watch line. | “History backlog 1,248 pending” readout; the event ledger has separate EVENT TIME and RECEIVED columns; the gap is flagged [GAP]. |
The backlog is the “bar tab”; the timeline is a dance-floor strip with the gap marked; reporting is the “guest list”. |
| CLI voice | Reads like a log entry: sentence-case headings, one key column, glyph and word together (● ▲ ◐ ○ — ±), a closing watch: line. Estimates carry est. plus “UPS estimate”; margin note: lines explain certainty. |
Uppercase section heads and bracket codes in a fixed gutter: [OK] [EST] [N/R] [GAP] [LAST]; the same codes appear on the dashboard and mobile. |
A host: “Good evening. You were missed.” Sections are WHO’S HERE, THE DOOR, THE BAR; the status tags stay plain ([OK], [EST]). |
| Risks | Live-text wordmark depends on Iowan/Charter; the ring can read as a no-entry or power symbol; quiet in a crowded tab strip; favicon drawn separately from the mark. | Harsh in the calm state; solid alarm tiles glare at night on a phone; DIN Alternate is macOS-only; the mobile ticket shows the timeline as a list, not a chart. | The marquee pushes booths below the fold during incidents (the alarm plates stay on top); velvet texture costs rendering time; Didot/Futura are macOS-only; magenta is both accent and focus ring. |
A · considered watchkeeping
Vigil
The idea. A watchkeeper’s report rather than a monitor: a headline sentence says what needs attention, site log entries carry times in the margin, and footnotes say how certain each figure is. A 24-hour watch line shows continuity; the incident drawer is a ledger page.
Distinctive
Continuity over drama. It says what is certain and what is not, in the same calm register. Mark: an open watch ring with a tick at twelve and a level teal mains line through the opening; “Mains” in roman, “Keeper” in italic (Iowan Old Style). Cool paper #F4F5F2, ink #15191F, teal #1D6A66.
Practical tradeoffs
- The live-text wordmark depends on the Iowan/Charter fallback.
- At a glance the ring may read as a no-entry or power symbol.
- Quieter in a crowded tab strip; the favicon is a separate drawing from the mark.
B · utility dispatch
Feeder Board
The idea. A utility control room. Alarms sit in an annunciator strip at the top and each incident opens as a dispatch ticket. A mimic one-line diagram runs sites → collectors → UPS → loads, beside an instrument readout grid and an event ledger with EVENT TIME and RECEIVED columns.
Distinctive
Bracket codes [OK] [EST] [LAST] [GAP] are shared across the dashboard, mobile and CLI, so one vocabulary carries status everywhere. Mark: a one-line diagram M whose centre bus tap stops short of a yellow keeper node — it watches and never closes the circuit. Condensed caps (DIN Alternate). Graphite #0E1113, safety yellow #F2C230, alarm red #FF4D3F, live cyan #49C2D6.
Practical tradeoffs
- Harsh in the calm state.
- Solid alarm tiles glare at night on a phone.
- DIN Alternate is macOS-only.
- The mobile ticket shows the timeline as a list, not a chart.
C · power after dark
Brownout
The idea. The back room of a 3 a.m. club that runs the switchboard. Flat “house lights” alarm plates sit above a huge italic Didot marquee (“Two sites are misbehaving.” / “Everyone’s still standing.”). Sites are four velvet booths — “the door” is collectors, “the bar” is UPSs — with a guest list for reporting, a bar tab for the backlog, a dance-floor strip for the timeline and a velvet-rope drawer called “the back room”.
Distinctive
Decoration and status never share a treatment, and jokes appear only where nothing is urgent. Mark: a chrome socket in a black lacquer lozenge; the two slots tilt into eyes and the ground pin becomes a keyhole — it looks in, never reaches in. It holds up flat in one ink. Lacquer #0A0708, oxblood #3B0B16, chrome #CBD0D6, magenta #FF2E88, chartreuse #D6FF3D, alarm white on #D8102C.
Practical tradeoffs
- During incidents the marquee pushes the booths below the fold (the alarm plates stay on top).
- The velvet texture costs rendering time.
- Didot and Futura are macOS-only.
- Magenta is both the accent and the focus ring.
Recommendation, state inventory and selection questions: Round 1 notes.
Back to top