For the last six months I've been deep in a rabbit hole of molecular visualization tools and crystallography software. The way atoms arrange themselves into stable lattices has a strange parallel with well-designed component systems.
This project started as a set of SVG molecule generators and evolved into a full design language: nodes as interactive elements, bonds as transitions, orbitals as focus states. Everything is built for near-black backgrounds with high-contrast neon accents that mimic fluorescence under UV light.
Key principles that emerged:
- Bond-length spacing instead of arbitrary margins
- Valence-based interaction rules (how many states an element can hold)
- Isotope variants for light/dark and high-contrast modes
- Reaction animations for state changes
The result is a library of UI primitives that feel less like traditional SaaS and more like something grown in a lab. Still iterating on the particle system that drives micro-interactions.