design.vecreal.com / workshop / V valley · round 7
Brand reference · workshop · round 7 · 2026-05-12
V valley · round 7 — hybrid silhouette correction (Bhf vs Bhm)
Operator caught: "R4-Bh seems wider than R4-Bw but you say it's the same silhouette." Correct — R4-Bh as built in round 6 IS wider than R4-Bw because I kept apex y=49 (unchanged from R4-A) while widening outer to x=9. The two have the same raw outer width in viewBox units (46), but different viewBox heights → different aspect ratios → different rendered widths at the same CSS height.
The math — why round 6's R4-Bh appears wider than R4-Bw
| Variant | Outer x | Apex y | viewBox | Aspect | Rendered width @ 0.66em |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R4-A baseline | 10 | 49 | 10 14 44 38 | 1.158 | 0.764em |
| R4-B | 10 | 49 | 10 14 44 38 | 1.158 | 0.764em |
| R4-Bw | 9 | 50.27 (extended) | 9 14 46 39.27 | 1.171 | 0.773em (+1.2%) |
| R4-Bh (round 6) = Bhf | 9 | 49 (unchanged) | 9 14 46 38 | 1.211 | 0.799em (+4.6%) |
| R4-Bhm (round 7 fix) | 9 | 50.27 (extended) | 9 14 46 39.27 | 1.171 | 0.773em (matches Bw) |
Both Bw and Bh have outer width 46 in viewBox units. But Bw extends down to
y=53.27 (apex Q control) so its viewBox is taller. CSS scales viewBox height to
match height: 0.66em, so Bw's units render proportionally smaller — width
rendered = 0.773em. Bh's shorter viewBox (no apex extension) gets larger units → width
rendered = 0.799em. That's the 3.4% width gap you saw.
Round 7 introduces R4-Bhm — same hybrid intent (wider outer + R4-B valley depth + stroke preserved) but with apex extended to y=50.27 so the V silhouette matches R4-Bw exactly. Trade-off: parallel-at-valley-y=32 with outer slope 1.727 requires inner top at x=21.58 → stroke 12.58 at top (~5% thicker than R4-A's 12) with zero taper.
Round 6's R4-Bh renamed to R4-Bhf ("Flat" — apex unchanged, V proportions more open) and kept as one option. R4-Bhm ("Match" — apex extended to match Bw silhouette + R4-B valley) is the corrected hybrid.
Section A · Locked rev-10 system reference
Single row at 80 px. R4-A baseline against the locked rev-10 system.
Section B · Five variants at 80 px — R4-A · R4-B · R4-Bw · R4-Bhf · R4-Bhm
R4-A baseline, R4-B (preserves R4-A silhouette), R4-Bw (Path B wider+taller), R4-Bhf (round 6's R4-Bh — wider outer but apex unchanged → V appears wider than Bw), R4-Bhm (corrected hybrid — apex extended to match Bw silhouette + R4-B valley + stroke 12.58 parallel).
Section C · Silhouette comparison at fixed height — V geometry only, no markers
Each V rendered at the same FRAME HEIGHT so width differences read clearly. R4-Bhf reads clearly wider than R4-Bw. R4-Bhm matches R4-Bw width exactly.
Section D · The two hybrids head-to-head at 140 px
R4-Bw and R4-Bhf and R4-Bhm side by side. Width comparison: Bhf is visibly wider than Bw; Bhm matches Bw exactly. Valley character: Bhm and Bhf both have R4-B's y=32 valley; Bw has y=33.
R4-Bw ⇄ R4-Bhf ⇄ R4-Bhm at 140 px
Section E · Small-size readability — 24 / 32 / 48 px
Width and stroke differences sub-pixel at small sizes — none of the variants break legibility.
| 24 px nav / sidebar | 32 px breadcrumb | 48 px body | |
|---|---|---|---|
| R4-A baseline | ecreal. | ecreal. | ecreal. |
| R4-B | ecreal. | ecreal. | ecreal. |
| R4-Bw · Path B | ecreal. | ecreal. | ecreal. |
| R4-Bhf · Flat | ecreal. | ecreal. | ecreal. |
| R4-Bhm · Match ★ | ecreal. | ecreal. | ecreal. |
Spec summary
| Variant | Outer x | Apex y | Inner top (L, R) | Valley y | Curve dips to | Stroke (top → val) | viewBox · aspect | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R4-A | 10 | 49 | 22, 42 | 32 sharp | n/a | 12 → 11.7 | 44 × 38 · 1.158 | baseline · sharp inner |
| R4-B | 10 | 49 | 22, 42 | 32 round | 31.35 | 12 → 11.7 | 44 × 38 · 1.158 | R4-A silhouette + valley/corner round |
| R4-Bw | 9 | 50.27 | 21, 43 | 33 round | 32.35 | 12 const | 46 × 39.27 · 1.171 | Path B · wider + deeper + apex extended |
| R4-Bhf | 9 | 49 | 21, 43 | 32 round | 31.36 | 12 → 12.20 (inverse) | 46 × 38 · 1.211 (wider) | FLAT hybrid · apex unchanged · V appears wider than Bw |
| R4-Bhm ★ | 9 | 50.27 | 21.58, 42.42 | 32 round | 31.35 | 12.58 const | 46 × 39.27 · 1.171 (matches Bw) | MATCH hybrid · Bw silhouette + R4-B valley + thicker parallel legs |
Recommendation R4-Bhm — the corrected hybrid. Matches R4-Bw silhouette
exactly (46 × 39.27, aspect 1.171), with R4-B's valley depth (vertex y=32, curve dips to
y=31.35), and parallel legs at stroke 12.58 (~5% thicker than R4-A's 12). This is the
"wider outer from Bw + valley depth from B + preserved-or-thicker stroke" combination you
described.
Trade-offs:
- R4-Bhm · stroke 12.58 — slightly chunkier legs but parallel, V silhouette matches Bw exactly
- R4-Bhf · stroke 12 with 1.9% slope mismatch — V renders wider than Bw, more open/flatter
- R4-B · stroke 12 → 11.7 — preserves R4-A 44 × 38 silhouette, no widening
- R4-Bw · stroke 12 — Bw silhouette, but valley at y=33 not y=32 (deeper than you preferred)
Call
R4-A | R4-B | R4-Bw | R4-Bhf | R4-Bhm and I lock the V + regenerate
assets/wordmark.svg with Inter Bold text-as-paths in one atomic pass.
Vecreal · brand workshop · 2026-05-12 · v-valley round 7 (hybrid silhouette correction)