design.vecreal.com / workshop / V valley · round 9
Brand reference · workshop · round 9 · 2026-05-12
V valley · round 9 — y=32.75 (split) + spacing review
Operator confirmed the "stocky" read at y=32 and is between y=32.5 and y=33. Round 9 tests y=32.75 (the split). Plus a health check on V-to-e margin (-0.11em locked rev-3) and dot size (0.23em locked rev-7) since the V's silhouette + stroke have shifted meaningfully from R4-A.
Valley parametric — y=32.75 in context
| Valley y | Stroke (const) | Curve dips to | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 32.0 | 12.58 | 31.35 | round 7 R4-Bhm · "stocky" |
| 32.5 | 12.29 | 31.85 | round 8 proposed |
| 32.75 ★ | 12.14 | 32.10 | round 9 split |
| 33.0 | 12.00 | 32.35 | = R4-Bw exactly · matches R4-A stroke |
y=32.75 logic: stroke 12.14 is just barely above R4-A's 12, with the deepest valley curve in the Bhm family. The legs are essentially R4-A-thick — institutional substance without the round-7 chunky read — while the valley is as full-depth as the parametric allows without becoming R4-Bw itself.
Section A · R4-A baseline reference
Production current at 80 px — the system being upgraded.
Section B · Valley depth progression — y=32.5 → y=32.75 → y=33 at 80 px
Same V silhouette (46 × 39.27, outer x=9, apex y=50.27) across all three. Valley shifts in 0.25-unit steps. Stroke adjusts to keep parallel legs.
Section C · y=32.75 close inspection at 140 px
Display-size compare of the three Bhm-family valley depths. The y=32.75 dip-to-y=32.10 reads as "real valley" without being as deep as Bw's y=33.
R4-Bhm @ y=32.5 ⇄ y=32.75 ⇄ y=33 at 140 px
Section D · Spacing review at y=32.75 — V-to-e × dot size matrix
Four combinations of V-to-e margin × dot size, all with R4-Bhm @ y=32.75 V. Check whether the locked rev-3 (-0.11em V-to-e) and rev-7 (0.23em dot) still feel right with the new V character, or want minor adjustment.
Section E · Spacing close inspection at 140 px
The four primary spacing combinations at display size — the read is clearest here.
Current ⇄ Looser V-to-e ⇄ Bigger dot ⇄ Both at 140 px
Spec summary
| Variant | Valley y | Stroke | V-to-e | Dot | Dot margin-left | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R4-A baseline | 32 sharp | 12 | -0.11em | 0.23em | calc(0.03em+2px) | production current |
| R4-Bhm @ y=32.5 | 32.5 round | 12.29 | -0.11em | 0.23em | calc(0.03em+2px) | round 8 |
| R4-Bhm @ y=32.75 ★ | 32.75 round | 12.14 | -0.11em (verify) | 0.23em (verify) | calc(0.03em+2px) | round 9 split · spacing under review |
| R4-Bw @ y=33 | 33 round | 12.00 | -0.11em | 0.23em | calc(0.03em+2px) | endpoint reference |
Honest spacing analysis — should anything change?
V-to-e (-0.11em). Math: V outer right at "e" x-height moves from x=49.61 (R4-A) to x=51.03 (R4-Bhm) — extends ~0.009em further toward "e" at that height. With same -0.11em margin, V/e interlock tightens ~1.3% with R4-Bhm. At 80 px that's 0.7 px; at 140 px 1.3 px. Below perception threshold. No real adjustment justified on math alone.
Dot size (0.23em). V mass increased ~5% from R4-A to R4-Bhm (wider silhouette + chunkier legs). Dot/V height ratio drifted from ~35% (locked target from rev-7 H2 favicon alignment) to ~33%. Bumping dot to 0.24em restores the ratio (and per the proportional positioning rule, margin-left shifts from calc(0.03em+2px) to calc(0.025em+2px) to keep dot optical center fixed). Defensible but not necessary.
My verdict: keep both at current. The math says the differences are small. The bigger risk is over-tuning — once we start adjusting spacing to compensate for V geometry, we're back to incremental aesthetic fiddling on an already resolved system. The original -0.11em / 0.23em pairing was tuned for a system where every element earned its place. R4-Bhm is well within tolerance.
The argument for changing (if you disagree): if Section E's "current" row at 140 px reads as too tight at V/e or dot feels too small relative to the new V, one — not both — adjustments. Looser V-to-e (-0.105em) is more likely to be visible than dot 0.24em. If you only change one thing, pick the V-to-e.
The argument against changing (my honest lean): both rev-3 and rev-7 locks were operator-driven through their own workshop rounds. Reopening them after V geometry settles risks compounding small re-tunings. The system is in a resolved state at the locked spacings — let it be unless something visibly feels off.
To lock, name:
1. V geometry: R4-Bhm @ y=32.5 | y=32.75 | y=33
2. Spacing: keep current (-0.11em / 0.23em) or specify changes
Once locked, I regenerate assets/wordmark.svg with Inter Bold text-as-paths +
new V path + final spacing in a single clean pass.
Vecreal · brand workshop · 2026-05-12 · v-valley round 9 (y=32.75 + spacing review)