Mascot Profile System
Clay’s mascot system is a cast of equal hand-formed plasticine profile characters. A mascot profile can represent a person, collaborator, opportunity profile, community member, or configurable identity surface. It is not a chatbot avatar, mood icon, product-state badge, animal, emoji, or generic AI assistant. Each profile has a stable personality and multiple neutral visual variants. Profiles are not bound to a single color, mood, product role, consent state, or hierarchy. Product components carry state and decisions; mascot profiles carry identity, presence, and handmade warmth.The UI carries decisions. Mascot profiles carry identity and presence. Never rely on a mascot’s
color, expression, or accessory to communicate consent, readiness, fit, privacy, or irreversible
action without explicit product copy and controls.
Mascot Profiles
The first mascot generation uses six equal profile characters. Their personalities are profile flavors, not moods or product states. Visual anchors are intentionally palette-flexible: no profile owns acid lime, purple, orange, pink, taupe, plum, or any other Clay color.| Profile | Personality | Shape grammar | Color and accessory direction |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nori | Curious, observant, precise, open | Rounded bean or pebble forms with soft antennae and uneven eyes | Multicolor clay patches, beads, dots, or loops; never only lime |
| Miso | Constructive, hands-on, practical, generous | Stout block, pouch, or soft tool-like forms with pressed-on pieces | Mixed warm and bright clay colors, pocket details, bands, tags |
| Luma | Social, attentive, expressive, lively | Ringed, orbiting, or tubular forms that can lean toward others | Shared ribbons, loops, rings, and high-contrast mixed colors |
| Taro | Grounded, careful, steady, boundary-aware | Shell, stack, or broad-base forms with calm weight and surface marks | Taupe may appear, but only as one material among many colors |
| Pippa | Playful, bold, inviting, momentum-minded | Small energetic silhouettes with flowers, sprouts, or raised clay dots | Pink, lime, orange, cyan, purple, or taupe can all mix freely |
| Sable | Reflective, analytical, deliberate, focused | Lens, ridge, notebook, or stacked pebble forms with finer details | Plum can appear, but not as a fixed private-mode assignment |
Variant Matrix
Each profile has exactly three neutral visual variants in the first generated set. A variant is a design option within the same profile identity, not a mood, status, or unlock level.| Profile | Variant | Visual change | Personality continuity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nori | Pebble | Smooth bean body, asymmetric eyes, small clay bead cluster | Curious and observant without becoming a discovery state |
| Nori | Loop | Tubular arm or loop wrapping around the body, mixed-color patches | Same open profile, more tactile interaction |
| Nori | Prism | Raised dots, antennae, and a contrasting clay belly mark | Same precise profile, richer surface construction |
| Miso | Block | Stout block body, pressed clay bands, one or two eyes | Constructive and practical without becoming a drafting state |
| Miso | Patch | Patchwork color pieces, soft pocket, uneven handmade seams | Same hands-on profile with stronger material detail |
| Miso | Pouch | Rounded pouch silhouette, tag or bead accessory, squashed base | Same generous profile, different body architecture |
| Luma | Orbit | Ring or halo form around a rounded body, mixed bright colors | Social and expressive without becoming an intro state |
| Luma | Ribbon | Long tubular ribbon limb, three-eye option, strong color contrast | Same lively profile with more motion in the silhouette |
| Luma | Bead | Raised bead surface, loop accessory, compact stance | Same attentive profile, denser clay texture |
| Taro | Shell | Broad shell-like body, visible thumb marks, small loop or tag | Grounded and careful without becoming a consent state |
| Taro | Stack | Stacked pebble form, mixed taupe and bright clay attachments | Same steady profile, more vertical construction |
| Taro | Marker | Rounded body with pressed badge-like clay mark and soft horns | Same boundary-aware profile without replacing UI labels |
| Pippa | Sprout | Small bipedal form with sprout or flower accessory | Playful and inviting without becoming an onboarding state |
| Pippa | Pop | Raised dots, bright patches, slightly wider stance | Same bold profile, more surface energy |
| Pippa | Bloom | Flower-like clay pieces, asymmetric eyes, multicolor base | Same momentum-minded profile with richer accessory language |
| Sable | Lens | Lens-like eye arrangement, dark and bright mixed clay pieces | Reflective and deliberate without becoming private mode |
| Sable | Ridge | Extruded ridges or rings, compact body, small clay notebook shape | Same analytical profile, stronger texture variation |
| Sable | Fold | Folded or stacked body planes, bead line, soft flattened base | Same focused profile, different silhouette logic |
Palette Rules
Mascot profiles can use any Clay palette color and can combine several colors in one body. Colors are material choices, not identity locks. Avoid fixed formulas such as “Nori is lime,” “Luma is purple,” “Taro is private taupe,” or “Sable is dark mode.” The same profile should still be recognizable when its colors change.Anatomy
Clay the mascot is a small plasticine figure. The body language, posture, and surface variation are what make it feel warm, hand-made, and human.- Soft plasticine body.
- Oversized eyes are allowed for warmth and orientation.
- Simple limbs.
- Uneven proportions.
- Visible fingerprints and hand-formed surface variation.
- Slight asymmetry.
- No sharp edges.
- No glossy plastic or perfect toy symmetry.
Why asymmetry
Visible fingerprints and uneven proportions signal that the figure was shaped by a person, not
generated by a cold system.
Why no gloss
Glossy plastic reads as toy, packaging, or stock illustration. Matte clay keeps Clay the mascot
feeling like a thoughtful companion, not a product mascot.
Profile Presentation
Mascot profiles can smile, lean, wave, look around, hold objects, or interact with each other, but those cues are presentation choices rather than product-state labels. A profile’s face, posture, color mix, and accessory set should preserve identity without becoming a shortcut for consent, readiness, privacy, fit, or error handling.| Presentation axis | Allowed range | Guardrail |
|---|---|---|
| Face layout | One, two, or three eyes; simple attached smiles or O-shaped mouths | Do not name the variant after an emotion |
| Posture | Upright, leaning, hugging, tangling, sitting, peeking, or waving | Do not make one posture the “ready” or “private” posture |
| Color mix | Any Clay palette combination, including multicolor clay bodies | Do not lock a profile to a single palette token |
| Texture | Smooth, bumped, ridged, ringed, patched, dented, or marbled clay | Do not use texture as a quality rank |
| Accessory | Wearables, beads, loops, tags, pockets, flowers, notebooks, blocks | Do not replace explicit UI labels with accessory symbolism |
Accessories
Accessories are profile details first. They can suggest taste, interests, rhythm, or narrative without taking over the product’s meaning.| Accessory family | Use |
|---|---|
| Beads, dots, rings | Tactile construction, contrast, rhythm, and recognizability |
| Ribbons and loops | Interaction between profiles, group scenes, and flexible silhouette |
| Tags and pockets | Profile detail, collectable identity, and handmade craft |
| Flowers and sprouts | Playful construction detail, not a permanent support label |
| Books and notebooks | Interest or profile flavor, not a fixed deep-work state |
| Headphones and cups | Casual profile detail, not a listening or productivity state |
| Shields and checks | Only allowed when surrounding UI explicitly states the related consent or readiness meaning |
| Scarves, hats, bags | User-selected profile identity details |
Motion
Mascot motion is subtle and profile-preserving. Animation timings come from the motion spec.- Idle breathe: 2400ms, very low amplitude.
- Look-around or lean: short orientation movement for low-pressure surfaces.
- Hand-formed squash: slight clay compression on hover or selection.
- Group interaction: gentle waving, leaning, tangling, or passing a clay object.
- Serious states: reduce motion and let explicit UI controls carry the meaning.
Idle breathe keeps the profile present
Use the idle breathe on resting mascot surfaces so the figure feels present without pulling
attention away from the workflow.
Interaction stays profile-neutral
Movement can show contact, selection, or group presence. It must not permanently bind a profile
to a product state, mood, or hierarchy.
Evolution
Mascot profiles can gain detail as the system matures, but evolution must stay transparent, safe, and aligned with the product contract.| Stage | Visible change |
|---|---|
| Early | Simple profile silhouettes with clear handmade material. |
| Expanded | More surface texture, accessories, and multicolor variants. |
| Personalized | User-selected profile variants, colors, and accessories. |
| Serious | Quieter presentation without turning any profile into a separate private or consent mascot. |
Rendering
Generated mascot imagery should match the platform’s tactile, hand-made direction and stay clear of generic AI illustration patterns.- Matte plasticine texture, not ceramic, rubber, vinyl, plush, or glossy plastic.
- Visible hand-formed surface variation: fingerprints, kneaded color, seams, pinch marks, dents, smudges, and thumb-smoothed edges.
- Multicolor clay bodies and accessories where useful. Do not make the color system look like six fixed mascot teams.
- Off-white or transparent-safe backgrounds depending on use.
- No mascot holding phones, laptops, or generic tech props unless the surface clearly needs it.
- Identity should come from silhouette, texture, color mix, face layout, and accessory composition, not from a permanent emotion label.
Generated Profile Scene Asset
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Specs image | /images/mascot-system/clay-mascot-monster-scene.png |
| Source output | /Users/curlyz/.codex/generated_images/019f4147-8d52-7663-b6bc-0fb5e14e26d0/ig_0bbf158ae6d8f714016a4e3319891c8191a2ef263c39694d88.png |
| Prompt ledger | ~/.agents/generations/2026/07/clay/20260708-182537-clay-mascot-profile-scene.md |
| Status | Candidate visual direction, copied into specs for review |
Asset ledger
Every mascot image asset committed underapps/specs/images/ is listed here with its Mintlify-relative
path, its original generator output path, and a prompt-ledger reference where one exists. Assets without
a ledger reference are unledgered candidates that still need prompt provenance before they ship.
| Filename | Mintlify path | Source output path | Prompt ledger ref | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
clay-mascot-monster-scene.png | /images/mascot-system/clay-mascot-monster-scene.png | /Users/curlyz/.codex/generated_images/019f4147-8d52-7663-b6bc-0fb5e14e26d0/ig_0bbf158ae6d8f714016a4e3319891c8191a2ef263c39694d88.png | apps/landing/public/images/design-system/PROMPT_LEDGER.md → clay-mascot-profile-scene | Candidate |
clay-mascot-profile-scene.webp | Landing path /images/mascot-system/clay-mascot-profile-scene.webp | Optimized derivative of clay-mascot-monster-scene.png | apps/landing/public/images/design-system/PROMPT_LEDGER.md → clay-mascot-profile-scene | Landing hero derivative |
clay-mascot-lineup.png | /images/mascot-system/clay-mascot-lineup.png | Unrecorded — no generator output path documented | Not yet ledgered | Unledgered |
When you commit a new mascot image into
apps/specs/images/, add a row here with the
source-output path and the matching PROMPT_LEDGER.md entry. The ledger is the single source of
truth that keeps spec images auditable back to the prompt and the model run that produced them.Guardrails
Mascot profiles must never:- Imply that consent is implied or unnecessary.
- Mimic romantic, therapeutic, or fiduciary relationships.
- Hide private context behind a friendly face.
- Become fixed symbols for moods, product states, consent states, or palette teams.
- Bounce, celebrate, or smile through a destructive or irreversible action.
Related
Design language
The full material, color, shape, and component contract that Clay mascot profiles belong to.
Themes
Acid Lime, Editorial, and Dark Plum — the theme packs that shift atmosphere without locking
mascot profile palettes.
Components
Where product components carry state, consent, and decisions explicitly.
Motion
Timing, easing, and reduced-motion behavior shared with mascot animation.
Introduction
The product contract behind intentions, personalities, opportunity, and consent.