Reciprocal alphabet
A–M map directly to the thirteen positions. N–Z return through the same geometry as reciprocal counterparts, making the alphabet spatial rather than merely sequential.
← Selected work
Case study / 01
Product design / symbolic systems / web engineering
Sigilize
A symbolic system with enough internal logic to become software—and enough strangeness that conventional product design would have flattened the point.
RoleProduct + interaction design
MediumResponsive web application
System13-node symbolic geometry
StatusLive / evolving
A—M / directN—Z / reciprocal13 positions / one grammar
01The problem
The interface had to explain a language by letting people speak it.
Sigilize begins with a fixed geometry: two squares, a rotated inner square, a circle, and thirteen meaningful positions. Letters map onto those positions in reciprocal pairs. A working combines force, destination, mode, quality, and impact into a drawable form.
A reference manual could describe that system accurately and still fail the user. The product had to make the relationships visible while someone was actively composing with them.
The operating system underneath the interface
Structure first. Ornament earns its place later.
Sentence grammar
Force → destination → mode → quality → impact gives a working a readable internal syntax before it becomes a mark.
Progressive clarification
The intention is not frozen at intake. The interface keeps clarification available throughout the process because refinement is part of the practice.
Symbolic, not evidentiary
The experience supports reflective symbolic practice without presenting interpretation as evidence about external reality. Product language and interaction stay grounded in what the user is doing.
02Interaction
The builder behaves like an instrument, not a form.
The key controls stay close to the viewport because the act of construction is continuous. Geometry, symbolic choices, and the evolving output need to remain in one field of attention rather than being split across a sequence of disconnected screens.
On smaller screens, the geometry compresses and the controls reorganize around the user’s current action. The system remains visible, but it stops competing with the task.
BUILDKeep the symbolic grid present.
The user should see the consequence of each choice while making it.
CLARIFYTreat intention as editable state.
Refinement is part of the working, not a correction after it.
READExpose the grammar on demand.
Reference material supports action without taking over the experience.
03What it proves
Complexity can survive contact with usability.
The design does not simplify the system by deleting its unusual parts. It identifies which complexity is essential, gives that complexity a coherent interaction model, and removes the friction that has nothing to do with the practice itself.
That is the Perihelion pattern: find the internal logic, make it perceptible, and build the interface around the consequence.
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