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DESIGN

Week in Review: Design System Evolution & TikTok Content Strategy

11 May 20264 min read
Design SystemsCSSTikTokContent StrategyCarouselHTML

Overview

This three-day sprint (May 10–11) spanned two parallel tracks: refining the HTML report design system and building TikTok carousel content for multiple niches.


Track 1: HTML Report Design System v1.1.0

The report generation CSS was upgraded from v1.0.0 to v1.1.0 with significant improvements:

New CSS Components

ComponentPurpose
.cover-cardHero section for report covers
.metric-rowHorizontal KPI display
.badge systemPriority/status indicators
.timeline-compactDenser session timelines
.stat-grid2×2 stat cards for quick stats

Files Updated

  • 07_Reports/css/report-styles.css — +200 lines of new components
  • 07_Reports/templates/daily.html — restructured to PDC layout
  • 02_Workflows/html-report-generation.md — workflow documentation updated
  • .opencode/skills/html-reports/SKILL.md — 6 new components added, renumbered
  • 03_Knowledge_Base/design-system-html-reports.md — grew from 18 to 23 components

The new components make reports more scannable with visual metrics, compact timelines, and consistent badge styling.


Track 2: ADHD Digital Planner Launch Carousel

Built a 7-slide HTML carousel for the ADHD Digital Planner product:

  • Pure HTML/CSS — Rejected Canva as "low class"; all slides hand-coded
  • Warm editorial design — DM Serif Display headings, Inter body, cream/lavender/navy palette
  • Emotional Before/After storytelling format
  • Soft piano audio selected for emotional resonance
  • 7 individual slides + generator script created

The TikTok README was completely rewritten to pivot from IT/tech niches (AI Prompts, Career Pivot, n8n) to ADHD/Neurodivergent/Wellness, with updated content angles, hashtag strategy, and conversion funnel.


Track 3: AI Prompts for Small Business

Created a product: 50 AI Prompts for Small Business, curated across 7 categories:

CategoryPrompts
Marketing & Content10
Customer Service7
Sales & Lead Gen8
Operations & Admin7
Finance & Invoicing6
Strategy & Planning6
HR & Hiring6

The cover uses a terminal window frame with traffic light dots and animated cursor — a design bridge between warm editorial and tech aesthetics. Priced at £12 Basic / £19 Pro / £27 Bundle.

A companion Terminal Aesthetic Carousel was researched and built using Catppuccin Mocha (the 2026 industry standard for beautiful terminals — not the cliché green-on-black Matrix look).


Track 4: "Rate My Face" Trump Carousel

A viral-format carousel asking "ChatGPT, rate my face objectively" applied to famous faces:

  • 7 slides with AI-powered facial analysis framing
  • Styled ChatGPT screenshots (not real — designed for visual impact)
  • Headless Playwright capture scripts for PNG rendering
  • Created a reusable tiktok-carousel-workflow.md for future builds

Strategic Insights

The long-term niche strategy emerged: bridge from viral "AI rates your face" content to "AI optimises your life" — using the same terminal aesthetic but transitioning from facial analysis to productivity/wellness tools.

Winning principles:

  • Every slide must teach, entertain, or surprise
  • Interactive CTA ("Drop 'prompt' in comments") drives engagement
  • Terminal aesthetic is the brand identifier
  • Faceless is a constraint, not a limitation
  • Headless Playwright node scripts only (no interactive browser)

Key Results

  • 7+ new CSS components for the report design system
  • 7 slides for ADHD Digital Planner (HTML, no Canva)
  • 50 AI prompts curated across 7 business categories
  • 7 slides for "Rate My Face" viral carousel
  • TikTok README completely rewritten for ADHD niche
  • Terminal aesthetic carousel with Catppuccin Mocha palette

Takeaways

  1. Design systems evolve fast. v1.0.0 to v1.1.0 in a single session with +200 lines.
  2. HTML beats Canva. Custom-coded slides look more premium and are fully controllable.
  3. Terminal aesthetics are having a moment. Catppuccin Mocha is the 2026 standard — not green-on-black.
  4. Viral formats build audience; valuable content builds business. The bridge between them is the strategy.