Mobile & Web · 2026 · LIVE

Archivest — Thought Cabinet & Authorship Station

A private Thought Cabinet & Authorship Station for novelists and narrative designers. Originally commissioned as a client landing page for novel writing software, the platform was completely redesigned into an evocative narrative workspace inspired by the world, atmospheric grit, and cognitive psychology of Disco Elysium — eliminating client policy issues while forging a deeply original brand identity.

Company
Archivest
Client
Independent Authorship Syndicate
Timeline
2 Months
Scope
Product Design, UI/UX Architecture, Narrative Direction, Disco Elysium Aesthetics, Frontend Engineering, Art Direction, Fluid Typography

Overview & TL;DR

The Challenge: A client landing page for novel writing software required complete conceptual and aesthetic reinvention to resolve policy concerns and transcend generic, sterile SaaS tropes with zero synthetic slop.

My Role: Lead Product Designer & Creative Director — spearheaded the ideological re-theming, UI/UX architecture, visual asset generation, and frontend art direction from the ground up.

The Method: Reimagined the writing companion into a Revacholian Thought Cabinet anchored by three dialectical faculties (Logic, Encyclopedia & Drama, Visual Calculus), incorporating tactile CRT teletypes, detective dossier case files, and atmospheric Martinaise environmental storytelling.

The Problem

Most modern writing tools and author landing pages feel like sanitized corporate spreadsheet software or generic AI generative wrappers that alienate serious novelists. When client policy constraints necessitated an overhaul, the opportunity arose to discard generic SaaS clichés in favor of a visceral, psychologically resonant creative environment.

Process & Implementation

Ideological & Aesthetic Reimagining (The Revachol Shift)

Transformed a sterile SaaS utility into an atmospheric literary workspace inspired by the psychological faculties, political grit, and dialectical tension of Disco Elysium. By framing writing as detective case-cracking, every interface element became a narrative artifact.

  • Replaced generic AI chat prompts with an introspective Thought Cabinet interface
  • Employed CRT phosphor green glows, weathered ledger paper tones, and teletype dispatch typography
  • Created an immersive Martinaise rain-slicked metro and workstation setting that immediately anchors the author in a literary atmosphere

The Three Dialectical Faculties & Cognitive Engine

Structured the core product workflow around three distinct psychological investigative faculties that interrogate, construct, and autopsy manuscripts without overwriting the author's voice.

  • Faculty 01: Premise Interrogator (Shivers & Logic) — interrogates raw dramatic instincts against cognitive dissonance
  • Faculty 02: Story Architect (Encyclopedia & Drama) — orchestrates scene sequencing, historical timelines, and dramatic pacing
  • Faculty 03: Developmental Coroner (Visual Calculus & Volition) — audits manuscript structure, narrative cohesion, and prose endurance

Jurisdictional Clearance & Commercial Architecture

Redesigned the monetization model from standard monthly SaaS tiers to immersive jurisdictional clearance levels: Preliminary Interrogation ($7 dossier audit), the Full Martinaise Precinct, and the permanent Authorship Syndicate atelier.

  • Low-friction $7 entry audit to test premise viability without requiring long-term precinct commitments
  • Clear membership vs. monthly atelier coaching separation with instant pause controls
  • Zero synthetic slop pledge — highlighting human dialectical friction over generic LLM generation

Measurable Outcomes

Disco Elysium
Aesthetic Direction
Complete narrative overhaul resolving all previous client policy friction
3 Modules
Dialectical Faculties
Logic, Story Architecture, and Manuscript Coroner cognitive engine
Production
Live Station
Deployed and fully responsive with interactive sound and telegraphic mechanics

Archivest stands as an exemplary fusion of interactive storytelling, specialized software UX, and uncompromising visual worldbuilding — transforming a routine writing software landing page into a cult literary atelier.

Visual Artifacts & Gallery

  • Archivest — Thought Cabinet & Authorship Station (Asset: /assets/projects/archivest/archivest-cover.webp)
  • Authorship Workstation in Martinaise (Asset: /assets/projects/archivest/archivest-hero-bg.webp)
  • Dialectical Premise Interrogator — Logic faculty (Asset: /assets/projects/archivest/archivest-workflow-logic.webp)
  • Story Architect & Case Dossier — Lt. Kitsuragi faculty (Asset: /assets/projects/archivest/archivest-workflow-kitsuragi.webp)
  • Manuscript Coroner & Autopsy — Volition faculty (Asset: /assets/projects/archivest/archivest-workflow-volition.webp)
  • Martinaise Rail Depot Scene (Asset: /assets/projects/archivest/archivest-novelist-metro.webp)
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