Design animations with a minimal aesthetic — subtle, weighted, and intentional. Follow these principles:
Easing: Use custom cubic-bezier curves that feel slightly heavy and natural. Prefer cubic-bezier(0.25, 0.1, 0.25, 1) or spring physics with low stiffness and medium damping. Avoid generic ease-in-out.
Timing: Slower than typical UI (200-400ms). Premium interfaces don't rush.
Entrance animations: Combine subtle translateY (8-16px upward) with opacity fade (0 → 1). Elements should feel like they're gently rising into place.
Hover states: Slight scale (1.02-1.04x), soft shadow lift, and smooth color transitions. Nothing abrupt.
Micro-interactions: Tactile button presses (scale to 0.98), gentle glows that follow cursor position, and staggered list reveals with 50-75ms delays between items.
Philosophy: Animations should add texture, not spectacle. Nothing should call attention to itself. The goal is an interface that feels alive, responsive, and premium — like every element has subtle weight and intention behind its movement.
Avoid: Bouncy/playful springs, fast snappy transitions, large transform values, or any motion that feels decorative rather than functional.