Plate I — Orientation

Structural intent

Define a single primary axis and a clear facing direction. The frame should establish “forward” as an observable property of the scene, not a story inference.

What must be observable

• One dominant axis (vertical OR horizontal) that governs composition.
• A stable vanishing point or centerline alignment that implies forward progression.
• A viewer position that sits on-axis (not oblique).
• Clear separation between “front” and “non-front” (entry vs. surrounding).

Common failure modes

• Competing axes (multiple vanishing points, strong diagonals) that dilute facing.
• Ambiguous forward direction (no anchor, no horizon, no centerline).
• Side-angle viewpoint that turns the axis into a background feature.
• Symmetry mistaken for orientation (balanced but directionless).

UI / system translation (non-symbolic)

• Use as the default “navigation frame” for Canon and Architect indices.
• In UI: a single primary CTA axis (one dominant progression path).
• In system terms: establish a canonical coordinate system before adding variants.
• For image QA: reject any candidate with >1 strong directional axis of equal strength.