docs(05-02): complete image placeholders and thumbnails plan

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.6 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>

.planning/phases/05-image-handling/05-02-SUMMARY.md

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+---
+phase: 05-image-handling
+plan: 02
+subsystem: ui
+tags: [image-placeholder, card-layout, tailwind, aspect-ratio]
+
+# Dependency graph
+requires:
+  - phase: 05-image-handling
+    provides: Working image persistence and hero area component from plan 01
+provides:
+  - Always-visible 4:3 image area on all gear cards with category emoji placeholders
+  - Consistent card heights across grid layouts
+affects: [06-category-icons]
+
+# Tech tracking
+tech-stack:
+  added: []
+  patterns: [category-emoji-placeholder, always-visible-image-area]
+
+key-files:
+  created: []
+  modified:
+    - src/client/components/ItemCard.tsx
+    - src/client/components/CandidateCard.tsx
+
+key-decisions:
+  - "Setup detail page only uses ItemCard grid (no separate list view), so no thumbnail component needed"
+  - "Category emoji as placeholder provides visual context without requiring default images"
+
+patterns-established:
+  - "Always-visible image area: 4:3 aspect ratio container with conditional image or emoji placeholder"
+
+requirements-completed: [IMG-02]
+
+# Metrics
+duration: 1min
+completed: 2026-03-15
+---
+
+# Phase 5 Plan 2: Image Placeholders & Thumbnails Summary
+
+**Always-visible 4:3 image area on ItemCard and CandidateCard with category emoji placeholders for consistent grid layouts**
+
+## Performance
+
+- **Duration:** 1 min
+- **Started:** 2026-03-15T16:13:39Z
+- **Completed:** 2026-03-15T16:14:40Z
+- **Tasks:** 2
+- **Files modified:** 2
+
+## Accomplishments
+- Replaced conditional image rendering with always-present 4:3 aspect ratio area on both ItemCard and CandidateCard
+- Cards without images now show category emoji centered on gray background, providing visual context
+- Verified setup detail page uses ItemCard grid (no separate list view), so card placeholders serve both contexts
+
+## Task Commits
+
+Each task was committed atomically:
+
+1. **Task 1: Add always-visible 4:3 image area with placeholders to ItemCard and CandidateCard** - `acf34c3` (feat)
+2. **Task 2: Add small thumbnails to setup item lists** - No commit needed (setup page only uses ItemCard grid, already updated in Task 1)
+
+## Files Created/Modified
+- `src/client/components/ItemCard.tsx` - Always-visible 4:3 image area with emoji placeholder fallback
+- `src/client/components/CandidateCard.tsx` - Same treatment as ItemCard for consistent behavior
+
+## Decisions Made
+- Setup detail page only uses ItemCard in a grid layout (no separate list view exists), so no additional thumbnail component was needed
+- Category emoji serves as an effective placeholder, providing category context without requiring default images
+
+## Deviations from Plan
+
+None - plan executed exactly as written. The plan anticipated the possibility that the setup page only uses ItemCard grid and specified to verify and note in summary.
+
+## Issues Encountered
+None.
+
+## User Setup Required
+None - no external service configuration required.
+
+## Next Phase Readiness
+- All image display components complete (upload, hero area, card placeholders)
+- Phase 5 image handling fully complete
+- Ready for Phase 6 category icon system
+
+---
+*Phase: 05-image-handling*
+*Completed: 2026-03-15*