Design System
Principles
Archive first. Every decision serves the work, not the designer.
Light ground. Bone-white or near-white background, deep-ink text.
Orange accent. #FF6600 for hover, active states, links — not decoration.
No gradients, no rounded corners. Clarity through simplicity.
Full color always. Artwork thumbnails keep saturated color at all times.
Colors
#fcf9f3
Bone-white page bg
#0B0B0B
Primary text
#FF6600
Accent (on dark)
#B84700
Text on light bg (AA)
#8e7164
Warm-brown border
#e3bfb1
Soft divider
Typography
Spacing Scale
| Name | Value | Pixels |
|---|---|---|
| xs | p-1 | 4px |
| sm | p-2 | 8px |
| md | p-4 | 16px |
| lg | p-8 | 32px |
| xl | p-12 | 48px |
Animation Timing
| Purpose | Duration | Easing |
|---|---|---|
| Fast (micro) | 150ms | ease |
| Normal (feedback) | 300ms | ease |
| Slow (entrance) | 500ms | ease |
Z-Index Scale
| Layer | Value | Used For |
|---|---|---|
| base | 1 | Page content |
| sticky | 10 | Fixed nav/header |
| dropdown | 20 | Menus, tooltips |
| modal-bg | 9990 | Modal backdrop |
| modal | 9998 | Modal content |
Copy-Paste Snippets
Filter Chip Component
<span class="filter-chip">
Collage
<button>×</button>
</span>
/* CSS */
.filter-chip {
display: inline-flex; align-items: center; gap: 6px;
font-size: 11px; font-weight: 500;
text-transform: uppercase; color: #0B0B0B;
background: #ebe8e2; border: 1px solid #c4c7c7;
padding: 4px 10px;
}
Orange Link
<a href="#" class="bracket-link">[ Learn More → ]</a>
/* CSS */
.bracket-link {
color: #B84700; /* orange-ink for light bg */
text-decoration: none;
transition: color 0.2s ease;
}
.bracket-link:hover {
color: #FF6600;
}
Keyboard Shortcut Listener
document.addEventListener('keydown', (e) => {
if ((e.metaKey || e.ctrlKey) && e.shiftKey) {
if (e.key === 'D') {
e.preventDefault();
// Toggle your modal here
}
}
});
Accessibility
Contrast rules:
- #FF6600 (orange) on dark backgrounds only (6.7:1)
- #B84700 (orange-ink) for text on light backgrounds (5.07:1 AA)
- #0B0B0B (deep-ink) on light backgrounds (16:1)
Keyboard navigation:
- All interactive elements focusable with Tab
- Focus rings: 2px solid #FF6600
- Shortcuts: ⌘K (search), ⌘Shift+D (design system), ← → (decade nav)
Motion: Respect prefers-reduced-motion: reduce — disable all entrance animations, keep transitions instant.

