Brian C. Reyes

A simple design system

Principles

Typography is the interface.

Public Sans at the right size, weight, and spacing IS the design. Don’t decorate what type can communicate.

Whitespace is structural.

It’s not empty — it’s the architecture that gives content room to land. Never collapse it.

Monochrome is not monotone.

Black and white has infinite depth when you control value, contrast, opacity, and scale.

Content is the hero.

Every layout decision serves the content. If you’re reaching for a gradient, fix the content instead.

Precision over decoration.

A 4px difference in padding is more noticeable than a drop shadow. Craft lives in the grid.

01 · TYPOGRAPHY

One typeface.Four voices.

.type-display72 / 800 / -0.025em
Typography is the interface.
.type-h148 / 700 / -0.02em
Whitespace is structural.
.type-body16 / 400 / 1.6
Monochrome is not monotone. The black-and-white palette has infinite depth when you control value, contrast, and the scale at which type carries meaning.
.type-overline12 / 600 / 0.08em / uppercase
PRECISION OVER DECORATION
02 · COLOR

Monochrome is not monotone.

Primitive ramp
black#0A0A0A
gray-900#171717
gray-800#262626
gray-700#404040
gray-500#737373
gray-400#A3A3A3
gray-300#D4D4D4
gray-200#E5E5E5
gray-100#F5F5F5
white#FAFAFA
pure-white#FFFFFF
Semantic tokens
surface/primaryPage background
surface/secondarySection break, gray bands
surface/elevatedCards on secondary surfaces
surface/inverseDark sections
text/primaryBody, headings
text/mutedCaptions, metadata
text/faintDisabled, decorative marks
border/defaultHairline borders
03 · SPACING

Whitespace is structural.

xs
4px
sm
8px
md
16px
lg
24px
xl
32px
2xl
48px
3xl
64px
4xl
96px
5xl
128px
section
160px
04 · ELEVATION

Subtle by default.

shadow-s
shadow-m
shadow-l
shadow-xl
shadow-2xl
shadow-3xl
05 · CORNERS

Sharp by default.

none
sm
md
lg
Less, but better.
— Dieter Rams