White background. Standard gray surface (#F5F5F5). The medium-gray text (#333333) is darker than many editorial systems but lighter than pure black. It creates a comfortable contrast for extended reading. The muted text (#707070) is a clean medium gray for metadata, dates, and supplementary information.

Inter at weight 500 for headings. Medium weight. Not bold. For editorial content, medium-weight headings feel like they're introducing ideas, not selling them. The normal letter-spacing and 1.5 heading line height give headlines a relaxed, essayistic quality. These aren't magazine covers. They're chapter openings.

Body text at regular weight (400) with 1.5 line height at 18px is the classic long-form reading setup. The 1.319 type scale keeps size steps conservative. From body to heading, the jump is noticeable but not dramatic. The whole system values consistency over visual hierarchy. When you're reading a 3,000-word analysis, you don't need headlines screaming at you. You need them quietly organizing the argument.

No shadows. No depth. No spatial effects. Flatness is editorial tradition. Newspapers don't have drop shadows. Journals don't have glowing cards. The darken hover effect provides the only interactive feedback. Links darken when hovered, like ink getting pressed harder into paper. The spacious layout with 96px section padding and 18px paragraph spacing creates a reading rhythm that matches the pace of thoughtful analysis. Nothing rushed. Nothing compressed. Every thought gets the space it deserves.