White background. The surfaces (#F5F5F5) are a barely-there gray that separates cards from the page without adding a second color. The text is deep slate (#0F172A), not black. Darker than medium, lighter than void. It has the kind of depth that makes body text feel considered. The muted text (#6B7280) recedes cleanly for metadata and secondary content.

Instrument Serif at weight 400 for headings. That's the move. Most heading fonts are bold. Dispatch goes the other direction. Light serif at large scale creates something that feels pressed into the page rather than projected onto it. At -0.025em letter-spacing with 1.2 heading line height, those serifs breathe without sprawling. It's the kind of typography that makes your product feel like a publication.

Nunito Sans for body text at weight 400 with 1.75 line height. Rounded and friendly. The contrast between the serif headline and the geometric-rounded body creates genuine hierarchy without trying too hard. The serif brings authority. The rounded sans brings accessibility. Together, at 18px base size with spacious density, they create a reading experience that's editorial in feel and product-grade in execution. JetBrains Mono for code adds technical credibility when you need it.

Featherweight lift. 1px 3px at 8% opacity plus 1px 2px at 6% opacity. Cards sit on the page, not floating above it. Almost invisible. This is deliberate. In a system where the typography is doing the heavy lifting, the depth needs to stay out of the way. No glow, no color in the shadow. Relaxed motion speed means transitions feel deliberate, like turning a page. Lift hover effects create gentle elevation. The large shadow at 25px 50px spread is reserved for modals where dramatic elevation is warranted. White space is the primary design element. The shadows just keep it organized.