White background. Clean canvas. That's important for a creative tool because the user's work needs to be the most colorful thing on screen. The near-black accent (#0F1015) means UI elements recede. Dark buttons, dark controls. They're functional, not decorative. The accent is almost invisible as a "color." It's infrastructure.

DM Sans at 600 weight for headings. Semi-bold. Not heavy, but present. The geometric letterforms of DM Sans at this weight feel friendly and authoritative simultaneously. Like a teacher who's also fun. That's the exact tone a creative tool needs in its headings.

The same DM Sans at 400 for body creates unity. One typeface, two weights, complete clarity. The 1.57 line height gives body text generous breathing room. In a compact density system, that line height is doing important work. It keeps the tight layout from feeling cramped. The text breathes even when the containers don't.

No shadows. Orchid creates hierarchy entirely through scale hover effects and bouncy easing. When you hover something, it scales up with a spring animation (that cubic-bezier with 1.56 overshoot). When you click, it snaps to 0.96. The whole system communicates through motion, not depth. Elements don't layer. They react. That makes the interface feel alive. Responsive. Like something that wants to be played with.