typography-audit

Typography Audit

89 rules across 10 categories for web typography quality. Focuses on concrete issues with concrete fixes.

Audit Workflow

Copy and track this checklist during the audit:

Audit progress:
- [ ] Step 1: Scope changed surfaces and select relevant categories
- [ ] Step 2: Run CRITICAL checks (punctuation, font setup)
- [ ] Step 3: Run HIGH checks (sizing, spacing)
- [ ] Step 4: Run MEDIUM+ checks for remaining categories in scope
- [ ] Step 5: Report findings with file:line and concrete fixes

1. Audit only changed files unless a full sweep is requested.
2. Scan CSS for font-family, @font-face, font-feature-settings, and sizing/spacing properties to identify relevant categories.
3. Load rule files progressively by category prefix — read only what applies.
4. Prioritize CRITICAL and HIGH findings before medium-priority polish.
5. After fixes, rerun the relevant rules before finalizing.

Rule Categories by Priority

Priority	Category	Impact	Prefix	Rules
1	Punctuation & Special Characters	CRITICAL	punct-	12
2	Font Selection & Weights	CRITICAL	font-	10
3	Sizing & Measure	HIGH	size-	7
4	Spacing & Rhythm	HIGH	spacing-	10
5	OpenType Features	MEDIUM-HIGH	opentype-	8
6	Hierarchy & Scale	MEDIUM-HIGH	hierarchy-	8
7	Alignment & Layout	MEDIUM	layout-	8
8	Typeface Pairing	MEDIUM	pairing-	10
9	Brand & Identity	LOW-MEDIUM	brand-	8
10	Display & Headlines	LOW-MEDIUM	display-	8

Quick Reference

Read only what is needed for the current audit scope:

• Category map and impact rationale: rules/_sections.md
• Rule-level guidance and examples: rules/<prefix>-*.md

Example rule files:

rules/punct-smart-quotes.md
rules/font-true-styles.md
rules/size-line-height.md

Each rule file contains:

• Why the rule matters
• Incorrect example
• Correct example

Review Output Contract

Report findings in this format:

## Typography Audit Findings

### path/to/file.css
- [CRITICAL] `punct-smart-quotes`: Straight quotes used in heading text.
  - Fix: Replace `"` with `“`/`”` entities.

### path/to/clean-file.css
- ✓ pass

• Group findings by file.
• Use file:line when line numbers are available.
• State issue and propose a concrete fix.
• Include clean files as ✓ pass.

Gotchas

• Don't load all 89 rules up front — load progressively by category prefix in scope.
• Don't report findings without file:line and a concrete fix — incomplete findings waste the reader's time.
• Don't audit unchanged files when a full sweep wasn't requested.
• Don't treat MEDIUM/LOW polish as equal priority to CRITICAL punctuation or font-setup issues — order findings by impact.
• Don't suggest typography redesigns (new font pairings, new scales) in an audit. Audits report issues with fixes; redesigns are a separate ask.
• Don't flag OpenType features as missing without checking whether the loaded font actually ships them.