typography

Typography

Professional typography for user interfaces, grounded in principles from the masters.

"Typography exists to honor content." — Robert Bringhurst

Reference Files

For detailed guidance on specific topics, consult these references:

Topic	When to Read
masters.md	Seeking authoritative backing, making nuanced judgments, understanding "why"
variable-fonts.md	Using variable fonts, fluid weight, performance optimization
font-loading.md	FOIT/FOUT issues, preloading, Core Web Vitals, self-hosting
opentype-features.md	Ligatures, tabular numbers, stylistic sets, slashed zero
fluid-typography.md	clamp(), text-wrap, truncation, vertical rhythm, font smoothing
tailwind-integration.md	Tailwind typography utilities, prose plugin, customization
internationalization.md	RTL languages, Arabic/Hebrew, CJK, bidirectional text

Output Formats

Type System Recommendations

## Type System

### Scale
- Base: [size, e.g., 16px]
- Ratio: [e.g., Minor Third 1.200]
- Rationale: [why this ratio]

### Hierarchy
| Level | Size | Weight | Line Height | Letter Spacing | Use |
|-------|------|--------|-------------|----------------|-----|
| Display | ... | ... | ... | ... | Hero, marketing |
| H1 | ... | ... | ... | ... | Page titles |
| H2 | ... | ... | ... | ... | Section heads |
| Body | ... | ... | ... | ... | Paragraphs |
| Small | ... | ... | ... | ... | Captions, labels |

### Fonts
- Primary: [font] — [rationale]
- Secondary: [font, if applicable]
- Mono: [font, if applicable]

### Implementation
[Ready-to-use CSS/Tailwind]

Typography Audits

## Typography Audit

### Issues
| Element | Problem | Recommendation |
|---------|---------|----------------|
| ... | ... | ... |

### Quick Wins
- [Immediate improvement 1]
- [Immediate improvement 2]

---

Core Principles

The Four Fundamentals (Bringhurst)

The most important typographic considerations for body text:

1. Point size — 16px minimum for body; 14px absolute floor for secondary text
2. Line spacing — 1.5-1.7 for body; 1.1-1.3 for headings
3. Line length — 45-75 characters (66 ideal); use max-w-prose (~65ch)
4. Font choice — Match typeface to content and context

Hierarchy Through Contrast

Establish hierarchy using multiple dimensions:

Dimension	Low Contrast	High Contrast
Size	14px → 16px	16px → 48px
Weight	400 → 500	400 → 700
Color	Gray-600 → Gray-900	Gray-400 → Black
Case	Normal	UPPERCASE

"Use one typeface per design. Avoid italics and bold—rely on gradations of scale instead." — Massimo Vignelli

Restraint

• 1-2 font families maximum — One serif, one sans if pairing
• 3-4 heading levels in practice — Deeper nesting usually signals structure problems
• Stick to your type scale — Resist arbitrary sizes
• Let whitespace work — Don't fill every gap

"In the new computer age, the proliferation of typefaces represents a new level of visual pollution." — Massimo Vignelli

---

Type Scales

Modular Scale Ratios

Name	Ratio	Character
Minor Second	1.067	Subtle, conservative
Major Second	1.125	Gentle, professional
Minor Third	1.200	Balanced, versatile
Major Third	1.250	Bold, impactful
Perfect Fourth	1.333	Strong hierarchy
Golden Ratio	1.618	Dramatic, editorial

Practical Scale (Minor Third @ 16px)

--text-xs:   12px;  /* 0.75rem */
--text-sm:   14px;  /* 0.875rem */
--text-base: 16px;  /* 1rem */
--text-lg:   18px;  /* 1.125rem — not in pure scale */
--text-xl:   20px;  /* 1.25rem */
--text-2xl:  24px;  /* 1.5rem */
--text-3xl:  30px;  /* 1.875rem */
--text-4xl:  36px;  /* 2.25rem */
--text-5xl:  48px;  /* 3rem */

When to Deviate

• Marketing/hero: Larger jumps allowed
• Dense data interfaces: Tighter scale
• Mobile: Slightly larger base (17-18px)

---

Spacing Guidelines

Line Height by Context

Context	Line Height	Rationale
Body text	1.5-1.7	Generous for readability
Headings	1.1-1.3	Tighter, especially large sizes
UI labels	1.2-1.4	Compact but legible
Buttons	1.0-1.25	Single line, tight

"The eye does not read letters, but the space between them." — Adrian Frutiger

Letter Spacing

Context	Tracking	CSS
Body text	Default or +0.01em	tracking-normal
All caps	+0.05em to +0.1em	tracking-wide / tracking-wider
Large headings	-0.01em to -0.02em	tracking-tight
Small text (<14px)	+0.01em to +0.02em	tracking-wide

All-caps rule: Always add tracking. Keep short (1-3 words).

Paragraph Spacing

• Between paragraphs: 1em to 1.5em (equal to or slightly more than line-height)
• After headings: Reduced top margin on first paragraph
• Between sections: 2-3× paragraph spacing

---

Font Selection

System Font Stacks

/* Sans-serif (modern) */
font-family: ui-sans-serif, system-ui, sans-serif, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji";

/* Serif */
font-family: ui-serif, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", serif;

/* Monospace */
font-family: ui-monospace, SFMono-Regular, Menlo, Monaco, Consolas, monospace;

Safe Web Font Recommendations

Category	Fonts	Use Case
Sans-serif	Inter, Source Sans 3, Work Sans, DM Sans	UI, body text
Serif	Source Serif 4, Lora, Merriweather, Literata	Editorial, long-form
Monospace	JetBrains Mono, Fira Code, Source Code Pro	Code, data
Display	Fraunces, Epilogue, Outfit	Headlines

Pairing Principles

• Pair by contrast — Serif + sans-serif
• Match x-height — For visual harmony when mixed
• Ensure weight availability — Both need needed weights/styles

"A father should not have a favorite among his daughters." — Hermann Zapf (on his typefaces)

---

Modern CSS Typography

Text Wrapping

/* Balanced line lengths for headings (≤6 lines) */
h1, h2, h3, blockquote, figcaption {
  text-wrap: balance;
}

/* Prevent orphans in body text */
p, li {
  text-wrap: pretty;
}

Caveat: Don't use balance inside bordered containers—creates visual imbalance.

Fluid Typography

/* Font scales smoothly between breakpoints */
h1 {
  font-size: clamp(2rem, 1rem + 4vw, 4rem);
  line-height: clamp(1.1, 1.3 - 0.1vw, 1.3);
}

body {
  font-size: clamp(1rem, 0.95rem + 0.25vw, 1.125rem);
}

See fluid-typography.md for complete scale.

Text Truncation

/* Single line */
.truncate {
  white-space: nowrap;
  overflow: hidden;
  text-overflow: ellipsis;
}

/* Multi-line (2 lines) */
.line-clamp-2 {
  display: -webkit-box;
  -webkit-line-clamp: 2;
  -webkit-box-orient: vertical;
  overflow: hidden;
}

---

Dark Mode Typography

Weight Adjustment

Text appears heavier on dark backgrounds. Reduce weight slightly:

@media (prefers-color-scheme: dark) {
  body {
    font-weight: 350; /* Instead of 400 */
  }
  h1, h2, h3 {
    font-weight: 600; /* Instead of 700 */
  }
}

Font Smoothing

Apply antialiasing on dark backgrounds to counter perceived boldness:

.dark-bg {
  -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;
  -moz-osx-font-smoothing: grayscale;
}

Color Contrast

• Avoid pure white (#fff) on pure black (#000)—too harsh
• Use off-white (#f5f5f5) and near-black (#1a1a1a)
• Aim for 10:1 to 15:1 contrast in dark mode

---

Typographic Details

Quotation Marks

Use curly quotes, not straight:

• Correct: "Hello" and 'world'
• Incorrect: "Hello" and 'world'

Dashes

Type	Character	Use
Hyphen	-	Word breaks, compounds
En dash	–	Ranges (2020–2024), relationships
Em dash	—	Parenthetical statements

Numbers

Type	Use Case	CSS
Tabular	Tables, prices, alignment	font-variant-numeric: tabular-nums
Proportional	Body text	font-variant-numeric: proportional-nums
Old-style	Editorial content	font-variant-numeric: oldstyle-nums
Slashed zero	Code, data	font-feature-settings: "zero" 1

See opentype-features.md for complete reference.

---

Accessibility

Minimums

Element	Minimum	Preferred
Body text	16px	16-18px
Secondary text	14px	14-16px
Legal/caption	12px	12px + increased tracking
Contrast ratio	4.5:1	7:1

User Preferences

/* Use relative units so users can scale */
body {
  font-size: 1rem; /* Not 16px */
}

/* Respect reduced motion */
@media (prefers-reduced-motion: reduce) {
  * {
    transition: none !important;
  }
}

Dyslexia Considerations

• Avoid justified text
• Prefer sans-serif with distinct letterforms (a vs α, l vs 1 vs I)
• Generous line height and paragraph spacing
• Consider offering OpenDyslexic as option

---

Common Mistakes

Avoid

• All-caps body text or long headings
• Centered body paragraphs
• Line length over 80 characters
• Insufficient contrast for "aesthetic" reasons
• Mixing too many font families (>2)
• Decorative fonts for UI text
• Justified text on the web
• Tiny gray text on white backgrounds
• Letter-spacing on Arabic text

Watch For

• Orphans and widows in prominent text
• Inconsistent heading hierarchy
• Missing font fallbacks
• Layout shift from web font loading
• Underlined text that isn't a link

---

Quick Implementation

Minimal Professional Setup

:root {
  --font-sans: Inter, ui-sans-serif, system-ui, sans-serif;
  --font-mono: 'JetBrains Mono', ui-monospace, monospace;
}

body {
  font-family: var(--font-sans);
  font-size: clamp(1rem, 0.95rem + 0.25vw, 1.125rem);
  line-height: 1.6;
  font-feature-settings: "kern" 1, "liga" 1, "calt" 1;
}

h1, h2, h3 {
  line-height: 1.2;
  text-wrap: balance;
  letter-spacing: -0.02em;
}

p {
  text-wrap: pretty;
  max-width: 65ch;
}

code {
  font-family: var(--font-mono);
  font-variant-numeric: tabular-nums slashed-zero;
}

@media (prefers-color-scheme: dark) {
  body {
    -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;
    -moz-osx-font-smoothing: grayscale;
  }
}

Tailwind Quick Start

<article class="
  prose prose-gray lg:prose-lg
  prose-headings:text-balance
  prose-p:text-pretty
  dark:prose-invert
  max-w-prose mx-auto
">
  <!-- Content -->
</article>

See tailwind-integration.md for complete patterns.