# Dash Digital Studio — Style Reference
> Architectural blueprints on concrete

**Theme:** light

Dash Digital Studio employs a stark and confident design language, built on a monochromatic palette of industrial grays and pure black. Typography is sharp and impactful, leveraging precise letter-spacing to create a sense of focused clarity. The layout is disciplined, using robust hairline borders to define content blocks, and relies on subtle motion and confident imagery over color to convey a sense of premium precision.

## Tokens — Colors

| Name | Value | Token | Role |
|------|-------|-------|------|
| Storm Canvas | `#f0f0f0` | `--color-storm-canvas` | Page backgrounds, large content sections, subtle surface transitions |
| Carbon Text | `#2a2a2a` | `--color-carbon-text` | General text, secondary headings, link text, hairline borders, inactive navigation items — provides sharp contrast against light surfaces |
| Midnight Ink | `#000000` | `--color-midnight-ink` | Primary headings, strong emphasis text, decorative borders for section dividers |
| Cloud Gray | `#fafafa` | `--color-cloud-gray` | Elevated card backgrounds, subtle highlight surfaces |
| Slate Divider | `#d6d6d6` | `--color-slate-divider` | Subtle section dividers, background for less prominent informational blocks |

## Tokens — Typography

### Founders Grotesk — Primary typeface for all headings, body text, and UI elements. Its strong presence and precise letter-spacing (-0.03em for display sizes, -0.023em for large headings) establish a confident, almost architectural tone. Weight 300 for large headings creates a sense of gravitas without shouting. · `--font-founders-grotesk`
- **Substitute:** Inter
- **Weights:** 300, 400
- **Sizes:** 12px, 14px, 16px, 17px, 22px, 40px, 70px, 101px
- **Line height:** 0.80, 0.88, 0.90, 1.00, 1.17, 1.20
- **Letter spacing:** -1.4px at 40px, -2.1px at 70px, -3px at 101px
- **Role:** Primary typeface for all headings, body text, and UI elements. Its strong presence and precise letter-spacing (-0.03em for display sizes, -0.023em for large headings) establish a confident, almost architectural tone. Weight 300 for large headings creates a sense of gravitas without shouting.

### Editorial Neue — Used sparingly for subtle decorative text elements, secondary information, and captions. Its very tight letter-spacing (-0.06em) creates a distinctive, almost logotype-like quality for small text blocks. · `--font-editorial-neue`
- **Substitute:** Playfair Display
- **Weights:** 400
- **Sizes:** 16px
- **Line height:** 0.90
- **Letter spacing:** -0.96px at 16px
- **Role:** Used sparingly for subtle decorative text elements, secondary information, and captions. Its very tight letter-spacing (-0.06em) creates a distinctive, almost logotype-like quality for small text blocks.

### Type Scale

| Role | Size | Line Height | Letter Spacing | Token |
|------|------|-------------|----------------|-------|
| caption | 12px | 1 | -0.36px | `--text-caption` |
| body-sm | 14px | 1.2 | -0.32px | `--text-body-sm` |
| heading | 22px | 1 | -0.44px | `--text-heading` |
| heading-lg | 40px | 0.9 | -1.2px | `--text-heading-lg` |
| display | 70px | 0.88 | -2.1px | `--text-display` |
| display-xl | 101px | 0.8 | -3.03px | `--text-display-xl` |

## Tokens — Spacing & Shapes

**Base unit:** 4px

**Density:** comfortable

### Spacing Scale

| Name | Value | Token |
|------|-------|-------|
| 4 | 4px | `--spacing-4` |
| 12 | 12px | `--spacing-12` |
| 20 | 20px | `--spacing-20` |
| 24 | 24px | `--spacing-24` |
| 32 | 32px | `--spacing-32` |

### Border Radius

| Element | Value |
|---------|-------|
| pill | 999px |
| default | 0px |

### Layout

- **Page max-width:** 1200px
- **Section gap:** 115px
- **Card padding:** 14px
- **Element gap:** 4px

## Components

### Ghost Nav Link
**Role:** Navigation item and secondary calls to action

Text in Carbon Text (#2a2a2a) with Founders Grotesk weight 400 at 16px, line-height 1, and no explicit padding, indicating actions inline with text.

### Text Accent Button
**Role:** Outlined textual action prompts, typically for 'View Case Study' or 'More +' links

Text label in Carbon Text (#2a2a2a) with Founders Grotesk. No background, transparent padding, and typically has a bottom border in Carbon Text (#2a2a2a) at 1px thickness to indicate interactivity.

### Project Card
**Role:** Displays individual portfolio projects or featured content.

A minimalist container with no background color, no border radius, and no padding, relying on surrounding layout to define its boundaries. Text is Carbon Text (#2a2a2a) at 14px Founders Grotesk weight 400 for categories, and headings in Midnight Ink (#000000) at 22px Founders Grotesk weight 400.

### Information Block Card
**Role:** Structured content blocks, such as client testimonials or service descriptions.

A transparent card with no border radius or shadow, featuring a strong 1px border in Midnight Ink (#000000) for visual separation. Internal padding is approximately 29px left/right and 20px top/bottom, with content text in Carbon Text (#2a2a2a) using Founders Grotesk font at 16px.

### Pill Badge
**Role:** Small, descriptive labels or navigational markers.

Features a 999px border-radius, creating a pill shape. Background is transparent with text in Carbon Text (#2a2a2a) or Midnight Ink (#000000) using Founders Grotesk at 12px or 14px, with minimal padding (e.g., 4px).

## Do's and Don'ts

### Do
- Prioritize Founders Grotesk for all primary textual content and UI, defaulting to weight 400 for body text and 300 for large headings.
- Use a monochromatic palette concentrating on Storm Canvas (#f0f0f0) for backgrounds, Carbon Text (#2a2a2a) for most text and borders, and Midnight Ink (#000000) for strong headings and dividers.
- Employ consistent 1px hairline borders for clear delineation of sections and content blocks, primarily in Carbon Text (#2a2a2a) or Midnight Ink (#000000).
- Apply specific negative letter-spacing values to Founders Grotesk headings (-0.03em for 40px, -0.023em for 70px, -0.018em for 101px) to maintain visual tightness.
- Structure layouts using a max-width of 1200px centered on the page, with a consistent section gap of 115px.
- Utilize a precise 999px border-radius for pill-shaped elements like badges and tags, maintaining crisp, sharp corners for all other components.
- Integrate subtle transform and opacity transitions with `ease` timing functions over 1s for interactive elements to create a responsive, fluid feel.

### Don't
- Avoid introducing any new chromatic colors; maintain the gray-scale and black-and-white aesthetic.
- Do not use generic border-radii; adhere strictly to 0px for most elements and 999px for specific pill-like components.
- Refrain from using drop shadows or heavy box-shadows; the design relies on stark contrast and borders for depth.
- Do not use body text larger than 17px or smaller than 12px for primary content; maintain the established type hierarchy.
- Avoid unnecessary padding or excessive white space within components; maintain a comfortable, not overly sparse, density.
- Do not use generic sans-serif system fonts as primary typography; Founders Grotesk is key to the brand's voice.

## Surfaces

| Level | Name | Value | Purpose |
|-------|------|-------|---------|
| 0 | Storm Canvas | `#f0f0f0` | Primary page background |
| 1 | Cloud Gray | `#fafafa` | Elevated card surface, subtle content blocks |
| 2 | Slate Divider | `#d6d6d6` | Background for less prominent areas or subtle separation |

## Imagery

This site features highly stylized, editorial photography and product shots. Images are typically contained within strict rectangular frames (0px radius), either full-width within their columns or slightly off-set. Product shots are often tight, focused crops, sometimes isolated on a neutral background or with dramatic lighting to create visual interest. There is a strong emphasis on showcasing the 'work' itself, without much lifestyle context. Photography is high-contrast, with deep blacks and bright whites, and sometimes a moody or dramatic tone. Icons are generally minimal, outlined, and monochromatic, matching the overall stark aesthetic. Imagery plays a content-dominant and aesthetic role, providing visual richness within a formally structured layout.

## Layout

The site employs a max-width, center-aligned layout of 1200px. The hero section is full-width, utilizing a dark background with a large, centered headline and a subtle subtext. Content sections primarily follow a consistent vertical rhythm with alternating light/gray backgrounds. Most content is presented in a two-column grid, often with text on one side and an image or illustrative graphic on the other, creating a clean left-right visual rhythm. Feature and client sections adapt to multi-column card grids, where each card is visually distinct, often bordered. Navigation is a sticky top bar with a minimal brand logo and a 'Menu +' toggle for expanding a full-screen menu. The overall density is comfortable, with ample whitespace balancing content blocks.

## Agent Prompt Guide

Quick Color Reference:
text: #2a2a2a
background: #f0f0f0
border: #2a2a2a
accent: no distinct accent color
primary action: no distinct CTA color

Example Component Prompts:
1. Create a hero section: full-width dark background (no specific hex, inherit from section), centered headline 'A DIGITAL DESIGN STUDIO' using Founders Grotesk weight 300 at 101px, Midnight Ink (#000000) against dark background (text invert for visibility), letter-spacing -3.03px. Sub-headline 'DRIVEN BY RESEARCH & STRATEGY' at 70px Founders Grotesk weight 400, letter-spacing -2.1px.
2. Create a project card showing an image side-by-side with text: A transparent card (no background, no radius). Image is a full-bleed within its column. Below the image, text 'DIGITAL DESIGN - WEB DEVELOPMENT' in Carbon Text (#2a2a2a) with Founders Grotesk weight 400 at 14px. Followed by project title 'GAVIN SCHNEIDER PRODUCTIONS' in Midnight Ink (#000000) with Founders Grotesk weight 400 at 22px.
3. Create an informational block: Cloud Gray (#fafafa) background for the section. A transparent information card with 1px border in Midnight Ink (#000000). Internal padding 29px left/right, 20px top/bottom. Headline 'LEMKUS' at 22px Founders Grotesk weight 400 in Midnight Ink (#000000). Body text in Carbon Text (#2a2a2a) at 16px Founders Grotesk weight 400.
4. Create a pill badge: Text 'More +' in Carbon Text (#2a2a2a), Founders Grotesk weight 400 at 14px, on a transparent background with 999px border-radius and minimal 4px padding.

## Similar Brands

- **Alinea Invest** — Monochromatic palette, sharp sans-serif typography with tight letter-spacing, and a focus on clean, architectural layout.
- **Linear** — Emphasis on high-contrast black and white, subtle grays for surfaces, minimalist UI components defined by thin borders rather than shadows, and precise typography.
- **Figma** — Clean, predominantly light theme, structured layouts with clear content separation, and a focus on functional typography and restrained use of color (though Figma has a specific brand color, Dash relies more on true achromatic contrast).
- **Supabase** — Heavy reliance on a dark, almost monochrome aesthetic, high contrast typography, and clearly defined section boundaries without strong gradients or decorative elements.
- **Stripe** — Understated and formal design, using a mostly achromatic palette with strong typography and a modular grid system that prioritizes content clarity over decorative flair.

## Quick Start

### CSS Custom Properties

```css
:root {
  /* Colors */
  --color-storm-canvas: #f0f0f0;
  --color-carbon-text: #2a2a2a;
  --color-midnight-ink: #000000;
  --color-cloud-gray: #fafafa;
  --color-slate-divider: #d6d6d6;

  /* Typography — Font Families */
  --font-founders-grotesk: 'Founders Grotesk', ui-sans-serif, system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, sans-serif;
  --font-editorial-neue: 'Editorial Neue', ui-sans-serif, system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, sans-serif;

  /* Typography — Scale */
  --text-caption: 12px;
  --leading-caption: 1;
  --tracking-caption: -0.36px;
  --text-body-sm: 14px;
  --leading-body-sm: 1.2;
  --tracking-body-sm: -0.32px;
  --text-heading: 22px;
  --leading-heading: 1;
  --tracking-heading: -0.44px;
  --text-heading-lg: 40px;
  --leading-heading-lg: 0.9;
  --tracking-heading-lg: -1.2px;
  --text-display: 70px;
  --leading-display: 0.88;
  --tracking-display: -2.1px;
  --text-display-xl: 101px;
  --leading-display-xl: 0.8;
  --tracking-display-xl: -3.03px;

  /* Typography — Weights */
  --font-weight-light: 300;
  --font-weight-regular: 400;

  /* Spacing */
  --spacing-unit: 4px;
  --spacing-4: 4px;
  --spacing-12: 12px;
  --spacing-20: 20px;
  --spacing-24: 24px;
  --spacing-32: 32px;

  /* Layout */
  --page-max-width: 1200px;
  --section-gap: 115px;
  --card-padding: 14px;
  --element-gap: 4px;

  /* Border Radius */
  --radius-md: 4px;
  --radius-full: 999px;

  /* Named Radii */
  --radius-pill: 999px;
  --radius-default: 0px;

  /* Surfaces */
  --surface-storm-canvas: #f0f0f0;
  --surface-cloud-gray: #fafafa;
  --surface-slate-divider: #d6d6d6;
}
```

### Tailwind v4

```css
@theme {
  /* Colors */
  --color-storm-canvas: #f0f0f0;
  --color-carbon-text: #2a2a2a;
  --color-midnight-ink: #000000;
  --color-cloud-gray: #fafafa;
  --color-slate-divider: #d6d6d6;

  /* Typography */
  --font-founders-grotesk: 'Founders Grotesk', ui-sans-serif, system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, sans-serif;
  --font-editorial-neue: 'Editorial Neue', ui-sans-serif, system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, sans-serif;

  /* Typography — Scale */
  --text-caption: 12px;
  --leading-caption: 1;
  --tracking-caption: -0.36px;
  --text-body-sm: 14px;
  --leading-body-sm: 1.2;
  --tracking-body-sm: -0.32px;
  --text-heading: 22px;
  --leading-heading: 1;
  --tracking-heading: -0.44px;
  --text-heading-lg: 40px;
  --leading-heading-lg: 0.9;
  --tracking-heading-lg: -1.2px;
  --text-display: 70px;
  --leading-display: 0.88;
  --tracking-display: -2.1px;
  --text-display-xl: 101px;
  --leading-display-xl: 0.8;
  --tracking-display-xl: -3.03px;

  /* Spacing */
  --spacing-4: 4px;
  --spacing-12: 12px;
  --spacing-20: 20px;
  --spacing-24: 24px;
  --spacing-32: 32px;

  /* Border Radius */
  --radius-md: 4px;
  --radius-full: 999px;
}
```