The standing order. A handmade studio / workshop look — show the workings, label everything, keep it square. One rule underneath: don't hide how it was made.
This is the internal reference. Not a public page. Covers: colour, typography, the full kit of parts, layout system, component library, voice rules, and the eight moves that hold everything together.
Solving problems with technology and creativity. The studio is a one-person operation. The work is the identity — not a logo, not a palette. The object proves itself.
One red per page. Use it on the primary CTA, the page stamp, or the key figure — never on more than one element per view. On dark (ink) backgrounds, white is the accent; red is the signature only.
Featured cards, hero sections, and "dark" callouts flip to ink background with paper text. Red stamps and labels still work on ink. Reduce opacity for secondary text: rgba(244,241,233,.6).
All standard pairings meet WCAG 2.1 AA (4.5:1 for normal text). Never place red text on ink, or grey text on paper below 14px regular weight.
| Foreground | Background | Ratio | Normal text | Large / bold text | Use case |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ink #141414 | Paper #F4F1E9 | 16.3:1 | AA ✓ | AAA ✓ | Body copy, headings |
| Paper #F4F1E9 | Ink #141414 | 16.3:1 | AA ✓ | AAA ✓ | Inverted panels |
| White #FFFFFF | Red #CC2018 | 5.3:1 | AA ✓ | AA ✓ | Red buttons, stamps |
| Red #CC2018 | White #FFFFFF | 5.3:1 | AA ✓ | AA ✓ | Red links on white |
| Grey #6F6A60 | Paper #F4F1E9 | 4.7:1 | AA ✓ | AA ✓ | Secondary text ≥16px |
| Red #CC2018 | Ink #141414 | 3.2:1 | Fail | AA ✓ | Red stamps on ink only |
| Grey #6F6A60 | Ink #141414 | 3.4:1 | Fail | Fail | Avoid — decorative only |
Helvetica Neue only. Weight 400 (body) and 800 (headers/labels). No 300, no 500, no 600. No italic except structural labels. No serif typefaces. No custom display fonts. The constraint is the identity.
Each component comes from printmaking, publishing, or the workshop. Use them as stamps, labels, tape flags, and crop marks — never as decoration for its own sake. Every component earns its place by naming or locating something.
The identity mark. Red (#CC2018) background, white Helvetica Neue 800 uppercase, border-radius 14px. Two sizes: header (padding 18px 22px) and footer (padding 12px 18px). Never stretched, never recoloured. The red box is always the primary red on any page.
The nav and labelling system. Ink background, white text, Helvetica 700, letter-spacing .2em, 3px radius. Used for: navigation links, format codes (FMT-01), run labels, issue numbers, page metadata. The hover state switches to red background.
Status marks only. 2px border, red (#CC2018) default, Helvetica 800 uppercase, letter-spacing .05em. Use for: editions, status (published/sold/in production), counts. Variant: ink border/ink colour for neutral status on ink panels. Never used as decoration.
The aside or editorial note. Warm yellow background (rgba 220,210,170,.9), dashed left/right borders. Used for notes, asides, warnings, status messages. Never used for primary content — it is always supplementary. Do not use inline in body copy.
The signature mark. Red, Helvetica 800. Used in the footer and on completed/signed items. Signals work that has been authored and signed — not a generic success state. One per page footer, alongside the "All work signed" label.
The suggestion of a physical printed object. Applied to containers that represent a zine page, a card, or a physical format. The marks are 16px L-shapes at each corner via CSS pseudo-elements. Use sparingly — one crop-marked container per page section.
Full-width 4px ink top border. Used at the start of every top-level section. The weight (4px) distinguishes it from card borders (2px) and table rules (1px). Never used for sub-section separation — that uses a 1px rule or no rule.
Page location indicator. 11px, Helvetica 700, uppercase, letter-spacing .12em, --grey. Placed at the top of every detail page hero, above the H1. "/" separator. Parent links are anchor tags in --grey that go red on hover.
The .featured modifier inverts the card to ink/paper. Use on the first card in a grid.
Status →Default work item. Paper background, ink border. Hover lifts to --white background.
Status →Dashed border signals "coming". Opacity .7. Used for items in production.
2px ink border on inputs, white background, 15px font. Focus ring: 3px red outline. Labels: 11px, 700, uppercase, letter-spacing .14em.
Used on all sub-section pages. Parent label (grey) + arrow + item chips. Active item uses ink background. Border-bottom 2px ink rule below the row.
The one voice rule
Plain English. Short sentences. Lead with the answer; caveats after, briefly. Dry wit from the studio idea, never from exaggeration. No exclamation marks for emphasis. Cite present-day facts; quote the line when drawing from a document.
We're incredibly excited to unlock the power of seamless AI-driven transformation and leverage cutting-edge solutions to supercharge your workflow and drive impactful results.
Eight instrumental tracks made in the studio. No samples. No beds. Made with the machine already running.
Dive in and explore our robust, innovative, game-changing new zine series that will revolutionize the way you think about AI!
A five-issue series on AI and creativity. Each issue puts one argument against its opposite. Sources cited. No conclusion forced.
The studio code — the principles behind how the work is made. Not aspirational values. Not a manifesto. Operational rules: the moves the studio actually makes. Every brand and content decision traces back to one of these.