Design System · Draft
Taken from the show artwork: the warm dark around the edges, the glow of the parchment, and the orange frame. Orange is the show's signal color, used for "play" and "this is the show."
#1E1A17Deepest background: hero, footer
#2E2823Raised surface on dark: player
#7A5A3AParchment glow: gradients, accents
#F5961EThe frame. Play, "Latest." Dark backgrounds only.
#9A4A08Links and buttons on light
#EFE6D6Light section background
#F8F4ECPage background; text on dark
#2A221CText on light
#6B5A4ADates, captions on light
#B9AC98Secondary text on dark
#D6C8B0Hairline dividers (decorative)
| Pair | Ratio | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Vellum on Night | 15.75:1 | AAA |
| Vellum on Umber | 13.26:1 | AAA |
| Vellum Muted on Night | 7.75:1 | AAA |
| Orange on Night | 7.62:1 | AAA |
| Night on Orange | 7.62:1 | AAA |
| Orange on Umber | 6.42:1 | AA |
| Vellum on Sepia | 5.71:1 | AA |
| Ink on Vellum | 14.24:1 | AAA |
| Ink on Parchment | 12.62:1 | AAA |
| Ink Muted on Vellum | 6.01:1 | AA |
| Ink Muted on Parchment | 5.32:1 | AA |
| Ember on Vellum | 5.70:1 | AA |
| Ember on Parchment | 5.05:1 | AA |
| Vellum on Ember | 5.70:1 | AA |
| Orange on Parchment | 1.83:1 | Fails: not used for text |
The artwork's title uses classical Roman capitals. Cinzel is the closest free web match, used for the show name, section heads and buttons. Libre Caslon Text, from the Caslon family of 18th-century American printing, carries titles and reading text.
Sample paragraph. This is how running text will read on the site: episode descriptions, essay excerpts and the About section all use this face at 18px with generous line spacing, so longer reading stays comfortable on a phone. Italic for titles and emphasis, and bold used sparingly.
Latest Episode · Listen · Read on Substack
A 4px base. Each component uses the step that suits it, from tight label gaps to wide section breaks.
4 · 8 · 1216 · 24 · 3248 · 64 · 96 · 128Homepage mockup
Latest Episode · [Date] Sample
[Sample description] Two or three lines from the episode's show notes appear here, pulled in automatically from the podcast feed.
Video · 48:10
Essay · Substack
[Sample excerpt] The opening lines of the latest essay appear here, about four lines at most, so readers get enough of the argument to want the rest. The full piece lives on Substack, and this card links straight to it. Anything past the fourth line is trimmed.
Read the full essay on Substack →Newsletter
[Sample line] One sentence from Corey about what subscribers receive and how often.
Delivered through Substack. Unsubscribe anytime.
The New Book
Five Leaders Who Threatened Democracy and the Citizens Who Fought to Defend It
[Publisher description goes here] A short paragraph about the book, supplied by Corey or the publisher, set at a comfortable reading width.
[Review quote, to be supplied. Only real, sourced quotes appear here.]
[Reviewer, Publication]