--- name: Portfolio Creative colors: primary: "#0c0b09" on-primary: "#f4efe6" ink: "#0c0b09" ink-soft: "#1b1a16" cream: "#f4efe6" cream-dim: "#ece6da" warm: "#d9d2c4" accent-r: "#d4412a" accent-y: "#efc440" accent-b: "#2750d6" muted: "#7e7668" muted-lt: "#afa89a" typography: display-xl: fontFamily: Instrument Serif fontSize: 8.5rem fontWeight: 400 lineHeight: 0.91 letterSpacing: -0.025em display-lg: fontFamily: Instrument Serif fontSize: 3.75rem fontWeight: 400 lineHeight: 1.0 letterSpacing: -0.015em display-md: fontFamily: Instrument Serif fontSize: 1.59rem fontWeight: 400 lineHeight: 1.2 display-sm: fontFamily: Instrument Serif fontSize: 3.16rem fontWeight: 400 lineHeight: 1.0 body-lg: fontFamily: Syne fontSize: 1.03rem fontWeight: 400 lineHeight: 1.6 body-md: fontFamily: Syne fontSize: 1rem fontWeight: 400 lineHeight: 1.5 label-lg: fontFamily: Syne fontSize: 0.75rem fontWeight: 800 letterSpacing: 0.3em textTransform: uppercase label-md: fontFamily: Syne fontSize: 0.75rem fontWeight: 600 letterSpacing: 0.15em textTransform: uppercase label-sm: fontFamily: Syne fontSize: 0.72rem fontWeight: 700 letterSpacing: 0.24em textTransform: uppercase label-xs: fontFamily: Syne fontSize: 0.68rem fontWeight: 700 letterSpacing: 0.15em textTransform: uppercase rounded: none: 0px xs: 1px spacing: base: 8px container-padding-desktop: 3.5rem container-padding-mobile: 2rem section-margin-desktop: 9rem section-margin-mobile: 6.5rem components: nav: textColor: "{colors.primary}" padding: 1.875rem 3.5rem nav-scrolled: backgroundColor: rgba(244, 239, 230, 0.86) textColor: "{colors.primary}" padding: 1.1rem 3.5rem nav-link: textColor: "{colors.muted}" typography: "{typography.label-xs}" nav-link-hover: textColor: "{colors.ink}" hero-sub: textColor: "{colors.muted}" typography: "{typography.body-lg}" cursor: backgroundColor: "{colors.accent-r}" size: 10px cursor-hover: backgroundColor: "{colors.accent-y}" size: 52px button-outline: textColor: "{colors.primary}" typography: "{typography.label-md}" rounded: "{rounded.none}" padding: 0.85rem 1.65rem button-outline-hover: textColor: "{colors.cream}" backgroundColor: "{colors.ink}" button-fill: textColor: "{colors.on-primary}" backgroundColor: "{colors.primary}" typography: "{typography.label-md}" rounded: "{rounded.none}" padding: 1.05rem 2.25rem button-fill-hover: backgroundColor: "{colors.accent-r}" project-card: backgroundColor: "{colors.cream-dim}" textColor: "{colors.ink}" project-meta: textColor: "{colors.muted-lt}" typography: "{typography.label-sm}" project-pill: backgroundColor: "{colors.cream}" textColor: "{colors.ink}" typography: "{typography.label-xs}" tag-r: textColor: "{colors.accent-r}" typography: "{typography.label-xs}" tag-b: textColor: "{colors.accent-b}" typography: "{typography.label-xs}" tag-y: backgroundColor: "{colors.accent-y}" textColor: "{colors.primary}" typography: "{typography.label-xs}" about-section: backgroundColor: "{colors.ink-soft}" textColor: "{colors.on-primary}" input-field: textColor: "{colors.primary}" typography: "{typography.body-md}" input-placeholder: textColor: "{colors.muted-lt}" field-label: textColor: "{colors.muted}" typography: "{typography.label-xs}" divider: backgroundColor: "{colors.warm}" --- ## Overview Mara Voss's design portfolio features a sophisticated, modern, and highly creative aesthetic tailored for an art director and designer. The brand personality is bold, high-contrast, yet deeply tactile and organic, marrying the raw elegance of classical editorial design with clean, interactive digital elements. The user experience is enhanced by smooth transitions, subtle micro-animations (like a custom cursor that expands on hover), and dynamic layouts that give every content block enough negative space to stand out. ## Colors The design system's palette balances high-contrast ink-like tones against warm, paper-inspired neutral backgrounds, highlighted by a triad of expressive accents. - **Backgrounds:** The primary backdrop is a warm `cream` (#f4efe6), transitioning to a darker, deep charcoal `ink-soft` (#1b1a16) in the About section to create contrast. The `cream-dim` and `warm` tones provide soft boundaries and division. - **Typography:** Text uses `ink` (#0c0b09) to provide optimal legibility. Neutral text in secondary contexts is softened using `muted` (#7e7668) or `muted-lt` (#afa89a) to establish visual hierarchy. - **Accents:** A vibrant triad drives visual interest: - **Accent Red (#d4412a):** Used for primary buttons, highlights, hover effects, and the default custom cursor state. - **Accent Yellow (#efc440):** An energetic golden yellow used for floating image shadow accents, hovered state cursors, and select badges. - **Accent Blue (#2750d6):** A deep blue used for specific project tags and branding accents. ## Typography The typography system creates high contrast by pairing an expressive, elegant serif with a structured, bold geometric sans-serif. - **Primary Headings:** Set in `Instrument Serif`. Large headings use an extremely large, fluid scale (`display-xl` and `display-lg`) with light, italicized styling to deliver a strong editorial statement. - **Body & Controls:** Set in `Syne`. Body text has a balanced weight and line height (`body-lg`, `body-md`) for high legibility, while buttons and navigation labels utilize uppercase, bold weights with generous letter-spacing to command structured utility. ## Layout & Spacing The layout is built around asymmetric grids, large, immersive imagery, and breathing room. - **Fluid Grid:** Desktop layouts use a twelve-column grid system with offsets (e.g., margins on columns and cards) that create an editorial layout rhythm, while mobile views stack elements vertically in a single column. - **Spacing Scale:** Governed by a base spacing unit of 8px. Large sections use generous margins (9rem desktop) to separate content themes cleanly. - **Whitespace:** Elements are surrounded by significant empty space, forcing viewers to focus on details. ## Elevation & Depth Rather than relying on modern blurred drop shadows, depth is created using flat, hard-edged shadow shapes, stark color blocks, and light-bending overlays. - **Shadows:** The floating hero image features a 16px flat offset highlight in `accent-y` (#efc440), combined with a large, soft multi-stage shadow to simulate physical layers of board. - **Overlay States:** Hovered project cards reveal a dark gradient overlay (`rgba(12, 11, 9, 0.75)`) and a slide-up project pill to invite interaction. - **Blend Modes:** The custom cursor utilizes a multiply blend mode (`mix-blend-mode: multiply`) to interact dynamically with the text and backgrounds it floats over. ## Shapes The design system prefers strict architectural sharpness combined with perfect circles for micro-elements. - **Corners:** Containers, buttons, cards, and input fields feature completely sharp corners (`rounded.none`), emphasizing an industrial, print-like editorial design. - **Accents:** Perfect circles are used for status dots (e.g., section labels) and the interactive custom cursor. ## Components ### Navigation The fixed top navigation uses a transparent background that shifts to a blurred, frosted cream backdrop (`rgba(244, 239, 230, 0.86)`) on scroll to maintain readability. Links use a red bottom border expand effect on hover. ### Custom Cursor A custom circle cursor follows the mouse coordinates. It defaults to a small red multiply dot and transitions to a larger golden circle when hovering over interactive elements. ### Buttons - **Primary Action (Fill):** High-contrast button with a solid dark background and light text, utilizing a slide-in red color fill transition on hover. - **Secondary Action (Outline):** A clean, bordered button with no background fill that reverses color scheme upon hover. ### Project Cards Asymmetrical grid blocks containing project preview images. Hovering triggers a zoom effect on the image, a dark gradient overlay transition, and a slide-up indicator pill. ## Do's and Don'ts - Do pair bold, uppercase sans-serif labels with elegant italicized serif headings for visual variety. - Do use generous spacing (9rem+) between main content sections to preserve the editorial feel. - Don't use rounded corners for buttons or containers, except for status dots or the custom cursor. - Don't mix multiple highlight accents in a single element; assign a clear, consistent color role for tags and highlights.