2026-05-11 16:33:01 +03:00

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version name description colors typography rounded spacing components
alpha Wired Inspired An inspired interpretation of Wired's design language — a flagship technology-magazine brand whose surface is a strict editorial duet of stark black wordmark on white canvas, anchored by a tall narrow custom display serif for hero headlines, a humanist serif body face for long-form reading, and a clean sans face for metadata; layout reads like a printed magazine ported to the web with very little marketing chrome.
primary on-primary ink ink-soft body hairline canvas canvas-soft link
#000000 #ffffff #000000 #1a1a1a #757575 #e0e0e0 #ffffff #f5f5f5 #057dbc
display-hero display-lg display-md display-sm display-xs body-serif-lg body-serif-md body-md body-md-strong body-sm body-sm-strong byline caption button-md
fontFamily fontSize fontWeight lineHeight letterSpacing
WiredDisplay, "Times New Roman", Georgia, serif 64px 400 59.52px -0.5px
fontFamily fontSize fontWeight lineHeight letterSpacing
WiredDisplay, "Times New Roman", Georgia, serif 48px 400 50.4px -0.4px
fontFamily fontSize fontWeight lineHeight letterSpacing
WiredDisplay, "Times New Roman", Georgia, serif 32px 400 35.2px -0.3px
fontFamily fontSize fontWeight lineHeight
WiredDisplay, "Times New Roman", Georgia, serif 26px 400 28.08px
fontFamily fontSize fontWeight lineHeight letterSpacing
Apercu, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif 20px 700 24px -0.28px
fontFamily fontSize fontWeight lineHeight letterSpacing
BreveText, Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif 19px 400 27.93px 0.108px
fontFamily fontSize fontWeight lineHeight letterSpacing
BreveText, Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif 16px 400 24px 0.09px
fontFamily fontSize fontWeight lineHeight
Apercu, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif 17px 400 20px
fontFamily fontSize fontWeight lineHeight letterSpacing
Apercu, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif 17px 700 22px -0.144px
fontFamily fontSize fontWeight lineHeight letterSpacing
Apercu, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif 14px 400 18px 0.4px
fontFamily fontSize fontWeight lineHeight letterSpacing
Apercu, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif 14px 700 18px 0.4px
fontFamily fontSize fontWeight lineHeight letterSpacing
BreveText, Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif 12.73px 700 28px 0.108px
fontFamily fontSize fontWeight lineHeight
Apercu, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif 12px 400 16px
fontFamily fontSize fontWeight lineHeight letterSpacing
Apercu, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif 16px 700 20px 0.3px
none full
0px 9999px
xxs xs sm md lg xl 2xl 3xl 4xl
2px 4px 8px 12px 16px 20px 24px 32px 48px
nav-bar nav-link button-primary button-outline button-icon-circular text-input story-card-large story-card story-row category-eyebrow byline-row hero-band masthead-band hairline-divider footer ex-pricing-tier ex-pricing-tier-featured ex-product-selector ex-cart-drawer ex-app-shell-row ex-data-table-cell ex-auth-form-card ex-modal-card ex-empty-state-card ex-toast
backgroundColor textColor typography padding
{colors.canvas} {colors.ink} {typography.body-sm-strong} {spacing.md} {spacing.xl}
textColor typography
{colors.ink} {typography.body-sm-strong}
backgroundColor textColor typography rounded padding
{colors.primary} {colors.on-primary} {typography.button-md} {rounded.none} {spacing.md} {spacing.xl}
backgroundColor textColor borderColor typography rounded padding
{colors.canvas} {colors.ink} {colors.ink} {typography.button-md} {rounded.none} {spacing.md} {spacing.xl}
backgroundColor textColor rounded padding
{colors.canvas} {colors.ink} {rounded.full} {spacing.sm}
backgroundColor textColor borderColor typography rounded padding
{colors.canvas} {colors.ink} {colors.ink} {typography.body-md} {rounded.none} {spacing.md} {spacing.lg}
backgroundColor textColor typography padding
{colors.canvas} {colors.ink} {typography.display-md} {spacing.lg}
backgroundColor textColor typography padding
{colors.canvas} {colors.ink} {typography.display-xs} {spacing.md}
backgroundColor textColor borderColor typography padding
{colors.canvas} {colors.ink} {colors.hairline} {typography.body-md-strong} {spacing.lg} 0
textColor typography
{colors.ink} {typography.body-sm-strong}
backgroundColor textColor typography
{colors.canvas} {colors.body} {typography.byline}
backgroundColor textColor typography padding
{colors.canvas} {colors.ink} {typography.display-hero} {spacing.4xl} {spacing.xl}
backgroundColor textColor typography padding
{colors.canvas} {colors.ink} {typography.body-md-strong} {spacing.md} {spacing.xl}
borderColor
{colors.hairline}
backgroundColor textColor typography padding
{colors.primary} {colors.on-primary} {typography.body-sm} {spacing.4xl} {spacing.xl}
description backgroundColor textColor borderColor rounded padding
Default Pricing tier card. Re-uses feature-card chrome with brand canvas-soft surface. {colors.canvas-soft} {colors.ink} {colors.hairline} {rounded.none} {spacing.lg}
description backgroundColor textColor rounded padding
Featured/highlighted tier — polarity-flipped surface (dark fill + light text in light mode, light fill + dark text in dark mode). {colors.ink} {colors.on-primary} {rounded.none} {spacing.lg}
description backgroundColor rounded padding
What's Included summary card — re-purposed for SaaS / B2B verticals (NOT a literal product gallery). {colors.canvas-soft} {rounded.none} {spacing.lg}
description backgroundColor rounded padding item-divider
Subscription summary — re-purposed for SaaS / B2B (line items per add-on, not literal cart). {colors.canvas} {rounded.none} {spacing.lg} {colors.hairline}
description backgroundColor activeIndicator rounded padding
Sidebar nav row inside the App Shell example. Active state uses brand primary as the indicator. {colors.canvas} {colors.primary} {rounded.none} {spacing.md} {spacing.lg}
description headerBackground headerTypography bodyTypography cellPadding rowBorder
Default data-table th + td chrome. Header uses mono-caps eyebrow typography; body uses body-sm. {colors.canvas-soft} {typography.caption} {typography.body-sm} {spacing.md} {spacing.lg} {colors.hairline}
description backgroundColor rounded padding
Sign-in / sign-up card. Re-uses feature-card chrome with text-input primitives inside. {colors.canvas-soft} {rounded.none} {spacing.lg}
description backgroundColor rounded padding
Modal dialog surface — same chrome as feature-card with elevated shadow. {colors.canvas} {rounded.none} {spacing.lg}
description backgroundColor rounded padding captionTypography
Empty-state illustration frame. {colors.canvas-soft} {rounded.none} {spacing.3xl} {typography.body-md}
description backgroundColor rounded padding typography
Toast notification surface — feature-card shape + medium shadow. {colors.canvas} {rounded.none} {spacing.md} {spacing.lg} {typography.body-sm}

Overview

Wired is the flagship technology-magazine brand under Condé Nast — and the web surface refuses to dress itself as a SaaS marketing site. The page is unmistakably an editorial product: a white canvas, a strict black wordmark in the brand's proprietary WiredDisplay (a tall, narrow, high-contrast serif used at 64 px), and stacked story cards that read as a printed magazine grid ported to the screen. There is no atmospheric gradient, no decorative chrome, no chromatic accent — the brand's only colour beyond the black-and-white duet is the small {colors.link} (#057dbc) used for inline body links inside long-form articles.

Type carries the entire identity. Three families ladder the system: WiredDisplay (the proprietary high-contrast serif) for hero / section headlines; BreveText (a humanist serif) for long-form body and bylines; and Apercu (a humanist sans) for metadata, captions, eyebrow tags, and buttons. The pairing is editorial-grade: serifs for narrative, sans for navigation and structural labels.

Buttons are square. The brand uses {rounded.none} 0 px corners across the entire UI — newsletter sign-ups, login forms, "Read more" CTAs all render as sharp rectangles. The only circular shape is the button-icon-circular used for social-share affordances. There are no soft drop-shadows; the brand uses hairline borders for elevation when needed.

Key Characteristics:

  • A strict black-and-white duet with no chromatic accent except the inline link blue {colors.link}. The brand reads as a printed magazine.
  • Three-face typographic system — WiredDisplay serif for display, BreveText serif for body, Apercu sans for metadata and buttons.
  • Square buttons ({rounded.none}) — the brand never softens corners on interactive elements.
  • A magazine-style story grid: large feature card at top, two-up secondary, then a vertical stack of bylined story rows separated by {colors.hairline} 1 px dividers.
  • The brand's only signature decorative move is the masthead band — a thin black strip with the wordmark centred, no other decoration.
  • A near-black {colors.ink} (#000000) footer band, no graphics, just text columns and the wordmark repeating.

Colors

Brand & Accent

  • Ink Black ({colors.primary}#000000): The brand's only "accent." Used for wordmark, headlines, CTAs, footer fill. Pure black, never softened.

Surface

  • Canvas ({colors.canvas}#ffffff): The default page background.
  • Canvas Soft ({colors.canvas-soft}#f5f5f5): Rare tint used for the comment-section background and search-result row hover states (not in the main page rhythm).
  • Hairline ({colors.hairline}#e0e0e0): 1 px dividers between story rows. The brand's only "line."

Text

  • Ink ({colors.ink}#000000): Every headline, every body paragraph in BreveText.
  • Ink Soft ({colors.ink-soft}#1a1a1a): A near-black variant used for caption-strong / footer link emphasis.
  • Body ({colors.body}#757575): Secondary metadata — bylines, timestamps, supporting body lines.

Semantic

The brand operates with one inline link colour and no separate error / success / warning palette in its marketing surface. Validation cues on form pages use the ink black + body grey hierarchy.

  • Link ({colors.link}#057dbc): The inline body-link blue. Used only inside long-form article body copy, never on UI buttons or navigation.

Typography

Font Family

Three families ladder the system:

  1. WiredDisplay — the proprietary tall-narrow high-contrast serif used exclusively for display headlines (64 px hero, scaling down to 26 px sub-display). The brand's most-recognisable typographic signature.
  2. BreveText — the proprietary humanist serif used for long-form body, bylines, and editorial captions. Used at 16 19 px line-height 1.45 1.50 for comfortable reading density.
  3. Apercu — a humanist sans used for nav, button labels, category eyebrows, metadata, and captions. Weights 400 / 700.

Inter is loaded as a fourth fallback face for embedded utility surfaces (the comment section, account pages) but does not appear on the main marketing / article surface.

Hierarchy

Token Size Weight Line Height Letter Spacing Use
{typography.display-hero} 64px 400 59.5px -0.5px Cover-story headline.
{typography.display-lg} 48px 400 50.4px -0.4px Major section / feature headlines.
{typography.display-md} 32px 400 35.2px -0.3px Story-card large variant.
{typography.display-sm} 26px 400 28px 0 Sub-display headings inside long-form articles.
{typography.display-xs} 20px 700 24px -0.28px Sans (Apercu) display micro-headings for category callouts.
{typography.body-serif-lg} 19px 400 27.93px 0.108px Lead paragraph of an article (BreveText).
{typography.body-serif-md} 16px 400 24px 0.09px Default article body (BreveText).
{typography.body-md} 17px 400 20px 0 Sans body (Apercu) for nav / metadata.
{typography.body-md-strong} 17px 700 22px -0.144px Bold sans body.
{typography.body-sm} 14px 400 18px 0.4px Secondary sans body.
{typography.body-sm-strong} 14px 700 18px 0.4px Bold caption / nav-link.
{typography.byline} 12.73px 700 28px 0.108px Article byline (BreveText).
{typography.caption} 12px 400 16px 0 Fine print, image captions.
{typography.button-md} 16px 700 20px 0.3px Button label.

Principles

  • Serif for narrative, sans for structure. The serif faces never carry button labels or nav text; the sans face never carries article body.
  • Display weight 400 — the proprietary WiredDisplay reads as elegant by virtue of its thin-tall-narrow design at default weight, not via weight 700+.
  • Bylines use BreveText weight 700 with relaxed line-height 2.2. The vertical breathing is part of the editorial signature.

Note on Font Substitutes

The three proprietary faces have no exact substitutes. Best open-source approximations:

  • WiredDisplayPlayfair Display weight 400 at large display sizes captures the high-contrast didone feel, though wider than the brand's tall-narrow proportions.
  • BreveTextLora or Source Serif Pro at 16 19 px.
  • ApercuInter or Manrope weights 400 / 700.

Layout

Spacing System

  • Base unit: 4 px.
  • Tokens: {spacing.xxs} 2 px · {spacing.xs} 4 px · {spacing.sm} 8 px · {spacing.md} 12 px · {spacing.lg} 16 px · {spacing.xl} 20 px · {spacing.2xl} 24 px · {spacing.3xl} 32 px · {spacing.4xl} 48 px.
  • Section padding: hero / story grid use {spacing.4xl} 48 px top/bottom on desktop.
  • Story row padding: {spacing.lg} 16 px vertical between bylined story rows.

Grid & Container

  • Marketing content uses a wide container (~1400 px max).
  • Cover-story grid: 1 large hero + 2-up secondary stories + vertical stack.
  • Story-row stack: full-width single column with hairline dividers.

Responsive Strategy

Breakpoints

Name Width Key Changes
Mobile < 768px Cover hero 64→40 px; all grids 1-up; hamburger nav.
Tablet 7681023px 2-up secondary story grid.
Desktop ≥ 1024px Full magazine grid.

Touch Targets

Button-primary renders ~44 px tall (12 vertical padding + 20 line). WCAG AAA at all widths.

Collapsing Strategy

  • Nav: full link row + Subscribe CTA at desktop. Hamburger at mobile.
  • Magazine grid: hero stays full-width; 2-up secondary drops to 1-up at mobile.
  • Story rows: stay single-column at all viewports.

Image Behavior

  • Cover images: full-bleed 16:9 hero / 4:3 secondary.
  • Article body images: full-width inside the article column.
  • Author avatars: small inline circular crops next to bylines.

Elevation & Depth

Level Treatment Use
Level 0 — Flat No shadow, no border. Default — almost every surface lives at this level.
Level 1 — Hairline 1 px solid {colors.hairline} border. Story-row dividers, input borders.
Level 2 — Heavy Black Border 2 px solid {colors.ink} border. Subscribe CTA on certain campaign moments.

The brand uses no drop-shadows. Surface contrast and hairline borders carry all visual hierarchy.

Shapes

Border Radius Scale

Token Value Use
{rounded.none} 0px Every interactive shape — buttons, inputs, cards. The brand's signature square geometry.
{rounded.full} 9999px Circular icon containers only (social-share, account avatar).

Photography Geometry

  • Cover stories: 16:9 hero, edge-to-edge.
  • Secondary story cards: 4:3 thumbnails.
  • Article body images: native aspect, full column width.
  • Bylines / avatars: circular {rounded.full} 28 px crops.

Components

Buttons

button-primary — the square black CTA.

  • Background {colors.primary}, text {colors.on-primary}, label {typography.button-md} (Apercu 16 px / 700 / 0.3 px tracking), padding {spacing.md} {spacing.xl}, shape {rounded.none} 0 px.

button-outline — the white outline CTA.

  • Background {colors.canvas}, text {colors.ink}, 1 px solid {colors.ink} border, same typography / padding / shape.

button-icon-circular — the circular share-icon button.

  • Background {colors.canvas}, ink icon, shape {rounded.full}.

Cards & Containers

story-card-large — the cover-story card with {typography.display-md} headline.

  • Background {colors.canvas}, text {colors.ink}, padding {spacing.lg}. No border — the card lives on the canvas with the photo doing the work.

story-card — the secondary story card.

  • Background {colors.canvas}, text {colors.ink}, padding {spacing.md}. Photo at top, sans display heading + body lead below.

story-row — the bylined story list row.

  • Background {colors.canvas}, text {colors.ink}, 1 px solid {colors.hairline} bottom border, body in {typography.body-md-strong}, padding {spacing.lg} 0.

Inputs & Forms

text-input — the standard text input.

  • Background {colors.canvas}, text {colors.ink}, 1 px solid {colors.ink} border, body in {typography.body-md}, padding {spacing.md} {spacing.lg}, shape {rounded.none}.

Navigation

nav-bar — the top nav, light by default.

  • Background {colors.canvas}, text {colors.ink}, padding {spacing.md} {spacing.xl}. Layout: hamburger left, masthead centre, Subscribe right.

nav-link — link items inside nav.

  • Text {colors.ink}, set in {typography.body-sm-strong} (Apercu 14 / 700).

footer — the black footer band.

  • Background {colors.primary}, text {colors.on-primary}, padding {spacing.4xl} {spacing.xl}. Body in {typography.body-sm} (Apercu 14 / 400). Footer column eyebrows in {typography.body-sm-strong}.

Signature Components

hero-band — the white hero band hosting the cover-story.

  • Background {colors.canvas}, text {colors.ink}, padding {spacing.4xl} {spacing.xl}. Cover headline in {typography.display-hero} (WiredDisplay 64 px).

masthead-band — the thin top band with the wordmark.

  • Background {colors.canvas}, text {colors.ink}, padding {spacing.md} {spacing.xl}. The wordmark sits centred; flanked by section nav.

category-eyebrow — the small uppercase category label above story headlines.

  • Text {colors.ink}, set in {typography.body-sm-strong} (Apercu 14 / 700 — though some campaigns use ALL CAPS via CSS).

byline-row — the article byline strip.

  • Background {colors.canvas}, text {colors.body}, body in {typography.byline} (BreveText 12.73 / 700 / line-height 2.2). Includes an author avatar + name + date.

hairline-divider — the 1 px line between story rows.

  • 1 px solid {colors.hairline}.

Examples (illustrative)

Auto-derived kit-mirror demonstration surfaces (scripts/derive-examples-block.mjs). Each ex-* entry references brand-native primitives so downstream consumers (/preview-design, /generate-kit) re-skin the same 10 surfaces consistently. TO_FILL markers indicate missing primitives — resolve in the LLM judgment pass.

ex-pricing-tier — Default Pricing tier card. Re-uses feature-card chrome with brand canvas-soft surface.

  • Properties: backgroundColor, textColor, borderColor, rounded, padding

ex-pricing-tier-featured — Featured/highlighted tier — polarity-flipped surface (dark fill + light text in light mode, light fill + dark text in dark mode).

  • Properties: backgroundColor, textColor, rounded, padding

ex-product-selector — What's Included summary card — re-purposed for SaaS / B2B verticals (NOT a literal product gallery).

  • Properties: backgroundColor, rounded, padding

ex-cart-drawer — Subscription summary — re-purposed for SaaS / B2B (line items per add-on, not literal cart).

  • Properties: backgroundColor, rounded, padding, item-divider

ex-app-shell-row — Sidebar nav row inside the App Shell example. Active state uses brand primary as the indicator.

  • Properties: backgroundColor, activeIndicator, rounded, padding

ex-data-table-cell — Default data-table th + td chrome. Header uses mono-caps eyebrow typography; body uses body-sm.

  • Properties: headerBackground, headerTypography, bodyTypography, cellPadding, rowBorder

ex-auth-form-card — Sign-in / sign-up card. Re-uses feature-card chrome with text-input primitives inside.

  • Properties: backgroundColor, rounded, padding

ex-modal-card — Modal dialog surface — same chrome as feature-card with elevated shadow.

  • Properties: backgroundColor, rounded, padding

ex-empty-state-card — Empty-state illustration frame.

  • Properties: backgroundColor, rounded, padding, captionTypography

ex-toast — Toast notification surface — feature-card shape + medium shadow.

  • Properties: backgroundColor, rounded, padding, typography

Do's and Don'ts

Do

  • Reserve {colors.primary} black for the wordmark, every CTA, and the footer fill. The brand IS the strict black-on-white duet.
  • Set hero headlines in {typography.display-hero} (WiredDisplay 64 px weight 400). The proprietary serif IS the brand's typographic signature.
  • Use {rounded.none} 0 px on every button and form input. The brand reads as a printed magazine — square corners are non-negotiable.
  • Pair WiredDisplay (serif display) with BreveText (serif body) and Apercu (sans labels). Three faces, three roles.
  • Render story rows with {colors.hairline} 1 px dividers — the brand's only elevation cue.

Don't

  • Don't introduce a chromatic brand accent. The link blue is reserved for inline body links inside articles only.
  • Don't round button corners. The brand never softens its rectangular geometry.
  • Don't drop a soft drop-shadow on cards. Surface contrast and hairlines carry elevation.
  • Don't substitute the proprietary serif faces with a generic sans for display. The serif voice is the brand.
  • Don't promote display weight beyond 400. The brand's elegance is in the typeface design, not bold weight.