blog
(since 2026)
Field notes
Starting from nothing
June 11, 2026 · 6 min · design
This page begins as a white rectangle and earns every mark on it. There is no card system, no shadow stack, no palette — just ink whose weight carries the hierarchy, one blue that only appears where something is alive, hairlines for structure, and a warm putty for the rare fill.
Numbers set in tabular figures so columns align: 71.4, 67.3, 86.2. Data renders as typed characters rather than charts — ▁▂▃▄▅▆▇█▇▆▅ — which means the system needs no libraries to say something quantitative.
To emphasize something, mute its neighbors rather than louden it.
the third rule
The spreadsheet aesthetic
Any list of records is an honest table: tiny uppercase headers, one heavy line, hairlines between rows.
| Room | Reading | Temp | Δ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleeping Cave | ▁▂▃▄▅▆▇█ | 67.3°F | −1.2 |
| Primary Bedroom | ▂▃▄▅▆▇█▇ | 72.1°F | +0.4 |
| Linen Closet | ▃▄▅▆▇█▇▆ | 71.4°F | ±0.0 |
Stat lines
Outside
▁▂▃▄▅▆▇█ 86.2°F +1.1
House
▁▂▃▄▅▆▇█ 16 lights on live
The permitted marks
Tags are putty pills:
Inline code looks like --link: #0033cc, and the accent appears only where something is alive or actionable.
/* the entire palette */
--text: #0a0a0a; --link: #0033cc;
--muted: #8c8b85; --rule: #e8e6df; --pill: #eeece6;Set in Inter. Four materials, one accent, no shadows.