dark-tech

dark-tech

One identity: a machine you can trust — precise, quiet, fast.

1. PALETTE (Fixed)

• Ground: #08090A (near-black). Panels: #0E0F11 and #131417. Hover surfaces: #181A1D.
• Ink text: #F7F7F8 (primary), #9CA3AD (secondary), #5C6370 (tertiary/muted).
• Borders: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.08) hairlines. Stronger on interactive: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.16).
• Accent — exactly one: indigo #5E6AD2, violet #7C7CF0, or emerald-safe #34D399 — selected by brand/meaning. Accent used for: links, the single primary button, active states, one data series.
• No gradients (flat surfaces only), no colored full-bleed backgrounds. Glow allowed ONLY on the accent: box-shadow: 0 0 0 1px rgba(accent, .35), 0 0 24px rgba(accent, .25) on the primary button.

2. TYPOGRAPHY (Fixed)

• Display: neutral grotesk with personality — Space Grotesk, or system sans at 500–600 weight. Sizes clamp(2.2rem, 5vw, 4rem), tracking −0.03em, leading 1.05. Dark tech is restrained: powerful but not shouting.
• Body: 14–15px, #9CA3AD secondary for almost everything; pure #F7F7F8 reserved for headings, key values, and interactive labels. Line-height 1.55.
• Labels/metadata: monospaced (IBM Plex Mono / ui-monospace), 11–12px, #5C6370, no letterspacing theatrics (0–0.02em). Version numbers, keys, statuses live here.
• UI density: 12–14px is normal. This is an instrument console, not a billboard.

3. COMPOSITION (Fixed)

• Fine border discipline: every panel, row, and table cell is separated by 1px rgba(255,255,255,0.08) borders. Inner fills are tonal (#0E0F11 / #131417), never white cards on black.
• Hero: small caps mono kicker, medium-size headline (max 4rem), sub in secondary, CTA row — primary accent button + ghost button. Optional: a metrics strip or product panel below, bordered.
• Data is the hero: metrics, code blocks, terminal snippets, and status tables are aesthetic assets. A bordered panel with mono numbers beats a decorative illustration.
• Radius: 6–10px on panels (this is the ONE pack where a bit of radius is correct — machine parts), 4–6px on buttons. Shadows only at hover: 0 4px 20px rgba(0,0,0,0.5).
• Pricing: bordered rows or 3-panel grid; featured panel gets a 1px accent border + accent dot/check list.

4. CONTENT TREATMENT

• No emoji as icons. Draw icons: 1.5px stroke, rounded caps, 16–20px grid, #9CA3AD at rest, accent at active.
• No photography by default. Dark-tech surfaces are better empty: hairlines, mono labels, and metrics.
• Status language: status: healthy, v2.4.1, 99.99% SLA — product authenticity beats marketing claims.
• CTA text: concrete ("Deploy now", "Run benchmark"), never "Get started today!!".

5. MOTION (Precise)

• Durations 120–240ms. Easing cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1) (Material-style) or ease-out hovers.
• Hover: surface tone shift (#0E0F11 → #131417) + border brighten. Border/glow transitions only, 150ms.
• One allowed flourish: a slow ambient status pulse on one accent element (like a "live" dot), 2–4s cycle, opacity only.
• Respect prefers-reduced-motion: everything off.

6. CHECKLIST (Fail the page if…)

• Any white or light background surfaces (main background must be near-black).
• More than one accent color in use.
• Any gradient fill.
• Headline above 4rem or in a display serif.
• Body text in pure white for normal paragraphs.
• Rounded corners above 10px on panels or above 6px on buttons.
• Emoji icons or bright marketing photography.
• Any section that could not exist in a developer tool.