Wired Design System

8 colors20 componentsSatoshi / CerealAug 2026

Verified Design Specv2.4.0

─── Examples (illustrative) — auto-derived; resolve any TO_FILL markers below ───

---

version: alpha

name: Wired-Inspired-design-analysis

description: 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.

colors:

primary: "#000000"

on-primary: "#ffffff"

ink: "#000000"

ink-soft: "#1a1a1a"

body: "#757575"

hairline: "#e0e0e0"

canvas: "#ffffff"

canvas-soft: "#f5f5f5"

link: "#057dbc"

typography:

display-hero:

fontFamily: WiredDisplay, "Times New Roman", Georgia, serif

fontSize: 64px

fontWeight: 400

lineHeight: 59.52px

letterSpacing: -0.5px

display-lg:

fontFamily: WiredDisplay, "Times New Roman", Georgia, serif

fontSize: 48px

fontWeight: 400

lineHeight: 50.4px

letterSpacing: -0.4px

display-md:

fontFamily: WiredDisplay, "Times New Roman", Georgia, serif

fontSize: 32px

fontWeight: 400

lineHeight: 35.2px

letterSpacing: -0.3px

display-sm:

fontFamily: WiredDisplay, "Times New Roman", Georgia, serif

fontSize: 26px

fontWeight: 400

lineHeight: 28.08px

display-xs:

fontFamily: Apercu, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif

fontSize: 20px

fontWeight: 700

lineHeight: 24px

letterSpacing: -0.28px

body-serif-lg:

fontFamily: BreveText, Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif

fontSize: 19px

fontWeight: 400

lineHeight: 27.93px

letterSpacing: 0.108px

body-serif-md:

fontFamily: BreveText, Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif

fontSize: 16px

fontWeight: 400

lineHeight: 24px

letterSpacing: 0.09px

body-md:

fontFamily: Apercu, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif

fontSize: 17px

fontWeight: 400

lineHeight: 20px

body-md-strong:

fontFamily: Apercu, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif

fontSize: 17px

fontWeight: 700

lineHeight: 22px

letterSpacing: -0.144px

body-sm:

fontFamily: Apercu, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif

fontSize: 14px

fontWeight: 400

lineHeight: 18px

letterSpacing: 0.4px

body-sm-strong:

fontFamily: Apercu, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif

fontSize: 14px

fontWeight: 700

lineHeight: 18px

letterSpacing: 0.4px

byline:

fontFamily: BreveText, Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif

fontSize: 12.73px

fontWeight: 700

lineHeight: 28px

letterSpacing: 0.108px

caption:

fontFamily: Apercu, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif

fontSize: 12px

fontWeight: 400

lineHeight: 16px

button-md:

fontFamily: Apercu, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif

fontSize: 16px

fontWeight: 700

lineHeight: 20px

letterSpacing: 0.3px

rounded:

none: 0px

full: 9999px

spacing:

xxs: 2px

xs: 4px

sm: 8px

md: 12px

lg: 16px

xl: 20px

2xl: 24px

3xl: 32px

4xl: 48px

components:

nav-bar:

backgroundColor: "{colors.canvas}"

textColor: "{colors.ink}"

typography: "{typography.body-sm-strong}"

padding: "{spacing.md} {spacing.xl}"

nav-link:

textColor: "{colors.ink}"

typography: "{typography.body-sm-strong}"

button-primary:

backgroundColor: "{colors.primary}"

textColor: "{colors.on-primary}"

typography: "{typography.button-md}"

rounded: "{rounded.none}"

padding: "{spacing.md} {spacing.xl}"

button-outline:

backgroundColor: "{colors.canvas}"

textColor: "{colors.ink}"

borderColor: "{colors.ink}"

typography: "{typography.button-md}"

rounded: "{rounded.none}"

padding: "{spacing.md} {spacing.xl}"

button-icon-circular:

backgroundColor: "{colors.canvas}"

textColor: "{colors.ink}"

rounded: "{rounded.full}"

padding: "{spacing.sm}"

text-input:

backgroundColor: "{colors.canvas}"

textColor: "{colors.ink}"

borderColor: "{colors.ink}"

typography: "{typography.body-md}"

rounded: "{rounded.none}"

padding: "{spacing.md} {spacing.lg}"

story-card-large:

backgroundColor: "{colors.canvas}"

textColor: "{colors.ink}"

typography: "{typography.display-md}"

padding: "{spacing.lg}"

story-card:

backgroundColor: "{colors.canvas}"

textColor: "{colors.ink}"

typography: "{typography.display-xs}"

padding: "{spacing.md}"

story-row:

backgroundColor: "{colors.canvas}"

textColor: "{colors.ink}"

borderColor: "{colors.hairline}"

typography: "{typography.body-md-strong}"

padding: "{spacing.lg} 0"

category-eyebrow:

textColor: "{colors.ink}"

typography: "{typography.body-sm-strong}"

byline-row:

backgroundColor: "{colors.canvas}"

textColor: "{colors.body}"

typography: "{typography.byline}"

hero-band:

backgroundColor: "{colors.canvas}"

textColor: "{colors.ink}"

typography: "{typography.display-hero}"

padding: "{spacing.4xl} {spacing.xl}"

masthead-band:

backgroundColor: "{colors.canvas}"

textColor: "{colors.ink}"

typography: "{typography.body-md-strong}"

padding: "{spacing.md} {spacing.xl}"

hairline-divider:

borderColor: "{colors.hairline}"

footer:

backgroundColor: "{colors.primary}"

textColor: "{colors.on-primary}"

typography: "{typography.body-sm}"

padding: "{spacing.4xl} {spacing.xl}"

ex-pricing-tier:

description: "Default Pricing tier card. Re-uses feature-card chrome with brand canvas-soft surface."

backgroundColor: "{colors.canvas-soft}"

textColor: "{colors.ink}"

borderColor: "{colors.hairline}"

rounded: "{rounded.none}"

padding: "{spacing.lg}"

ex-pricing-tier-featured:

description: "Featured/highlighted tier — polarity-flipped surface (dark fill + light text in light mode, light fill + dark text in dark mode)."

backgroundColor: "{colors.ink}"

textColor: "{colors.on-primary}"

rounded: "{rounded.none}"

padding: "{spacing.lg}"

ex-product-selector:

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

backgroundColor: "{colors.canvas-soft}"

rounded: "{rounded.none}"

padding: "{spacing.lg}"

ex-cart-drawer:

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

backgroundColor: "{colors.canvas}"

rounded: "{rounded.none}"

padding: "{spacing.lg}"

item-divider: "{colors.hairline}"

ex-app-shell-row:

description: "Sidebar nav row inside the App Shell example. Active state uses brand primary as the indicator."

backgroundColor: "{colors.canvas}"

activeIndicator: "{colors.primary}"

rounded: "{rounded.none}"

padding: "{spacing.md} {spacing.lg}"

ex-data-table-cell:

description: "Default data-table th + td chrome. Header uses mono-caps eyebrow typography; body uses body-sm."

headerBackground: "{colors.canvas-soft}"

headerTypography: "{typography.caption}"

bodyTypography: "{typography.body-sm}"

cellPadding: "{spacing.md} {spacing.lg}"

rowBorder: "{colors.hairline}"

ex-auth-form-card:

description: "Sign-in / sign-up card. Re-uses feature-card chrome with text-input primitives inside."

backgroundColor: "{colors.canvas-soft}"

rounded: "{rounded.none}"

padding: "{spacing.lg}"

ex-modal-card:

description: "Modal dialog surface — same chrome as feature-card with elevated shadow."

backgroundColor: "{colors.canvas}"

rounded: "{rounded.none}"

padding: "{spacing.lg}"

ex-empty-state-card:

description: "Empty-state illustration frame."

backgroundColor: "{colors.canvas-soft}"

rounded: "{rounded.none}"

padding: "{spacing.3xl}"

captionTypography: "{typography.body-md}"

ex-toast:

description: "Toast notification surface — feature-card shape + medium shadow."

backgroundColor: "{colors.canvas}"

rounded: "{rounded.none}"

padding: "{spacing.md} {spacing.lg}"

typography: "{typography.body-sm}"

---

Overview

Section 01

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

Section 02

Brand & Accent

Section 03

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

Surface

Section 04

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

Section 05

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

Section 06

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

Section 07

Font Family

Section 08

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

Section 09

|---|---|---|---|---|---|

| `{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

Section 010

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

Section 011

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

WiredDisplay — *Playfair Display* weight 400 at large display sizes captures the high-contrast didone feel, though wider than the brand's tall-narrow proportions.

BreveText — *Lora* or *Source Serif Pro* at 16 – 19 px.

Apercu — *Inter* or *Manrope* weights 400 / 700.

Layout

Section 012

Spacing System

Section 013

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

Section 014

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

Section 015

Breakpoints

Section 016

| Name | Width | Key Changes |

|---|---|---|

| Mobile | < 768px | Cover hero 64→40 px; all grids 1-up; hamburger nav. |

| Tablet | 768–1023px | 2-up secondary story grid. |

| Desktop | ≥ 1024px | Full magazine grid. |

Touch Targets

Section 017

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

Collapsing Strategy

Section 018

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

Section 019

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

Section 020

| 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

Section 021

Border Radius Scale

Section 022

| 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

Section 023

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

Section 024

Buttons

Section 025

**`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

Section 026

**`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

Section 027

**`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

Section 028

**`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

Section 029

**`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)

Section 030

> 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

Section 031

Do

Section 032

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

Section 033

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.

72,570+ DESIGN.md files generated