Typography System

Overview

Typography is the voice of your interface. It communicates hierarchy, establishes tone, and guides users through your content. Great typography is invisible—users don't notice it because it works so well.

This skill teaches you to think about typography systematically: choosing fonts with intention, creating scales that feel natural, establishing clear hierarchy, and ensuring readability and accessibility across all contexts.

Core Methodology: Type Scales and Hierarchy

Rather than choosing font sizes arbitrarily, use a modular scale—a mathematical progression of sizes that feels harmonious and intentional.

Modular Scales

A modular scale is a sequence of sizes derived from a base size and a ratio. Common ratios:

Ratio	Name	Use Case	Example (16px base)
1.125	Major Second	Subtle, minimal	16, 18, 20, 23, 26, 29, 33, 37, 42, 47
1.25	Major Third	Balanced, harmonious	16, 20, 25, 31, 39, 49, 61, 76, 95
1.5	Perfect Fifth	Bold, dramatic	16, 24, 36, 54, 81, 122
1.618	Golden Ratio	Natural, elegant	16, 26, 42, 68, 110

Choosing a Scale:

1.125 (Major Second) — For subtle, minimal designs
1.25 (Major Third) — For balanced, harmonious designs (most common)
1.5 (Perfect Fifth) — For bold, dramatic designs
1.618 (Golden Ratio) — For natural, elegant designs

Example: Major Third Scale (1.25 ratio)

Base: 16px
Scale: 16, 20, 25, 31, 39, 49, 61, 76, 95

Practical sizes:
- Caption: 12px (smaller than base)
- Body: 16px (base)
- Body Large: 18px (between base and next)
- Heading 6: 20px
- Heading 5: 25px
- Heading 4: 31px
- Heading 3: 39px
- Heading 2: 49px
- Heading 1: 61px
- Display: 76px (for hero sections)

Implementing Type Scales in Tailwind

module.exports = {
  theme: {
    fontSize: {
      // Captions and small text
      'xs': ['12px', { lineHeight: '1.5' }],
      'sm': ['14px', { lineHeight: '1.5' }],
      
      // Body text
      'base': ['16px', { lineHeight: '1.6' }],
      'lg': ['18px', { lineHeight: '1.6' }],
      
      // Headings (modular scale 1.25)
      'h6': ['20px', { lineHeight: '1.3', fontWeight: '600' }],
      'h5': ['25px', { lineHeight: '1.3', fontWeight: '600' }],
      'h4': ['31px', { lineHeight: '1.2', fontWeight: '700' }],
      'h3': ['39px', { lineHeight: '1.2', fontWeight: '700' }],
      'h2': ['49px', { lineHeight: '1.1', fontWeight: '700' }],
      'h1': ['61px', { lineHeight: '1.1', fontWeight: '700' }],
      
      // Display (for hero sections)
      'display': ['76px', { lineHeight: '1', fontWeight: '800' }],
    },
  },
};

Font Selection

Choosing Fonts

Font Pairing Principles:

Contrast — Pair fonts with different characteristics (serif + sans-serif, or geometric + humanist)
Personality Match — Fonts should match your brand personality
Readability — Prioritize readability over style
Versatility — Fonts should work across sizes and weights

Common Font Pairings

Heading Font	Body Font	Personality	Use Case
Playfair Display	Inter	Elegant, sophisticated	Luxury, editorial
Montserrat	Open Sans	Modern, geometric	Tech, SaaS
Merriweather	Lato	Warm, friendly	Publishing, lifestyle
Space Mono	Space Grotesk	Futuristic, technical	Developer tools, tech
Poppins	Poppins	Contemporary, friendly	Startups, consumer apps

Font Loading Strategy

Use system fonts first, then web fonts as fallback:

/* System fonts (fast, no network request) */
font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif;

/* Or use web fonts (Google Fonts, Typekit, etc.) */
@import url('https://fonts.googleapis.com/css2?family=Inter:wght@400;500;600;700&display=swap');

body {
  font-family: 'Inter', system-ui, sans-serif;
}

Font Loading Best Practices:

Use font-display: swap to avoid invisible text while fonts load
Preload critical fonts: <link rel="preload" as="font" href="font.woff2" crossorigin>
Limit to 2-3 font families and 3-4 weights
Use variable fonts to reduce file size

Hierarchy and Emphasis

Creating Visual Hierarchy

Use these properties to create hierarchy:

Size — Larger text is more prominent
Weight — Bolder text is more prominent
Color — Brighter or more saturated colors are more prominent
Spacing — More space around text makes it more prominent
Position — Top-left is more prominent than bottom-right

Example: Hierarchy in a Card

<div class="card">
  <h2 class="card-title">Card Title</h2>
  <p class="card-description">This is a description of the card content.</p>
  <p class="card-meta">Published on January 16, 2026</p>
</div>

.card-title {
  font-size: 20px;
  font-weight: 600;
  color: var(--text-primary);
  margin-bottom: 0.5rem;
}

.card-description {
  font-size: 16px;
  font-weight: 400;
  color: var(--text-primary);
  line-height: 1.6;
  margin-bottom: 1rem;
}

.card-meta {
  font-size: 14px;
  font-weight: 400;
  color: var(--text-secondary);
  line-height: 1.5;
}

Emphasis Techniques

Bold — Use for emphasis, not entire paragraphs
Italic — Use for citations, asides, or emphasis
Color — Use to highlight important information
ALL CAPS — Use sparingly for labels or buttons
Underline — Use only for links (to avoid confusion)

Readability and Accessibility

Line Height

Line height affects readability. Tighter line heights for headings, looser for body text:

h1, h2, h3 {
  line-height: 1.2; /* Tight for headings */
}

p, li {
  line-height: 1.6; /* Loose for body text */
}

.caption {
  line-height: 1.4; /* Medium for captions */
}

Line Length

Optimal line length is 50-75 characters. Too long and reading becomes difficult:

main {
  max-width: 65ch; /* ~65 characters */
}

Letter Spacing

Adjust letter spacing for different contexts:

h1 {
  letter-spacing: -0.02em; /* Tighter for large headings */
}

.label {
  letter-spacing: 0.05em; /* Looser for labels */
}

.caption {
  letter-spacing: 0; /* Normal for body text */
}

Text Contrast

Ensure sufficient contrast for readability (WCAG AA: 4.5:1 for normal text, 3:1 for large text):

/* Good contrast */
color: #030712; /* dark text */
background-color: #F9FAFB; /* light background */
/* Contrast ratio: 19:1 ✓ */

/* Poor contrast */
color: #9CA3AF; /* medium gray text */
background-color: #F9FAFB; /* light background */
/* Contrast ratio: 2.5:1 ✗ */

Responsive Typography

Use fluid typography to scale smoothly across devices:

/* Fixed sizes (old approach) */
h1 {
  font-size: 24px; /* mobile */
}

@media (min-width: 768px) {
  h1 {
    font-size: 32px; /* tablet */
  }
}

@media (min-width: 1024px) {
  h1 {
    font-size: 40px; /* desktop */
  }
}

/* Fluid typography (modern approach) */
h1 {
  font-size: clamp(24px, 5vw, 40px);
  /* min: 24px, preferred: 5% of viewport width, max: 40px */
}

Advanced Typography Techniques

Variable Fonts

Variable fonts allow multiple weights and styles in a single file:

@import url('https://fonts.googleapis.com/css2?family=Inter:wght@100..900&display=swap');

body {
  font-family: 'Inter', sans-serif;
  font-weight: 400;
}

strong {
  font-weight: 600;
}

.light {
  font-weight: 300;
}

Font Features

Use OpenType features for advanced typography:

/* Ligatures (fi, fl, etc.) */
body {
  font-feature-settings: 'liga' 1;
}

/* Tabular numbers (for tables) */
.table {
  font-feature-settings: 'tnum' 1;
}

/* Small caps */
.label {
  font-feature-settings: 'smcp' 1;
}

Common Typography Patterns

Pattern 1: Article Typography

article {
  font-size: 18px;
  line-height: 1.7;
  max-width: 65ch;
  margin: 0 auto;
  padding: 2rem 1rem;
}

article h1 {
  font-size: 49px;
  line-height: 1.1;
  margin-bottom: 1rem;
  margin-top: 2rem;
}

article h2 {
  font-size: 39px;
  line-height: 1.2;
  margin-bottom: 0.75rem;
  margin-top: 1.5rem;
}

article p {
  margin-bottom: 1.5rem;
}

article a {
  color: var(--interactive-primary);
  text-decoration: underline;
}

Pattern 2: UI Typography

/* Buttons */
button {
  font-size: 16px;
  font-weight: 600;
  line-height: 1.5;
  letter-spacing: 0;
}

/* Labels */
label {
  font-size: 14px;
  font-weight: 500;
  line-height: 1.4;
  letter-spacing: 0.05em;
}

/* Captions */
.caption {
  font-size: 12px;
  font-weight: 400;
  line-height: 1.4;
  color: var(--text-secondary);
}

Pattern 3: Responsive Headings

h1 {
  font-size: clamp(24px, 5vw, 61px);
  line-height: 1.1;
  font-weight: 700;
}

h2 {
  font-size: clamp(20px, 4vw, 49px);
  line-height: 1.2;
  font-weight: 700;
}

h3 {
  font-size: clamp(18px, 3vw, 39px);
  line-height: 1.2;
  font-weight: 600;
}

How to Use This Skill with Claude Code

Create a Type Scale

"I'm using the typography-system skill. Can you create a type scale for me?
- Base font size: 16px
- Ratio: 1.25 (Major Third)
- Font family: Inter for body, Playfair Display for headings
- Include sizes for: captions, body, headings, display
- Ensure accessibility (contrast, line height, line length)"

Audit Your Typography

"Can you audit my current typography?
- Are my font sizes following a modular scale?
- Is my line height appropriate?
- Is my line length too long?
- Are my color contrasts sufficient?
- Are my fonts accessible?
- What improvements would you suggest?"

Implement Responsive Typography

"Can you help me implement responsive typography?
- Create fluid typography using clamp()
- Ensure readability at all breakpoints
- Test at mobile (320px), tablet (768px), desktop (1024px)
- Provide CSS code I can use"

Create Typography Documentation

"Can you create comprehensive typography documentation?
- Type scale with all sizes
- Font pairings and usage
- Hierarchy guidelines
- Accessibility guidelines
- Code examples for each style
- Responsive behavior"

Design Critique: Evaluating Your Typography

Claude Code can critique your typography:

"Can you evaluate my typography?
- Is my type scale harmonious?
- Is my hierarchy clear?
- Is my readability good?
- Are my color contrasts sufficient?
- Are my fonts accessible?
- What's one thing I could improve immediately?"

Integration with Other Skills

design-foundation — Typography tokens and scales
layout-system — Responsive typography scales
color-system — Text color and contrast
component-architecture — Typography in components
accessibility-excellence — Font sizes, contrast, line height
interaction-design — Typography in animations

Key Principles

1. Type Scale Brings Harmony A modular scale feels natural and intentional. It's the foundation of great typography.

2. Hierarchy Guides Users Clear hierarchy helps users understand what's important and what to read next.

3. Readability is Non-Negotiable Beautiful typography that's hard to read is not beautiful. Readability comes first.

4. Accessibility is Foundational Font sizes, contrast, and line height must meet accessibility standards.

5. Consistency Builds Trust Consistent typography across your product builds trust and reduces cognitive load.

Checklist: Is Your Typography System Ready?

Great typography is the voice of your interface. Make it count.