The Compass
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Foundation

The vocabulary of a thoughtful guide.

A single token system. Each piece earns its place. Evidence is labeled, never decorative. Callouts whisper, they don't shout.

01 · Color

A warm paper palette.

Built on a single off-white surface and a near-black warm ink. Clay terracotta does the heavy lifting for accent.

paper
#f4ecdd
primary surface
paper-2
#ede4d1
recessed
paper-3
#e4d9c2
deepest cream
bone
#fbf6ea
lifted card
ink
#1c1a16
text · primary
ink-2
#45403a
text · secondary
ink-3
#7a7468
text · meta
ink-4
#b4ac9c
rule · disabled
clay
#b54a2c
signature accent
clay-2
#8d3920
accent · pressed
ember
#d97a3f
warmer sibling
sage
#6b7a55
note · success
river
#2c4a66
evidence · info
gold
#b88a3c
highlight · sparingly
02 · Typography

A serif that knows when to whisper.

Instrument Serif and Newsreader for display. Geist for sans. Geist Mono — uppercase, with tracking — for labels.

Display
Instrument Serif · clamp(40, 5.5vw, 68)
A guide, not a feed
H2
Instrument Serif · clamp(30, 3.5vw, 44)
A serif that knows when to whisper
H3
Newsreader · 24
Conversational headings
Body
Geist · 16 · 1.6

Plain. Honest. Calm. The body voice carries the day. It has to read at 3am with one hand on a sleeping baby.

Label / Meta
Geist Mono · 11 · uppercase · +18% tracking
Strong evidence · 6 min read · last reviewed mar 2026
03 · Components

Pieces that compose pages.

Evidence tiers · the spine of the system
StrongModerateEmergingTradition

Every recommendation in The Compass carries one of these four tiers. Strong is the only one filled — visually loudest because it earned it.

Buttons · pill, low chroma, generous tap target
Milestone box · CDC-aligned
Callouts · low-volume by design
04 · Voice & Tone

Plain. Honest. Calm.

The voice of a wise friend with a pediatrics background and no agenda. Never cute. Never hectoring.

05 · Principles

Ten quiet rules we won't break.

  1. 01Reduce overwhelm by default. Five to eight items max on any dashboard view.
  2. 02Show the answer first; the evidence on demand.
  3. 03Label every recommendation with its evidence tier.
  4. 04Cite sources at the bottom of every content piece.
  5. 05Mobile-first. Most usage will be on phones.
  6. 06Accessible by default — WCAG 2.1 AA minimum.
  7. 07Recommendations, not commands. Respect parental autonomy.
  8. 08Cultural humility. Acknowledge variation across families.
  9. 09Surface parent self-care, especially in early stages.
  10. 10Calm visual design. Headspace meets Notion meets a great pediatrician.