steveclarke/typeset

Assess and improve typography that feels generic, inconsistent, or poorly structured — turning default-looking text into intentional, well-crafted type.

MANDATORY PREPARATION

Invoke /impeccable — it contains design principles, anti-patterns, and the Context Gathering Protocol. Follow the protocol before proceeding — if no design context exists yet, you MUST run /impeccable teach first.

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Assess Current Typography

Analyze what's weak or generic about the current type:

1. Font choices:

   • Are we using invisible defaults? (Inter, Roboto, Arial, Open Sans, system defaults)
   • Does the font match the brand personality? (A playful brand shouldn't use a corporate typeface)
   • Are there too many font families? (More than 2-3 is almost always a mess)

2. Hierarchy:

   • Can you tell headings from body from captions at a glance?
   • Are font sizes too close together? (14px, 15px, 16px = muddy hierarchy)
   • Are weight contrasts strong enough? (Medium vs Regular is barely visible)

3. Sizing & scale:

   • Is there a consistent type scale, or are sizes arbitrary?
   • Does body text meet minimum readability? (16px+)
   • Is the sizing strategy appropriate for the context? (Fixed rem scales for app UIs; fluid clamp() for marketing/content page headings)

4. Readability:

   • Are line lengths comfortable? (45-75 characters ideal)
   • Is line-height appropriate for the font and context?
   • Is there enough contrast between text and background?

5. Consistency:

   • Are the same elements styled the same way throughout?
   • Are font weights used consistently? (Not bold in one section, semibold in another for the same role)
   • Is letter-spacing intentional or default everywhere?

CRITICAL: The goal isn't to make text "fancier" — it's to make it clearer, more readable, and more intentional. Good typography is invisible; bad typography is distracting.

Plan Typography Improvements

Consult the typography reference from the impeccable skill for detailed guidance on scales, pairing, and loading strategies.

Create a systematic plan:

• Font selection: Do fonts need replacing? What fits the brand/context?
• Type scale: Establish a modular scale (e.g., 1.25 ratio) with clear hierarchy
• Weight strategy: Which weights serve which roles? (Regular for body, Semibold for labels, Bold for headings — or whatever fits)
• Spacing: Line-heights, letter-spacing, and margins between typographic elements

Improve Typography Systematically

Font Selection

If fonts need replacing:

• Choose fonts that reflect the brand personality
• Pair with genuine contrast (serif + sans, geometric + humanist) — or use a single family in multiple weights
• Ensure web font loading doesn't cause layout shift (font-display: swap, metric-matched fallbacks)

Establish Hierarchy

Build a clear type scale:

• 5 sizes cover most needs: caption, secondary, body, subheading, heading
• Use a consistent ratio between levels (1.25, 1.333, or 1.5)
• Combine dimensions: Size + weight + color + space for strong hierarchy — don't rely on size alone
• App UIs: Use a fixed rem-based type scale, optionally adjusted at 1-2 breakpoints. Fluid sizing undermines the spatial predictability that dense, container-based layouts need
• Marketing / content pages: Use fluid sizing via clamp(min, preferred, max) for headings and display text. Keep body text fixed

Fix Readability

• Set max-width on text containers using ch units (max-width: 65ch)
• Adjust line-height per context: tighter for headings (1.1-1.2), looser for body (1.5-1.7)
• Increase line-height slightly for light-on-dark text
• Ensure body text is at least 16px / 1rem

Refine Details

• Use tabular-nums for data tables and numbers that should align
• Apply proper letter-spacing: slightly open for small caps and uppercase, default or tight for large display text
• Use semantic token names (--text-body, --text-heading), not value names (--font-16)
• Set font-kerning: normal and consider OpenType features where appropriate

Weight Consistency

• Define clear roles for each weight and stick to them
• Don't use more than 3-4 weights (Regular, Medium, Semibold, Bold is plenty)
• Load only the weights you actually use (each weight adds to page load)

NEVER:

• Use more than 2-3 font families
• Pick sizes arbitrarily — commit to a scale
• Set body text below 16px
• Use decorative/display fonts for body text
• Disable browser zoom (user-scalable=no)
• Use px for font sizes — use rem to respect user settings
• Default to Inter/Roboto/Open Sans when personality matters
• Pair fonts that are similar but not identical (two geometric sans-serifs)

Verify Typography Improvements

• Hierarchy: Can you identify heading vs body vs caption instantly?
• Readability: Is body text comfortable to read in long passages?
• Consistency: Are same-role elements styled identically throughout?
• Personality: Does the typography reflect the brand?
• Performance: Are web fonts loading efficiently without layout shift?
• Accessibility: Does text meet WCAG contrast ratios? Is it zoomable to 200%?

Remember: Typography is the foundation of interface design — it carries the majority of information. Getting it right is the highest-leverage improvement you can make.