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Sheet 01Palettes

Nine palettes.
One hue apart.

Every palette here is the same lightness and chroma ladder at a different hue. That is the whole system, and it is why a theme change cannot break the hierarchy, and why dark mode stops being a second design.

drawing-officeoklch(0.0%0.0000)

8palettes
32pairs each
0failing
1number changes
Sheet 02live · real components

Pick one. Watch what doesn’t change.

Not swatches. These are the site’s own components, imported and rendered in whichever palette is live. The nav above this page is one of them and is deliberately not copied in here, because a copy would drift from the thing it is arguing about.

akshitas.com — drawing-officeclears every pairtightest text pair 5.26 · text-subtle on cream-200body worst case 8.9632 checked
01

Turning rough ideas into products people use

Eight years across enterprise data tools and one consumer turnaround.

2.3 → 4.2

What the boAt Crest redesign moved, drawn in whichever palette is pressed.

store rating
02

One surface, three personas

Analysts, leads and admins reading the same data at different depths.

A palette that only recolours a card proves nothing about the system.

5.26text-subtle on cream-200
5.60text-subtle on canvas
6.12text-subtle on surface
8.03text-secondary on canvas
All 32 pairs for drawing-office

Measured at build from drawing-office’s own tokens. A palette on the other ground checks a different set, because the pairs follow the ground the design actually draws.

ink-800 on cream-5014.87pass
ink-800 on cream-10014.11pass
ink-600 on cream-508.76pass
ink-600 on cream-1008.32pass
text-primary on canvas17.27pass
text-secondary on canvas8.03pass
text-primary on surface18.86pass
text-secondary on surface8.76pass
text-subtle on surface6.12pass
text-subtle on canvas5.60pass
text-subtle on cream-2005.26pass
reference on canvas8.03pass
reference on surface8.76pass
accent-text on surface20.12pass
accent-text on surface-well19.09pass
accent-text on canvas18.43pass
on-dark on band-dark17.27pass
on-dark-muted on band-dark8.44pass
on-dark-quote on band-dark10.76pass
accent-on-dark on band-dark16.52pass
text-body on canvas8.96pass
on-accent on accent20.12pass
accent-500 on cream-5020.12pass
accent-500 on canvas (non-text)18.43pass
accent-500 on cream-100 (non-text)19.09pass
ink-400 on cream-50 (non-text)4.48pass
ink-400 on cream-100 (non-text)4.25pass
ink-400 on cream-200 (non-text)3.85pass
ground step cream-50 / cream-1001.05pass
ground step cream-100 / cream-2001.10pass
ground step cream-200 / cream-3001.19pass
ground step cream-300 / canvas1.26pass

Try it across the site

Applies drawing-office to every page for 30 minutes. It expires on its own, and an exit control follows you until it does. Nothing is published.

Sheet 039 parts · all shipping

The kit.

Every part here is imported from the live site and rendered in whichever palette is live. Press one for the roles it reads and how to use it.

A part is a shipped public component that mounts on its own. That leaves out page-level sections, the fixed nav and reading indicator, and everything under the editor, which is frozen against the theme and so would sit here not moving.

9 shown

Section heading

Shipping on the public site today, in every palette on this page.

Structuregroup
text-primary · accent-text · text-subtleroles read
components/ui/SectionHeading.tsxships from
01

Turning rough ideas into products people use

Eight years across enterprise data tools and one consumer turnaround.

<SectionHeading index="01" title="…" subtext="…" />
Sheet 04Four moves

How to use it.

Role tokens in OKLCH, with the measured contrast riding inside the block as a comment.

01

Paste the block.

Everything is a role, so your components never name a colour. Swapping a theme touches this block and nothing else.

02

Change one number.

Move the hue and the whole palette moves with it. Lightness and chroma are held, so the contrast you measured still holds.

03

Dark mode is the same block.

Mirror the lightness values around the midpoint and leave hue alone. The identity survives and there is no second palette to maintain.

04

Check it. Don't trust it.

OKLCH is an authoring model, not a contrast certificate. Perceptual lightness and WCAG luminance are different measures. The 32 pairs above are computed at build from these tokens. Run the same check on yours.

custom properties

The contrast report rides inside the block as a comment, so the figures travel with the tokens.

/*
 drawing-office — a palette from akshitas.com
 light ground. Its counterpart is photostat.

 Values are OKLCH, as authored. Lightness carries the hierarchy, chroma the energy,
 hue the identity — so retheming this block is a change to the third number.

 measured contrast, 32 pairs the design actually draws
   ink-800 on cream-50                14.87
   ink-800 on cream-100               14.11
   ink-600 on cream-50                8.76
   ink-600 on cream-100               8.32
   text-primary on canvas             17.27
   text-secondary on canvas           8.03
   text-primary on surface            18.86
   text-secondary on surface          8.76
   text-subtle on surface             6.12
   text-subtle on canvas              5.60
   text-subtle on cream-200           5.26
   reference on canvas                8.03
   reference on surface               8.76
   accent-text on surface             20.12
   accent-text on surface-well        19.09
   accent-text on canvas              18.43
   on-dark on band-dark               17.27
   on-dark-muted on band-dark         8.44
   on-dark-quote on band-dark         10.76
   accent-on-dark on band-dark        16.52
   text-body on canvas                8.96
   on-accent on accent                20.12
   accent-500 on cream-50             20.12
   accent-500 on canvas (non-text)    18.43
   accent-500 on cream-100 (non-text) 19.09
   ink-400 on cream-50 (non-text)     4.48
   ink-400 on cream-100 (non-text)    4.25
   ink-400 on cream-200 (non-text)    3.85
   ground step cream-50 / cream-100   1.05
   ground step cream-100 / cream-200  1.10
   ground step cream-200 / cream-300  1.19
   ground step cream-300 / canvas     1.26
*/
:root {
  --color-accent: oklch(0.0% 0.000 0);
  --color-accent-500: oklch(0.0% 0.000 0);
  --color-accent-600: oklch(0.0% 0.000 0);
  --color-accent-on-dark: oklch(95.0% 0.000 0);
  --color-accent-text: oklch(0.0% 0.000 0);
  --color-background: oklch(95.5% 0.000 0);
  --color-band-dark: oklch(16.8% 0.000 89.9);
  --color-border: oklch(88.0% 0.000 0);
  --color-bounce: oklch(99.5% 0.000 0);
  --color-canvas: oklch(95.5% 0.000 0);
  --color-cream-100: oklch(96.8% 0.000 0);
  --color-cream-200: oklch(93.5% 0.000 0);
  --color-cream-300: oklch(88.0% 0.000 0);
  --color-cream-50: oklch(98.5% 0.000 0);
  --color-danger-600: oklch(45.0% 0.16 25);
  --color-draft-600: oklch(48.0% 0.100 75);
  --color-etch: oklch(15.0% 0.000 0);
  --color-glow-paper: oklch(0.63 0.000 0 / 0.2);
  --color-glow-web: oklch(48.0% 0.000 0);
  --color-ink-200: oklch(80.0% 0.000 0);
  --color-ink-400: oklch(56.0% 0.000 0);
  --color-ink-600: oklch(40.0% 0.000 0);
  --color-ink-800: oklch(26.2% 0.000 0);
  --color-ink-950: oklch(15.0% 0.000 0);
  --color-on-accent: oklch(98.5% 0.000 0);
  --color-on-dark: oklch(96.4% 0.000 89.9);
  --color-on-dark-muted: oklch(74.4% 0.000 89.9);
  --color-on-dark-quote: oklch(81.5% 0.000 0);
  --color-reference: oklch(40.0% 0.000 0);
  --color-rule: oklch(48.5% 0.000 0);
  --color-smoke-1: oklch(0.84 0.000 0 / 0.74);
  --color-smoke-2: oklch(0.90 0.000 0 / 0.74);
  --color-smoke-3: oklch(0.97 0.000 0 / 0.74);
  --color-smoke-4: oklch(0.87 0.000 0 / 0.74);
  --color-success-50: oklch(94.5% 0.030 145);
  --color-success-700: oklch(46.0% 0.075 145);
  --color-surface: oklch(98.5% 0.000 0);
  --color-surface-well: oklch(96.8% 0.000 0);
  --color-text-body: oklch(37.5% 0.000 0);
  --color-text-lead: oklch(26.2% 0.000 0);
  --color-text-primary: oklch(15.0% 0.000 0);
  --color-text-secondary: oklch(40.0% 0.000 0);
  --color-text-subtle: oklch(48.7% 0.000 0);
  --color-vessel-capsule: oklch(83.0% 0.000 89.9);
  --color-vessel-glass: oklch(94.5% 0.000 0);
  --color-vessel-ink: oklch(15.4% 0.000 89.9);
  --color-vessel-pearl: oklch(96.5% 0.000 0);
  --color-vessel-shadow: oklch(92.5% 0.000 0);
  --color-vessel-wave: oklch(93.5% 0.000 0);
}

/* sRGB fallback, GENERATED from the values above — do not edit it by hand, and do not treat it
   as the palette. It exists for browsers with no oklch() support and is otherwise unread. The
   eight-digit entries carry the alpha the six-digit form would silently drop. */
@supports not (color: oklch(0% 0 0)) {
  :root {
    --color-accent: #000000;
    --color-accent-500: #000000;
    --color-accent-600: #000000;
    --color-accent-on-dark: #eeeeee;
    --color-accent-text: #000000;
    --color-background: #f0f0f0;
    --color-band-dark: #0f0f0f;
    --color-border: #d7d7d7;
    --color-bounce: #fdfdfd;
    --color-canvas: #f0f0f0;
    --color-cream-100: #f4f4f4;
    --color-cream-200: #e9e9e9;
    --color-cream-300: #d7d7d7;
    --color-cream-50: #fafafa;
    --color-danger-600: #9b1e22;
    --color-draft-600: #7e5403;
    --color-etch: #0b0b0b;
    --color-glow-paper: #89898933;
    --color-glow-web: #5d5d5d;
    --color-ink-200: #bebebe;
    --color-ink-400: #747474;
    --color-ink-600: #484848;
    --color-ink-800: #242424;
    --color-ink-950: #0b0b0b;
    --color-on-accent: #fafafa;
    --color-on-dark: #f3f3f3;
    --color-on-dark-muted: #acacac;
    --color-on-dark-quote: #c2c2c2;
    --color-reference: #484848;
    --color-rule: #5f5f5f;
    --color-smoke-1: #cacacabd;
    --color-smoke-2: #dededebd;
    --color-smoke-3: #f5f5f5bd;
    --color-smoke-4: #d4d4d4bd;
    --color-success-50: #e1f3e1;
    --color-success-700: #3c633d;
    --color-surface: #fafafa;
    --color-surface-well: #f4f4f4;
    --color-text-body: #414141;
    --color-text-lead: #242424;
    --color-text-primary: #0b0b0b;
    --color-text-secondary: #484848;
    --color-text-subtle: #5f5f5f;
    --color-vessel-capsule: #c7c7c7;
    --color-vessel-glass: #ededed;
    --color-vessel-ink: #0c0c0c;
    --color-vessel-pearl: #f3f3f3;
    --color-vessel-shadow: #e6e6e6;
    --color-vessel-wave: #e9e9e9;
  }
}

Free to use. No attribution needed.