Atom · stable · v1.0.0 · owner: Site system lead · contract 19 of 20 points (open: figma)
Do and don't
Do: A lede
Rendered by text.tsOpen example: Text · Do: A lede Use the full-page example to follow page links.
Do: A body paragraph
Rendered by text.tsOpen example: Text · Do: A body paragraph Use the full-page example to follow page links.
Don't: Hype
Rendered by text.tsOpen example: Text · Don't: Hype Use the full-page example to follow page links.
Don't: A wall of text
Rendered by text.tsOpen example: Text · Don't: A wall of text Use the full-page example to follow page links.
Rules
| Rule | Why | Check |
|---|---|---|
| Lines are at most 70 characters. | Longer lines make the eye lose its place on the way back. | Automated: brand gate (--w-text on .prose) |
| Copy follows the voice rules and the glossary. | One voice is part of the brand, and forbidden terms are promises we cannot keep. | Automated: glossary checker over site copy (apps/showcase/site/loom/content) |
API
| Prop | Type | Required | Default | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|---|
kind | body | lede | small | note | closing | No | "body" | Which text role. |
html | html | Yes | The paragraph's inline HTML (links, emphasis, code). |
Contract details
The full contract: identity, anatomy, variants, states, tokens, layout, motion, accessibility, content, tests
Identity
| Aspect | Value |
|---|---|
| Id | text |
| Layer | Atoms |
| Category | typography |
| Owner | Site system lead |
| Status | stable |
| Version | 1.0.0 |
| Source | apps/showcase/site/system/atoms/text.ts (private repository; the contract and the render function are this one module) |
| Version | Date | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1.0.0 | 2026-10-26 | Body, lede, small, note and closing paragraphs in Atkinson Hyperlegible Next. |
Use when
- Any paragraph of copy. Why: One text style at one measure keeps every page as easy to read as the best one.
- The lede that states a page's promise. Why: A larger first paragraph lets a skimming reader get the point in one line.
Do not use when
- To label a figure or name its data. Why: That is the caption's job, with its honesty rule.
- For a step count above a heading. Why: That is the eyebrow.
Anatomy
| Part | What it is |
|---|---|
| root | p, or p.lede / p.small / p.note-small / p.closing. |
Made of: tokens:type, tokens:colour, tokens:layout.
Used in: callout, form-field, stat, table, contact-form, facts-list, faq-list, jobs-strip, panel, roles-grid, rows-list, showcase-frame, status-table, task-footer, tile, cta-section, flow-section, founder-section, hero, job-section, lead-section, page-head, problem-section, proof-section, prose-section, roadmap-strip, roles-section, tile-grid, titled-section.
Variants
| Variant | When | Why |
|---|---|---|
| body | Paragraphs. | 16 to 18 px at 1.6 line height, at most 70 characters a line. |
| lede | The first paragraph of a page or section head. | It states the promise in a size that is read first. |
| small | Secondary notes and footnotes. | Present but quiet. |
| closing | The last line of a page. | A rule above it marks the end of the argument. |
States
| State | Rendered or not applicable |
|---|---|
| default | default |
| hover | Not applicable: A paragraph is not interactive, so it has no hover state. |
| focus-visible | Not applicable: A paragraph does not take focus; links and buttons inside it carry their own focus ring. |
| active | Not applicable: A paragraph cannot be pressed. |
| disabled | Not applicable: A paragraph has nothing to disable. |
| loading | Not applicable: A paragraph is rendered at build time and is complete when the page loads. |
| empty | Not applicable: A paragraph is not rendered without content; the builder skips it. |
| error | Not applicable: A paragraph shows no data that can fail. |
| current | Not applicable: A paragraph has no current item. |
| visited | Not applicable: A paragraph is not a link. |
| expanded | Not applicable: A paragraph does not open or close. |
Tokens
| Part | Token |
|---|---|
| body.font | --type-body |
| lede.font | --type-lede |
| small.font | --type-small |
| root.color | --ink; --ink-2 for small; field text on fields |
| root.max-width | --w-text (70ch) |
| --text-font-type-lede | var(--type-lede) |
| --text-letter-spacing-ls-lede | var(--ls-lede) |
| --text-font-type-small | var(--type-small) |
| --text-color-ink-2 | var(--ink-2) |
| --text-color-ink | var(--ink) |
| --text-padding-space-4 | var(--space-4) |
| --text-padding-space-5 | var(--space-5) |
| --text-border-bottom-rule-hair | var(--rule-hair) |
| --text-border-bottom-line | var(--line) |
| --text-border-bottom-rule | var(--rule) |
| --text-border-bottom-ink | var(--ink) |
| --text-font-weight-weight-strong | var(--weight-strong) |
| --text-margin-top-space-6 | var(--space-6) |
| --text-margin-top-space-12 | var(--space-12) |
| --text-max-width-w-text | var(--w-text) |
| --text-margin-top-space-10 | var(--space-10) |
| --text-font-type-h3 | var(--type-h3) |
| --text-letter-spacing-ls-h3 | var(--ls-h3) |
| --text-margin-top-space-5 | var(--space-5) |
| --text-padding-left-space-7 | var(--space-7) |
| --text-margin-top-space-7 | var(--space-7) |
| --text-padding-left-space-8 | var(--space-8) |
| --text-margin-top-space-3 | var(--space-3) |
| --text-color-indigo-ink | var(--indigo-ink) |
| --text-font-size-fs-label | var(--fs-label) |
| --text-padding-space-6 | var(--space-6) |
| --text-border-top-rule | var(--rule) |
| --text-border-top-ink | var(--ink) |
| --text-background-surface-2 | var(--surface-2) |
| --text-padding-space-3 | var(--space-3) |
| --text-border-radius-radius | var(--radius) |
| --text-background-term-bg | var(--term-bg) |
| --text-color-term-fg | var(--term-fg) |
| --text-padding-space-7 | var(--space-7) |
| --text-font-size-fs-small | var(--fs-small) |
| --text-margin-space-11 | var(--space-11) |
| --text-background-ink | var(--ink) |
| --text-margin-bottom-space-6 | var(--space-6) |
| --text-color-cotton | var(--cotton) |
| --text-margin-top-section | var(--section) |
| --text-padding-top-space-8 | var(--space-8) |
| --text-border-top-rule-frame | var(--rule-frame) |
| --text-font-type-h2 | var(--type-h2) |
| --text-letter-spacing-ls-h2 | var(--ls-h2) |
| --text-margin-top-space-11 | var(--space-11) |
| --text-margin-top-space-13 | var(--space-13) |
| --text-padding-top-space-7 | var(--space-7) |
| --text-border-top-rule-heavy | var(--rule-heavy) |
| --text-font-size-fs-h2 | var(--fs-h2) |
| --text-border-top-saffron | var(--saffron) |
| --text-margin-top-space-9 | var(--space-9) |
| --text-margin-bottom-space-4 | var(--space-4) |
| --text-font-size-fs-h3 | var(--fs-h3) |
| --text-font-type-figure | var(--type-figure) |
| --text-margin-space-4 | var(--space-4) |
| --text-font-type-label | var(--type-label) |
| --text-color-field-fg-2 | var(--field-fg-2) |
| --text-color-thread | var(--thread) |
| --text-border-top-thread | var(--thread) |
Layout
| Aspect | Value |
|---|---|
| max | 70 characters (--w-text) |
| breakpoints | Required review at 390, 768, 1024 and 1440 px; execution is not implied by this declaration; sizes are fluid from 16 to 18 px. |
| wrapping | text-wrap: pretty; Japanese breaks with line-break strict. |
| textExpansion | No fixed heights anywhere, so 40% longer pseudo-localised text simply adds lines. |
Spacing and rhythm
| Aspect | Value |
|---|---|
| internal | Line height 1.6 (body), 1.4 (lede). |
| external | --space-6 between paragraphs. |
| rhythm | Inside a section's copy column. |
Motion
| Aspect | Value |
|---|---|
| None | Text is read, not watched. |
Runtime and reuse
Render-only element; mount any registered child enhancements separately. Preserve required Site CSS, fonts, responsive and locale rules from nativeElement.
Accessibility passport
| Aspect | Value |
|---|---|
| role | paragraph |
| name | None needed |
| keyboard | Not interactive. |
| focus | Not focusable. |
| screenReader | Read in order. |
| contrast | Ink on cotton 15.9:1; --ink-2 8.6:1; field text 7:1 or better. |
| target | Not a target. |
Content
| Slot | Length | Voice |
|---|---|---|
| html | 4 sentences per paragraph | Plain words, short sentences, British spelling, no hype (voice rules in apps/showcase/site/loom/content) |
Good: “A design system lasts when the organisation knows how to run it.”
Bad: “Our cutting-edge AI-powered platform revolutionises design.”
Japanese: Text comes from the page content; Japanese strings are reviewed per page (apps/showcase/site/loom/locales). Awaiting native review, as the banner on every Japanese page says.
Icons and illustrations
None: this element uses no icon or illustration of its own.
Decisions and exceptions
- D-SITE-001: Loom Site is the site's own design system, governed by Loom
- D-SITE-012: Content tokens and one glossary
Usage
236 uses across the built pages (measured by npm run site:system).
Tests
| Aspect | Value |
|---|---|
| unit | tests/unit/site-system.test.ts: renders every do and don't example through the registry and checks the classes it owns |
| visual | Not yet: there are no screenshot baselines; the Library page is checked for sideways scroll at 1440 px by tests/site/system.spec.ts |
| a11y | tests/site/system.spec.ts: axe (0 serious or critical) on the element's Library page in light and dark |
| parity | scripts/site/system/check.ts: Library examples are rendered by the same render function the site imports |
Figma
not-yet: The Loom Site Figma library is the last stage of the plan; this element is not mapped yet.