10 · Specimen (no longer the default)
Numbered left-margin labels, huge serif display, asymmetric column spans, hairline rules, typographic-only CTA, generous whitespace. Editorial / type-foundry energy.
- Heading: left-margin number + label (
01 — HELLO.) beside a large serif phrase. - Body: asymmetric spans — narrow label column / wide content column.
- Divider: hairline rules between sections.
- Button: typographic link with arrow ("Open your studio →"); no box, no fill.
- Image: none, or a hand-drawn SVG accent in the wide left margin.
- Reveal: fade-up stagger on first load.
Reach for it ONLY when the brief is explicitly editorial, type-foundry, journal, or "specimen sheet". Otherwise pick something else.
Banned as a default. If the brief is vague and you've defaulted here, restart.
Reference: type foundry homepages (Klim, Pangram Pangram, Production Type), some editorial portfolios.
Sample opening lines (imitate the specificity — Specimen openings are foundry-voice, treating type as material culture):
"A thing well made." — klim.co.nz — refusal of the verb, treats design as material "Type, set with care." — Hallmark Specimen — three words, a colon implied "Creative direction, design and type for culture since 2003." — apracticeforeverydaylife.com — date-anchored, names verticals
<header class="specimen">
<p class="num-label">01 — HELLO.</p>
<h1 class="serif-xxl">A quiet <em>instrument.</em></h1>
<p class="lede narrow">…</p>
<a class="link">Open your studio →</a>
</header>