Type is not a neutral substrate. It is the argument.
said & did.
✱Four voices, one argument. Inter Tight declares. Redaction strikes the lie. Plex Mono proves.
01 / 04
The company voice
Predict the choice.
Inter Tight ExtraLight · 200
Display & body · all claims we make in our own name
72–280 px · letter-spacing -0.065em
Never bold · never all-caps · never italic
72–280 px · letter-spacing -0.065em
Never bold · never all-caps · never italic
02 / 04
The quoted lie
"Faster horses."
Redaction · 400 Italic
Every word a customer ever said out loud
22–96 px · stated-preference language only
Always struck through in signal red
22–96 px · stated-preference language only
Always struck through in signal red
03 / 04
The running argument
Behavior is expensive, and therefore causal.
Inter Tight Light · 300
Body copy · essays · pull quotes · email & page
16–28 px · line-height 1.35–1.55
Max 62 characters per line · never less than 48
16–28 px · line-height 1.35–1.55
Max 62 characters per line · never less than 48
04 / 04
The proof
0.73 · n=43
IBM Plex Mono · 400
Numbers · confidence intervals · source · method · status
10–88 px · tabular nums always · uppercase for labels
Every number carries its interval · no bare stats
10–88 px · tabular nums always · uppercase for labels
Every number carries its interval · no bare stats
The scale. Built for violence.
--fs-display
44–96 / 1.0
Hero, cover.
One per page.
One per page.
Predict the choice.
--fs-h1
36–56 / 1.05
Section opener.
First line of essay.
First line of essay.
Revealed preference.
--fs-h2
28–40 / 1.05
Slide title.
Chart title.
Chart title.
Four steps, under five minutes.
--fs-body
15–18 / 1.45
Body · essay · one-pager.
48–62ch line length.
48–62ch line length.
Language models predict the next word. We predict the next choice. That is the brand, product, and company in one paragraph.
--fs-meta
12–13 / 1.6
Field label, caption, byline.
A short caption under a chart. Rarely needed, never decorative.
--fs-label
10 / 1.6 · mono
Label · source · method.
Uncomfortably small.
Uncomfortably small.
Source · causal fidelity, N=43 filtered studies
Method · rank correlation
Method · rank correlation
Eight pairs. Eight refusals.
§1
Do pair Inter Tight Light against Redaction Italic.
A second sans-serif never enters the room.
§2
Do use italic only to mark what a customer said, or to whisper an aside.
Italic is never decorative. Never "emphasis."
§3
Do treat every number as a measurement, with a CI in IBM Plex Mono.
No bare percentages. No "1.3M users" unstamped.
§4
Do let one element per page be violently large, one uncomfortably small.
The safe middle of 36px "subheads" is a design smell.
§5
Do set line length between 48 and 62 characters.
Prose that runs the full page width is an AI fingerprint.
§6
Do use a red strike-through to mark a stated preference as a lie.
Red is never accent. Red is only and always the lie.
§7
Do use filing codes (Nº 01, §3, [91, 94.5]) as typographic furniture.
The "kicker · small · uppercase · letter-spaced" tic is banned from first position.
§8
Do let type do the layout. An editorial page is a stack of headlines and proofs.
Cards, borders, 12px radii, drop-shadows. None of it is here.
Italic is a tool.
Use 01 · The quoted lie
The average American asked for "a dark robust blend." He bought the caramel macchiato.
Redaction Italic · greyed · struck in signal red
Use 02 · The whispered aside
We predict the next choice. Not the next word. That's a different company.
Redaction Italic · greyed · never struck
Every number is a measurement.
0.73mean ρ · n=43 filtered studies
Mean rank correlation across 43 published studies passing design filters. Measured human ceiling: 0.959.
Source · causal fidelity paper
Method · rank correlation
Status · published analysis
Method · rank correlation
Status · published analysis
$1,249[1199, 1299] · list · illustrative
A research study priced like software. Down from $80K–$8M.
Source · public pricing
Method · net of discount
Status · current
Method · net of discount
Status · current
4min[3.2, 5.1] · median · p50
Question to causal answer, at population scale. Legacy vendors quote 6–8 weeks.
Source · platform telemetry
Method · end-to-end
Status · last 30d
Method · end-to-end
Status · last 30d