Compliance Alliance Charter Design System · v0.1
Foundations

Space & sizing

Spacing, type, and radii are tuned to the golden ratio (φ ≈ 1.618). One √φ ladder anchored at 16px drives both the type scale and spacing, radii follow Fibonacci, and body line-height is φ itself — so the whole system breathes on one proportion.

The golden ladder. Each step is √φ (×1.272) from the last, so every other step is an exact φ. Spacing and type share the same values (13 · 15 · 19 · 24 · 31 · 39 · 50 · 64) — a gap and a font size are never arbitrary relative to each other. The 4 / 8 micro-steps and container widths stay practical; not everything benefits from φ.

Spacing scale

The golden √φ ladder, shared with the type scale. Micro-steps (4, 8) stay on a practical grid.

space-1 4px
space-2 8px
space-3 13px
space-4 15px
space-5 19px
space-6 24px
space-8 31px
space-10 39px
space-12 50px
space-16 64px

Radius

Soft, never sharp. Radii follow Fibonacci (5 · 8 · 13 · 21 · 34) — ratios that converge on φ.

sm
5px · chips, inputs
md
8px · buttons
lg
13px · cards
xl
21px · panels, modals
pill
999px · badges

Elevation

Depth signals focus, not flair. Two practical levels plus a hairline.

xs
resting cards
sm
raised content
md
popovers, hover
lg
modals, dialogs

Layout tokens

TokenValueUse
--phi1.618Golden ratio — governs the type & space ladder
--sidebar-w264pxNavigation rail (practical)
--topbar-h60pxSticky context bar
--content-max832pxReadable content column (practical)
breakpoint900pxRail collapses to bottom tabs below this