# HalsteadK / Pulse direction

Built October 15, 2026. Based on the supplied Pulse snapshot and Font Pulse artifact. Trend figures describe that snapshot, not a forecast of design quality.

## Direction
Daring, closest to the design-studio/foundry camp: strong typographic composition, square frames, fine rules, restrained controls and deliberate changes in scale. The oversized opening and vermilion contact panel are the expressive exceptions. Project imagery remains intact, with client, remaster, speculative and fictional provenance preserved.

## Type
Radio Canada Big 500–600: display and project headlines. Inclusive Sans 400–600: reading text and descriptions; true italic 400 is bundled. Red Hat Mono 400–500: navigation, labels and controls. All fonts are bundled locally with their licenses. Pulse identifies all three as rising; none is selected from its near-peak or fading groups.

Desktop at 1440px: opening headline 153px / .98 line height / -.065em tracking; section headings 76px / 1.02 / -.055em; body 18px / 1.5. Phone at 390px: opening headline 39.6px / 1.05 / -.055em; section headings 46px / 1.02; body 17–18px / 1.5. Short mono labels remain 11–13px. Large headline exceptions exceed the studio median 3.9x ratio intentionally; secondary hierarchy stays closer to that reference.

Headlines use balanced wrapping. Reading text uses pretty wrapping and the existing last-two-word binding helper, including dynamically rendered projects. Hero lines are explicitly composed. Proof again when changing copy or font metrics; these measures do not guarantee every possible browser and width.

## Layout
Square project frames and controls; one circular directional link. No decorative shadows, glass or gradients. This follows the supplied studio median of 2px corners and low shadow use. Large section gaps, fine rules and staggered featured work replace uniform boxed layouts. Caps are reserved for metadata, near the studio reference of 11% as a direction, not a measured page quota. White space is judged alongside artwork rather than forced to the 59% studio median.

## Palette and contrast
Ground #F3F0E8. Ink #20211E. Accent #C33E23. Cool support #D8E1DF. Warm support #E8D1C2.

Calculated WCAG ratios: ink on paper 14.21:1; muted #595C55 on paper 5.97:1; vermilion on paper and paper on vermilion 4.57:1; ink on cool support 12.14:1; dark-section secondary text #C3C5BB on ink 9.27:1. Small accent links on the cool ground use a darker accent variant for adequate contrast. The accent has limited use in the opening and controls, with a deliberate full-color contact panel. Coverage varies by scroll position and is not forced to the studio sample's 13% median.

## Experience
Six numbered sections: selected work, independent concepts, client work, practice, Labs and complete collection. All 30 projects and 129 project images retained. Search, category filters, project dialogs, previous/next browsing, saved selections, print portfolio, PDFs and contact links retained. Project and selection viewers use the new type and color system; print output uses the new headline and body families.

## Validation and status
Browser checks: desktop 1440px and phone 390px, no horizontal overflow or clipped text; Cricket search returns one result; project viewer opens; selection saves and clears. Image files decoded and verified. Font file references verified. Palette ratios calculated. ZIP integrity checked. This is a complete local redesign package, not a live deployment to halsteadk.com.