| name | weight-ladder-discipline |
| description | Use when establishing typography weight system. Most brands need 3-4 weights, not 9. Use restraint.
|
Weight Ladder Discipline
Brand needs 3-4 weights: Regular (400), Medium (500), Semibold (600), Bold (700). Skip Light, Thin, Black — they signal trying too hard.
Weight allocation
| Element | Weight |
|---|
| Display headline | 600-700 |
| Section header | 600 |
| Sub-header | 500-600 |
| Body | 400 |
| Caption | 400 |
| Small caps / label | 500 |
| Emphasis | 500-600 (NOT 700) |
| CTA button | 600 |
Avoid 100-300 (too thin for body) and 800-900 (too aggressive for editorial).
Weight contrast rule
Adjacent text elements should have ≥200 weight difference. Body 400 + emphasis 700 = clear hierarchy. Body 400 + emphasis 500 = too subtle. The visual jump matters.
Italic discipline
True italic (not oblique) for emphasis, citations, foreign terms. Use sparingly — 1-2 italic phrases per paragraph maximum. Italic body text reduces readability; reserve for emphasis.
Where this fits in the X3 empire
Typography weight discipline for CardPrepAI.