·  3 min  ·  design

Designing for Reading, Not Decoration

A personal writing site should disappear behind the content. The design still matters, but mainly as a readability system.

Here are the constraints I optimize for:

  • Fast first paint with minimal JavaScript.
  • Calm contrast so long posts stay comfortable.
  • Predictable structure across home, list, and post pages.
  • Clear dates and titles for scanability.

When in doubt, I remove styles instead of adding them. Clean spacing and consistent typography usually beat decorative effects.

The goal is not to impress on first glance. The goal is to make someone read one post and decide to read a second.