> Atmospheric study inspired by National Geographic's publicly visible design language. Void Energy is not affiliated with, endorsed by, sponsored by, or licensed by National Geographic. The downloadable atmosphere file contains color, motion, and typographic-rhythm tokens only — no brand logos, marks, or proprietary assets. All trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

---

---
name: National Geographic
version: alpha
description: National Geographic's explorer's-yellow editorial reading — the iconic Pantone-116 rectangle staged as a Void Energy palette. Cream-paper canvas evoking the magazine page, AA-darkened amber #7a5e00 as primary (the canonical #ffcc00 fails 1.6:1 on white surface, so the energy-primary CTA role takes the engineered ~5.4:1 darken — same pattern as robinhood-trading-light), canonical #ffcc00 retained as decorative secondary for chart- series 2 and accent borders. The scientific-publication register: zero radii (the yellow rectangle is sacred), regular- weight body (Lora editorial serif keeps prose primary), heavy display weights for cover-banner type, +10% editorial density. Distinguished from nyt-paper-of-record-light by palette signal (NatGeo yellow vs NYT cobalt section-front) and by type posture (NatGeo neutral tracking on heading vs NYT negative -0.02em masthead tightening). Distinguished from wired-paper-magazine- light by register (scientific-exploration neutral vs WIRED high-contrast tech editorial uppercase wide tracking).

colors:
  primary: "#7a5e00"
  secondary: "#ffcc00"
  neutral: "#6e6e6e"
  surface: "#fcf9f0"
  surface-container: "#f5f1e8"
  on-surface: "#1a1a1a"
  on-surface-variant: "#454545"
  outline: "#DCD2B4"
  error: "#a60000"

typography:
  display-lg:
    fontFamily: "'Lora', serif"
    fontSize: 56px
    fontWeight: 700
    lineHeight: 1.1
    letterSpacing: "-0.02em"
  headline-lg:
    fontFamily: "'Lora', serif"
    fontSize: 40px
    fontWeight: 600
    lineHeight: 1.15
    letterSpacing: "-0.015em"
  headline-md:
    fontFamily: "'Lora', serif"
    fontSize: 32px
    fontWeight: 600
    lineHeight: 1.2
    letterSpacing: "-0.01em"
  headline-sm:
    fontFamily: "'Lora', serif"
    fontSize: 24px
    fontWeight: 600
    lineHeight: 1.3
  body-lg:
    fontFamily: "'Lora', serif"
    fontSize: 18px
    fontWeight: 400
    lineHeight: 1.5
  body-md:
    fontFamily: "'Lora', serif"
    fontSize: 16px
    fontWeight: 400
    lineHeight: 1.5
  body-sm:
    fontFamily: "'Lora', serif"
    fontSize: 14px
    fontWeight: 400
    lineHeight: 1.5
  label-md:
    fontFamily: "'Lora', serif"
    fontSize: 14px
    fontWeight: 500
    lineHeight: 1.4
    letterSpacing: "0.02em"
  label-sm:
    fontFamily: "'Lora', serif"
    fontSize: 12px
    fontWeight: 500
    lineHeight: 1.4
    letterSpacing: "0.02em"

spacing:
  xs: 8px
  sm: 16px
  md: 24px
  lg: 32px
  xl: 48px
  "2xl": 64px
  "3xl": 96px
  "4xl": 128px
  "5xl": 160px

rounded:
  sm: 0px
  md: 0px
  lg: 0px
  xl: 0px
  full: 9999px

components:
  button-primary:
    backgroundColor: "{colors.primary}"
    textColor: "{colors.surface-container}"
    rounded: "{rounded.full}"
    padding: 16px
    typography: "{typography.label-md}"
  button-primary-hover:
    backgroundColor: "{colors.primary}"
    textColor: "{colors.surface-container}"
  button-secondary:
    backgroundColor: "{colors.secondary}"
    textColor: "{colors.on-surface}"
    rounded: "{rounded.full}"
    padding: 16px
    typography: "{typography.label-md}"
  button-tertiary:
    backgroundColor: "{colors.surface-container}"
    textColor: "{colors.on-surface-variant}"
    rounded: "{rounded.full}"
    padding: 16px
    typography: "{typography.label-md}"
  text-disabled:
    textColor: "{colors.neutral}"
    typography: "{typography.body-sm}"
  button-error:
    backgroundColor: "{colors.error}"
    textColor: "{colors.surface-container}"
    rounded: "{rounded.full}"
    padding: 16px
    typography: "{typography.label-md}"
  input:
    backgroundColor: "{colors.surface}"
    textColor: "{colors.on-surface}"
    rounded: "{rounded.md}"
    padding: 12px
    typography: "{typography.body-md}"
  card:
    backgroundColor: "{colors.surface}"
    textColor: "{colors.on-surface}"
    rounded: "{rounded.md}"
    padding: 32px
  divider:
    backgroundColor: "{colors.outline}"
    height: 1px
---

# National Geographic

National Geographic's explorer's-yellow editorial reading — the iconic Pantone-116 rectangle staged as a Void Energy palette. Cream-paper canvas evoking the magazine page, AA-darkened amber #7a5e00 as primary (the canonical #ffcc00 fails 1.6:1 on white surface, so the energy-primary CTA role takes the engineered ~5.4:1 darken — same pattern as robinhood-trading-light), canonical #ffcc00 retained as decorative secondary for chart- series 2 and accent borders. The scientific-publication register: zero radii (the yellow rectangle is sacred), regular- weight body (Lora editorial serif keeps prose primary), heavy display weights for cover-banner type, +10% editorial density. Distinguished from nyt-paper-of-record-light by palette signal (NatGeo yellow vs NYT cobalt section-front) and by type posture (NatGeo neutral tracking on heading vs NYT negative -0.02em masthead tightening). Distinguished from wired-paper-magazine- light by register (scientific-exploration neutral vs WIRED high-contrast tech editorial uppercase wide tracking).

This document describes the **Magazine Edition** atmosphere (`nat-geo-explorer-yellow-light`) — a light/flat reading of National Geographic produced by the Void Energy design system. Render it live at https://voidenergy.dev/atmospheres/nat-geo, or boot it in any Void Energy app:

```js
voidEngine.loadExternal('https://voidenergy.dev/atmospheres/nat-geo/explorer-yellow-light.json');
```

## Overview

National Geographic's **Magazine Edition** reading. The mood: opaque surfaces with crisp shadows; the mode: light. Headings are set in Lora; body copy is Lora.

Two principles govern everything below:

1. **Generous whitespace over dense packing.** Surfaces breathe. When a gap feels tight, go one size up rather than down. Void Energy's spacing scale is intentionally wide (8 → 160px).
2. **Sentence case controls over uppercase shouting.** Buttons, inputs, and labels use natural sentence case with medium weight by default. Uppercase is an intentional, infrequent choice — never applied to metrics, chrome, or dashboard cards by default.

## Colors

The palette is built on three layers:

- **Primary (`#7a5e00`)** — the single interactive accent. Used for buttons, links, focused inputs, and selection states. Do not repurpose for decoration.
- **Secondary (`#ffcc00`)** — companion accent for secondary actions, charts, and data-series 2. Always distinguishable from primary; never a competing focal point.
- **Surface stack** — three background layers that convey depth:
  - `surface-container` (`#f5f1e8`) — the page canvas.
  - `surface` (`#fcf9f0`) — floating cards, panels, and chrome.
  - `outline` (`#DCD2B4`) — borders and dividers. Low-contrast by design: borders should whisper structure, not shout.

Text forms a descending-contrast hierarchy:

- `on-surface` (`#1a1a1a`) — primary text. WCAG AA against surface layers.
- `on-surface-variant` (`#454545`) — secondary text, captions, metadata.
- `neutral` (`#6e6e6e`) — disabled states and tertiary hints only.

Semantic signal:

- `error` (`#a60000`) — destructive actions and validation failures. Reserved for genuinely negative states; not for warnings or info.

## Typography

This atmosphere pairs **Lora** for headings and **Lora** for body. The full nine-level scale (display through label) is in the frontmatter `typography` block.

### Brand typography overrides

National Geographic's identity carries explicit overrides on the typographic axis. Anything not listed inherits the system default.

- **Display weight** (h1, h2): `800`
- **Heading weight** (h3, h4): `700`
- **Display tracking** (h1, h2): `0`
- **Heading tracking** (h3, h4): `0`
- **Body tracking**: `0`

## Layout & Spacing

Void Energy uses an **8px base grid** with a wide scale:

- **Component level** (tight): xs (8), sm (16), md (24), lg (32)
- **Layout level** (accelerated): xl (48), 2xl (64), 3xl (96), 4xl (128), 5xl (160)

Apply along two axes:

1. **Surface padding floor.** Floating surfaces use `lg` (32px) minimum padding and `lg` inner gaps. Sunk/inset surfaces drop to `md` (24px). Never use `sm` or `xs` on a floating card.
2. **Layout gaps.** Page sections use `2xl` (64px) between them. Content blocks inside a section use `xl` (48px). Grouped controls use `md` (24px). Tight couplings (label → input, icon + text) use `xs` (8px).

The scale density-scales at runtime across five presets: Compact (×0.8), Cozy (×0.9), Standard (×1), Roomy (×1.1), Airy (×1.2). Static snapshots assume Standard.

## Elevation & Depth

This is a **flat-physics** atmosphere. Surfaces are opaque (`#fcf9f0`); shadows are minimal (5–10% opacity in light mode, 30–40% in dark mode for visibility). Hover has no Y translation and no scale by default — flat physics expresses interactivity through tint changes, not lift.

## Shapes

National Geographic's radii reflect the brand's shape language. The active scale:

- `rounded.sm`: 0px
- `rounded.md`: 0px
- `rounded.lg`: 0px
- `rounded.xl`: 0px
- `rounded.full`: 9999px

## Components

The frontmatter `components` block covers the canonical atoms. Notes on applying them:

### Buttons

- `button-primary` — primary action, anchored on `#7a5e00`. One per view.
- `button-secondary` — companion action, on `#ffcc00`.
- `button-tertiary` — quietest button; for cancel, dismiss, tertiary navigation.

### Inputs & Cards

- `input` — surface background, `body-md` typography, 12px padding. Native `<input>` / `<select>` / `<textarea>` with SCSS providing the visual treatment.
- `card` — surface background, generous 32px padding (`lg`). The default container for content groups.

## Do's and Don'ts

**Do:**

- Use `primary` (`#7a5e00`) for exactly one action per view.
- Default to sentence case on buttons and labels. Uppercase is a choice, not a default.
- Maintain WCAG AA contrast (4.5:1 for body text, 3:1 for UI components).
- Apply `lg` (32px) padding minimum to cards.
- Wrap native `<button>`, `<input>`, `<select>` rather than rebuilding interaction from `<div>`.

**Don't:**

- Don't promote canonical #ffcc00 directly to primary — fails 1.6:1 on white surface, breaking interactive contrast. The AA-darkened #7a5e00 IS the engineered choice; canonical hex stays in the decorative-secondary slot the rebrand visually intends.
- Don't add radii — the yellow rectangle is the brand-bug; rounded corners dilute the most-recognized publication identity in the catalog. Zero across the radii ladder is load-bearing.
- Don't substitute Lora for a sans-serif — NatGeo's long-form features run in editorial serif (Geograph Serif), and Lora is the closest free analog. Sans-only would lose the magazine-spread editorial register that distinguishes scientific publication from generic-tech editorial.
- Don't drop the deep cyan color-premium override — both energy tokens sit in the amber-gold/yellow family per Rule 6 and would collide with the default amber-brown premium.
- Don't repurpose `primary` (`#7a5e00`) for decoration. It is a load-bearing interaction signal.
- Don't use `error` (`#a60000`) for warnings. Error is reserved for destructive and failure states.
- Don't use `neutral` for body text — it is for disabled states and tertiary hints only.

## Responsive Behavior

Void Energy is mobile-first. Breakpoints:

- **mobile** 0px (default)
- **tablet** 768px
- **desktop** 1024px

Spacing, control heights, and typography all density-scale at runtime. Touch targets have a floor: 44px on coarse pointers (mobile/tablet), 36px on fine pointers (desktop).

## Agent Prompt Guide

When asked to build UI "in the Magazine Edition aesthetic," default to:

- **Backgrounds:** `#f5f1e8` for the page canvas; `#fcf9f0` for floating cards.
- **Text:** `#1a1a1a` for primary, `#454545` for secondary.
- **Accents:** `#7a5e00` for the single most important action; `#ffcc00` for companion actions.
- **Radii:** 0px on surfaces and inputs; pill on buttons.
- **Padding:** 32px on cards, 16px on buttons, 12px on inputs.
- **Typography:** Lora for headings; Lora for body and labels.

## Sources

The Magazine Edition palette and shape language derive from publicly visible National Geographic surfaces:

- https://www.nationalgeographic.com
- https://www.pantone.com/connect/116-C
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Geographic_(magazine)

## License

Void Energy ships under the Business Source License (BSL 1.1). Source is visible; production use requires a license from DGRS Labs until the four-year auto-convert clause elapses. This DESIGN.md file itself is distributed under the same license as the repository it lives in.

This atmosphere is an atmospheric study of publicly visible National Geographic design language. Void Energy is not affiliated with, endorsed by, sponsored by, or licensed by National Geographic. The atmosphere file contains color, motion, and typographic-rhythm tokens only — no brand logos, marks, or proprietary assets.

## The Full System

This file describes the **Magazine Edition** atmosphere as a single snapshot. The Void Energy runtime is larger:

- **National Geographic variants** — see https://voidenergy.dev/atmospheres/nat-geo for the full set of atmospheres in this brand (alternate modes, eras, or interpretations).
- **Three physics presets:** glass (translucent + blur), flat (opaque + crisp shadows), retro (CRT phosphor + steps motion). Physics controls blur, border width, motion, and radius behavior — never color.
- **Two color modes:** light and dark. Glass requires dark; flat and retro work with both.
- **Density scaling:** Compact / Cozy / Standard / Roomy / Airy (×0.8 – ×1.2), applied multiplicatively to the spacing scale.
- **Component library:** Svelte 5 components (Runes) with a native-first pattern — wrappers around `<button>`, `<input>`, `<select>`, `<dialog>`, etc.
- **JSON download:** https://voidenergy.dev/atmospheres/nat-geo/explorer-yellow-light.json is a portable artifact. Boot it in any Void Energy app via `voidEngine.loadExternal()`, or hand it to any tool that consumes the @void-energy/atmosphere-spec format.

For the full installable system, see the Void Energy repository. For agent-to-agent communication outside the live runtime, this DESIGN.md is the authoritative snapshot of the National Geographic Magazine Edition aesthetic.