Colophon

This page documents the design, typography, and philosophy behind This International Life.

Design Philosophy

This site is designed as a synthesis of two aesthetic traditions: the refined typographic sensibility of print design and the functional, intentional design of pre-smartphone technology (roughly 1990s-2000s).

The goal is to create a space that feels both contemporary and timeless. Where the design recedes and the writing becomes the focus, but every detail reflects thoughtfulness and care.

There is intentional whimsy here. Small details reward close attention. Asymmetrical spacing, subtle ornaments, and unexpected moments of personality are woven throughout. Like objects in a carefully curated home, nothing is accidental.

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Typography

Typefaces

Serif

Crimson Text. A classic, elegant serif font. Used for body text and headings. It feels literary and grounded, without affectation.

Monospace

IBM Plex Mono. A modern monospace font with personality. Used for navigation, labels, dates, and metadata. It evokes the era of typewriters and early digital interfaces.

Why These?

Together, they create a conversation between the analog (typewriter, handwriting) and the digital (computing). Neither dominates; both are essential. This mirrors the site's aesthetic philosophy.

Color & Palette

Colors

Background

#f5f1e8. A warm, slightly off-white. Like aged paper or linen. Not cold, not sterile.

Text

#2c2416. Deep brown-black. Warm and readable without harshness.

Accent

#d4c5a9. Warm tan. Used for borders, dividers, and subtle elements.

Muted Text

#6b5d4f. Soft brown-gray. For secondary content and metadata.

Philosophy

The palette is inspired by natural materials: paper, wood, stone. It's warm but restrained. Nothing jarring. It invites you to stay and read.

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Visual Details

Design Elements

Background

A subtle grid pattern. Like graph paper or graph cloth. It suggests precision and intentionality without being visually dominant.

Buttons

Square, with no border-radius. Clean lines. A nod to early digital design and retro technology. They feel tactile and deliberate.

Borders

Simple 1px lines. Cards and boxes are bordered, not shadowed. It feels like looking at physical objects on a table, not floating in space.

Spacing

Asymmetrical in places, intentional throughout. Inspired by Japanese design principles like ma (negative space). Breathing room matters.

Emoji & Iconography

Emoji on this site come from the original DoCoMo emoji set, designed by Shigetaka Kurita in 1999. They are 12×12 pixel, monochromatic, and genuinely beautiful. They are reserved for moments where whimsy and personality are most needed. On this blog, they appear sparingly, as Easter eggs, perhaps, or in specific contexts.

The retro emoji represent a commitment to design that is intentional, crafted with care, and not seduced by the latest trends.

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Technical Details

Built With

HTML & CSS

Hand-written, semantic HTML. No frameworks. Clean, readable code that respects the web as a medium.

Hosting

Static files. Fast, reliable, sustainable.

Fonts

Loaded from Google Fonts. Open-source and freely available.

Responsive

Designed to work on any screen size. Mobile-first approach, but equally beautiful on desktop.

Inspiration & References

This design draws from:

Monocle Magazine: Refined typography, global perspective, intentional design
Pre-smartphone technology: Palm Pilots, early digital cameras, audio equipment from the 1990s-2000s
Japanese design: Minimalism, wabi-sabi, attention to detail, asymmetry, negative space
Personal websites from the early 2000s: When the web felt more personal and less corporate
Classic typography & print design: The enduring principles that make reading pleasurable

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The Gesamtkunstwerk

The German word gesamtkunstwerk means "total work of art," a project where every element serves a unified vision. That's the aspiration here. The writing, the design, the typography, the structure: they aren't separate concerns. They're all part of the same deliberate act.

This International Life is the narration. Your life is the canvas.

There's a concept in art called process art, the idea that the making is the work, not just the finished object. And in biology, autopoiesis describes a system that continuously produces itself. Both ideas live here. Writing about building an intentional life is itself an act of intentional living. The documentation and the thing being documented are the same practice.

A Note on Aesthetics

If this site looks a certain way, if you notice the typography, the color palette, the restraint in design, that's intentional. The design mirrors the philosophy. Square buttons instead of rounded. Serif and monospace fonts. A warm, slightly worn aesthetic. These aren't accidents; they're expressions of values.

Everything here should feel like it was made with care and thought.

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A Note on Intentionality

Every choice on this site, from the color of the background to the spacing between letters, reflects a commitment to intentional design. Nothing is default. Nothing is accident. This is a deliberate artifact, built by someone who cares about how things look and feel.

If you notice something small and delightful, a subtle detail, an unexpected moment of personality, that's intentional. This site is designed like a home; there are small things placed here and there for those who look closely.