KB / decisions / blog-white-background

Decision: Blog White Background

Blog background changed from warm cream #fbf7f0 to white #ffffff on 2026-03-23 to give it a distinct editorial identity from other apps.

Updated 2026-03-23
blogdesignpalette
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Decision: Blog White Background

Date: 2026-03-23
Status: Active

What changed

The blog's background color was changed from warm cream (#fbf7f0) to white (#ffffff) during the March 2026 design refresh.

Why

Other apps in the monorepo (home, llm-timeline) use the warm cream palette. The blog is primarily a reading surface — a white background gives it a distinct, editorial feel closer to a publication than an app. It also improves code block contrast and reduces visual noise around long-form prose.

Implications

The blog and other apps now use different base palettes:

Surface Background
blog #ffffff
home #fbf7f0
llm-timeline #fbf7f0
others various (alignment pending)

This is intentional divergence, not a mistake. The design system accommodates it — the warm token layer is the default, and the blog simply overrides the background token.

Dark mode

In dark mode, the blog uses #1f1f1f (same as warm-palette apps). Card tints use dark:bg-{color}/20 (20% opacity). See the blog design article for full dark mode conventions.