Albion Faeries / Design

Option 1 · Foxglove Glade

A stylish, fun Albion Fae look

Light-forward, a little wild, warmly queer: dew on fern, foxglove in the hedge, gathering laughter after rain. One visual family for the public hearth, event minisites, and the private Circles space - not another black sidebar dashboard.

Public hearth Event minisites Private Circles

Direction

Name: Foxglove Glade. Mood: fabulous without costume-shop kitsch; pagan without gothic gloom; British countryside without cream-and-terracotta cafe branding. The brand name is the hero. Imagery of real places and faces does the rest.

Hero atmosphere sample Albion Faeries An online space of fabulousness for the Radical Faeries of old Albion.

Design principles

  • Brand first - "Albion Faeries" is the loudest mark on the first screen.
  • One composition - home is a hearth, not a three-column control panel.
  • Real glade - photos of gatherings, halls, land; not stock sparkles.
  • Kind clarity - accessible type, plain words, mobile-first.
  • Fun with restraint - foxglove accents and soft motion, not emoji confetti.
  • Two thresholds - public invites; Circles hold working memory behind a clear door.

Three layers, one look

Same fonts, mist, fern, and foxglove everywhere. What changes is enclosure and density - not a second brand for "the app".

Public hearth

Open glade

Full-bleed atmosphere, short invites, newsletter. Anyone can arrive.

Event minisites

Gathering call

Same language, event-named hero. Practicals and helpers for one gathering.

Private Circles

Inner glade

Signed-in work space: notes, actions, templates. Quieter wash, copper accent, still Albion.

Colour

Cool mist grounds keep us away from warm-cream cliches. Fern carries stewardship. Foxglove is the queer pulse. Pollen is rare - for highlights, not fills.

Mist#EEF5F0 · page wash
Dew#DCE9E1 · bands / chips
Lichen#B7C9B4 · soft structure
Fern#2F5D45 · links / UI
Deep fern#173528 · headings / footer
Foxglove#C24A7C · primary CTA
Foxglove deep#9A3260 · hover / emphasis
Pollen#D9A441 · rare spark
Bark#2A2622 · body text
Circle wash#E7EFE9 · private ground
Circle copper#8A4F2E · Circle accent

Lean into

  • Mist-to-dew atmospheres and photographic overlays
  • One foxglove action per view
  • Deep fern for type hierarchy

Steer away from

  • Black left-rail + white dashboard grids
  • Purple-to-indigo default "queer web" gradients
  • Pill forests, neon glow, emoji bullets

Typography

Fraunces for brand and headlines - soft optical serif with a wink. Figtree for body and UI - friendly, readable, not Inter/Roboto.

Display · Fraunces 700

Albion Faeries

come as you are, leave a little more yourself

Body · Figtree 400/600

The Albion Faeries are part of the global Radical Faerie web - awakening, nature-loving, compassionate queers finding each other in old Albion and beyond. Come to a full-moon circle, a gathering, or start with the newsletter.

Label · Figtree 700 caps

Next gathering · Lughnasadh

Voice

Warm, clear, a little camp. Never corporate. Never gatekeepy. Invite first; explain second.

An online space of fabulousness for the Radical Faeries of old Albion.

Keep the inherited line - it already sounds like us.

Say

  • "Come along to a circle or gathering."
  • "What's on this moon."
  • "Gatherings Circle can publish the call."
  • "Open actions from the last Comms moot."

Avoid

  • "Synergise your spiritual journey."
  • "Members-only portal unlock."
  • Jargon that needs a wizard.
  • Calling Circles a "dashboard" or "admin console".

Components

Few pieces, used with intention. Cards are for things people act on (an event, a form, an action row) - not for wrapping every paragraph.

Buttons
See what's on Who we are Join the newsletter Circle sign-in

Corners soft but not pill-full. Foxglove for public primary actions; copper ghost for the Circle door.

Public nav

Albion Faeries

What's on · Gatherings · Who we are · Get involved · Donate

Brand mark left or centre-large on home; compact elsewhere. Circle sign-in lives in the footer or a quiet corner - never competing with the hero.

Event chip

Lughnasadh · Northumberland Call open

Small status marks only - never a strip of competing badges over the hero.

Circle chrome

Circles · Albion Faeries

Comms · Gatherings & Events · Finance · Archivists

Signed in as Moon Baby · Sign out

Soft Circle list, not a black mega-rail. Show only Circles this faerie can enter.

Action row

Draft hosting recommendation for Finance Owner: Blair · Due: before next Comms

Actions are first-class objects - owner, due, status - matching the Moot's digital-notes mandate.

Private Circles · UI tone

The Circles space is still Foxglove Glade: Fraunces + Figtree, mist and fern. It is denser and more useful, never colder. Think record-keeper's table, not SaaS admin.

Lean into

  • Circle wash background and copper accent for "you are inside"
  • Notes, open actions, templates as the main jobs
  • Clear roles: Convenor, Record keeper, helper
  • Plain language about who can see what

Steer away from

  • Exposing Circle titles or notes on the public hero
  • Metric strips, KPI cards, notification badge storms
  • A second dark theme that breaks the brand
  • Locking knowledge in one personal Notion forever

Motion

Presence, not noise. Ship a few intentional moves on the public hearth; Circles stay calmer and more utilitarian.

1 · Rise in
Hello, lovely

Hero text and first section enter softly on load.

2 · Underline grow
What's on

Focus / hover on key links - foxglove underline expands.

3 · Leaf drift

Optional ambient shape in the hero - very slow, reduced-motion aware.

Imagery

Full-bleed heroes from Albion life: Featherstone halls, Glastonbury land, circle tables, muddy boots, glitter if it actually happened. Prefer one dominant photograph over collages. No floating sticker labels on the hero.

Yes

  • Edge-to-edge gathering photos
  • Natural light, imperfect joy
  • Consent-aware faces and credits

No

  • Inset rounded media cards in the hero
  • Generic stock "mystical forest"
  • Word-cloud identity graphics as the main idea

Accessibility and care

Aligned with Digital Homecoming: accessible, kind, simple before clever.

  • Body text at least 17px; long lines capped near 70 characters.
  • Foxglove on mist checked for contrast on buttons (white label).
  • prefers-reduced-motion disables drift and long entrances.
  • Focus rings in pollen/fern - never remove outlines.
  • Public vs Circle-only content stays clearly separated in URL, chrome, and copy.
  • Minimum personal data; Circle records need agreed retention and access.
  • Plain-language alternatives beside faerie poetry.
  • Sign-in and permissions explained without wizard jargon.