1.5 KiB
1.5 KiB
Layer Stack
Best for: OSI model, CSS cascade, context hierarchy, tech stack, abstraction layers, memory hierarchy.
Layout conventions
- Horizontal bands stacked vertically. Each layer is a full-width rectangle (same x, same width). 4–6 layers total.
- Layer height 56–72px, width typically 800–880px inside a 1000px viewBox.
- Each row contains (left→right):
- Index tag on the far left (
L3,07,APPLICATION) — Geist Mono 8–9px eyebrow. - Layer name slightly right of center-left — Geist 14–16px 600.
- Sublabel / note on the far right — Geist Mono 9–10px muted.
- Index tag on the far left (
- Border between layers: 1px hairline
rgba(11,13,11,0.12). Outer silhouette 1px ink or muted. - Fills: either alternating subtle shades (paper / paper-2) OR all paper with hairline dividers. Pick one and hold it.
- Direction indicator on the LEFT margin (outside the stack): small up/down arrow + Geist Mono label (
abstraction ↑,packets ↓). - Coral on one focal layer (stroke + subtle tint fill) — the bottleneck, the pay-rent layer, the one under discussion.
Anti-patterns
- Layers that aren't actually hierarchical (use swimlane or architecture).
- Skipped numbering (missing L4 between L3 and L5 without explanation).
- Every layer a different color — hierarchy invisible.
- Inconsistent layer heights without reason.
Examples
assets/example-layers.html— minimal lightassets/example-layers-dark.html— minimal darkassets/example-layers-full.html— full editorial