Evidence
01
Which source supports this claim most directly?
In flow
none · 1px border · 0px radius, manuscript plane
Elevation and shadow
Inline stays on one quiet writing plane. Borders describe structure; shadow appears only when a temporary surface crosses the manuscript.
Depth means interruption
In the review workspace the draft and its margin questions are in-flow surfaces: flat, with hairline boundaries. Shadow belongs only to the transient tool that crosses them.
Draft
none
Cities preserve monuments because they appear permanent. Removing one can reveal more about public memory than leaving it untouched.
The debate became a question about who owns civic history, not only about the statue itself.
Questions
none
Evidence
02
What evidence shows how residents described that change at the time?
The writing plane never lifts. Feedback and Brainstorming cards sit beside the draft as flat, bordered surfaces. A menu, toast, or dialog earns its shadow only while it crosses them, and loses it when it closes.
Shadow scale
One flat base and three elevation states are enough. Every shadow uses neutral Midnight ink with an overhead-light bias.
None
shadow.noneIn-flow surface
Raised
shadow.raisedOverlap begins
Dialog
shadow.dialogBlocking surface
raised0 1px 2px 0 · Midnight 6%overlay0 8px 24px −4px · Midnight 12%0 2px 6px 0 · Midnight 6%
dialog0 24px 64px −12px · Ink 950 18%0 6px 18px −4px · Ink 950 8%
Component mapping
Elevation follows overlap and interaction mode. Visual importance alone never raises a component.
| Element or state | Elevation | Boundary |
|---|---|---|
| Canvas and manuscript | none | Surface contrast or hairline |
| Cards, controls, tabs | none | Border or fill |
| Sidebar or toolbar at rest | none | Dividing hairline |
| Sticky surface after overlap | raised | Hairline may remain |
| Active drag preview | raised | Default border |
| Menu, autocomplete, toast | overlay | 1px default border |
| Popover or floating tool | overlay | 1px default border |
| Tooltip | none | Ink surface separates itself |
| Modal dialog | dialog | Neutral backdrop; border optional |
Layer recipes
Shadow works with boundary, radius, and backdrop. Each recipe has one clear structural role.
Transient overlay
overlay · 1px border · 8px radius
Leave this draft?
Your draft is saved.
Blocking dialog
dialog · 32% scrim · 12px radius
Elevation is a state
A sticky surface gains depth only after content moves underneath it. Opening and closing use the existing restrained motion language.
At rest · none
Content beneath · raised
Motion: fade plus at most 8px of vertical translation over 160–240ms. No bounce, scale, or spring. Under reduced motion, show the final shadow immediately.
Rules
Depth remains rare enough that it always communicates a real change in layering.
- Begin flat. Every in-flow surface defaults to
shadow.none. - Protect the writing plane. Never shadow the manuscript, passage highlight, or logo.
- Use neutral ink. Yellow and taxonomy colors never tint a shadow.
- Do not lift on hover. Cards and buttons respond with border, fill, or text color.
- Show actual overlap. Raised is allowed only while content passes beneath a surface.
- Separate interaction modes. Overlay is non-blocking; dialog is blocking and requires a backdrop.
- Avoid stacked depth. Two elevated surfaces need two clearly different interaction roles.
- Reject local values. Do not invent blur, spread, offset, or opacity one-offs.