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Base style · 1940s-1960s · balanced

Mid-Century Modern

1950s print optimism: flat orange, teal and mustard on cream paper, atomic starbursts, boomerangs and blobs, photos cut into circles and arches, and a bold, friendly geometric sans.

Moods
retro, playful, warm, friendly
Suits
crafts, food, hospitality, real-estate, architecture, ecommerce
Type
League Spartan + Jost

Principles

  • Pair every major block with one organic shape: a blob, half-sun, starburst or boomerang beside or behind it
  • Cut photographs into circles, arches and rounded rectangles and let them overlap the shapes
  • Print in flat blocks of orange, teal and mustard on cream: no gradients, no shadows, no glass
  • Set headlines in a bold geometric sans, tight and in sentence case; set labels in spaced capitals
  • Stagger compositions on the diagonal so the page moves like a hanging mobile, not a stack of rows

Hard rules

  • No gradients, drop shadows, glassmorphism, glow or 3D renders: it is screen print, flat ink.
  • No neon or saturated purple/blue tech palettes; keep the warm cream ground.
  • No hairline-thin type and no all-caps headlines; capitals are for labels only.
  • No square-cornered photos in a plain grid of equal thumbnails.
  • No three identical feature cards in a row with icons; features are two-up with a coloured dot.
  • No more than three colours plus the cream and ink on one screen.

Full page preview with sample copy, rendered from the same tokens and layout the agent receives.

For coding agents

Rules and live patterns

Every pattern Mid-Century Modern owns, drawn by the same renderer as the picker with the style's default tokens and sample copy. Each has an anchor (#<pattern id>). A design's own DESIGN.md and tokens.json stay the source of truth; this page shows what the patterns look like.

Do

  • Give every major section one organic shape (`blob`, `half-circle`, `star` starburst, `circle`, or a `triangle` boomerang) placed exactly on its span in `layout.json`, beside or behind the content.
  • Cut photographs into circles (`frame: circle`), arches (`frame: arch`) or rounded rectangles (`frame: rounded`, radius from tokens); mix at least two frame shapes per page.
  • Let shapes and photos overlap: a photo sits on top of a blob and lets it peek out by about one column.
  • Print in flat colour: `accent` (orange), `accent2` (teal or the rule's second hue) and `surfaceAlt` (mustard) on the cream `bg`; use one full-bleed `accent` or `accent2` band at most every third section.
  • Set headlines in the heading face at the face's heaviest weight, tight tracking, sentence case; labels and eyebrows in spaced capitals.
  • Stagger layouts on the diagonal: in heroes and galleries the elements step down from one corner to the other using the given row spans.
  • Use pill buttons and pill nav links (fully rounded), 2 px rules, and the `radius` token on panels.
  • Text on an `accent` block uses `onAccent`; on an `accent2` block, `onAccent2` — never body text colour.
  • At 375 px stack in source order, keep one shape per section (the rest hide), keep circular crops circular.

Don't

  • No gradients, drop shadows, glassmorphism, glow or 3D renders: it is screen print, flat ink.
  • No neon or saturated purple/blue tech palettes; keep the warm cream ground.
  • No hairline-thin type and no all-caps headlines; capitals are for labels only.
  • No square-cornered photos in a plain grid of equal thumbnails.
  • No three identical feature cards in a row with icons; features are two-up with a coloured dot.
  • No more than three colours plus the cream and ink on one screen.
  • No stock "retro" clichés: no fake halftone dots over photos, no distressed textures, no script fonts.
  • No centred-everything layouts except the starburst-sign footer.

Heroes (4)

Atomic starburst

hero.midcentury-atomic-starburst · hero

Rule
Bold headline on 1–8; a teal blob on 8–12 with a circular duotone photo overlapping it on 9–12; a small orange starburst tilted in the top-right corner.
Slots
eyebrow, headline, subhead, heroImage, cta, cta2
Grid
eyebrow 1-6 · star 11-12 · headline 1-7 · blob 8-12 · photo 9-12 · subhead 1-6 · actions 1-7
Notes
The blob sits behind the photo and peeks out on its left and bottom; the photo overlaps column 8 of the headline row by one column. At phone width the photo comes after the headline and the blob and star hide.

The eyebrow (spaced capitals, link colour) on 1–6; an orange starburst (size lg) tilted 15° in the top-right corner (11–12). The headline at step 6, heaviest weight, tight, on 1–7 (max ~14 ch), clear of the blob. A teal blob fills 8–12 across rows 2–3 and a circular duotone photo on 9–12 sits on top of it, so the blob peeks out on the left and bottom. The lead (max 40 ch) on 1–6, then a primary and a secondary pill button. At phone width the blob and star hide; the photo follows the headline.

Brand & product studio

We make complicated companies simple to choose

Northfold is a 14-person studio helping manufacturers, labs and B2B teams explain what they do — and look like they mean it.

Start a projectRead case studies
Desktop

Brand & product studio

We make complicated companies simple to choose

Northfold is a 14-person studio helping manufacturers, labs and B2B teams explain what they do — and look like they mean it.

Start a projectRead case studies
Phone, 390 px

Colour blocks

hero.midcentury-color-blocks · hero

Rule
Printed colour blocks that touch: an orange block 1–7 holding the headline, a duotone photo 8–12, a teal block 8–10 with the subhead and CTA under it, a mustard half-sun in 11–12.
Slots
eyebrow, headline, heroImage, subhead, cta
Grid
block 1-7 · photo 8-12 · note 8-10 · sun 11-12
Notes
Zero gap between blocks: they butt up like a screen-printed record sleeve. Text on the orange block uses onAccent, on the teal block onAccent2.

Screen-printed blocks with zero gap between them: an orange block on 1–7 (two rows tall) with the eyebrow and the headline (step 6, heaviest weight, `onAccent`) bottom-aligned inside it; a duotone 4:3 photo on 8–12; under the photo, a teal block on 8–10 with the subhead and a secondary button in `onAccent2`; a mustard half-sun at the bottom of 11–12.

Brand & product studio

We make complicated companies simple to choose

Northfold is a 14-person studio helping manufacturers, labs and B2B teams explain what they do — and look like they mean it.

Start a project
Desktop

Brand & product studio

We make complicated companies simple to choose

Northfold is a 14-person studio helping manufacturers, labs and B2B teams explain what they do — and look like they mean it.

Start a project
Phone, 390 px

Mobile sculpture

hero.midcentury-mobile-sculpture · hero

Rule
A row of four flat shapes hangs like a Calder mobile across 2–11 over a 2px wire; the bold headline sits under it on 1–9, the lead on 1–6 and the CTA bottom-right on 8–10.
Slots
headline, subhead, cta
Grid
mobile 2-11 · wire 2-11 · headline 1-9 · subhead 1-6 · cta 8-10
Notes
Each shape hangs at a different height (end / start / centre / end). With expressive motion allowed, the shapes may sway slowly on hover; respect prefers-reduced-motion.

A Calder mobile: four flat shapes (orange circle, teal half-circle upside-down, ink blob, small orange triangle tilted −20°) spread across 2–11, each hanging at a different height, above a 2 px "wire" rule on 2–11. Below: the headline (step 6, heaviest weight) on 1–9, the lead on 1–6 and a large primary button with an arrow bottom-aligned on 8–10. The shapes may sway gently on hover when motion is allowed.

We make complicated companies simple to choose

Northfold is a 14-person studio helping manufacturers, labs and B2B teams explain what they do — and look like they mean it.

Start a project
Desktop

We make complicated companies simple to choose

Northfold is a 14-person studio helping manufacturers, labs and B2B teams explain what they do — and look like they mean it.

Start a project
Phone, 390 px

Boomerang stagger

hero.midcentury-boomerang-stagger · hero

Rule
A diagonal from top-right to bottom-left: an arched photo on 8–12, a circular photo dropping down on 5–8, the headline top-left on 1–7 and the CTA bottom-left on 1–4; a boomerang triangle points into the stagger.
Slots
headline, subhead, heroImage, image, cta
Grid
headline 1-7 · arch 8-12 · subhead 1-4 · circle 5-8 · boomerang 9-10 · cta 1-4
Notes
The circle photo overlaps the bottom of the arch by one column, so the eye travels diagonally. At phone width: headline, subhead, arch, circle, CTA.

A diagonal from top-right to bottom-left: the headline top-left on 1–7, an arched 4:5 photo on 8–12 across rows 1–2, the lead on 1–4, a circular duotone photo on 5–8 across rows 2–3 overlapping the arch's bottom, an orange boomerang (triangle rotated −30°) on 9–10, and a large primary button bottom-left on 1–4.

We make complicated companies simple to choose

Northfold is a 14-person studio helping manufacturers, labs and B2B teams explain what they do — and look like they mean it.

Start a project
Desktop

We make complicated companies simple to choose

Northfold is a 14-person studio helping manufacturers, labs and B2B teams explain what they do — and look like they mean it.

Start a project
Phone, 390 px

Navigation (2)

Content blocks (13)

Shape catalogue

features.midcentury-shape-catalogue · features

Rule
A title block with a half-sun on 1–4; features flow two per row across 6–12, each led by a small teal circle beside its title and paragraph.
Slots
sectionLabel, title, features[4..6]
Grid
intro 1-4 · features 6-12

On 1–4: the label, the title at step 4 (heaviest weight, max 14 ch) and an orange half-sun under it. Features flow two per row across 6–12; each feature is a row: a small teal circle, then the title (h3) and a paragraph (max 40 ch) stacked beside it.

What you get

What we do

Positioning

Find the one sentence your best customers already believe.

Identity systems

Logos, type and colour that work on a factory floor and a pitch deck.

Websites

Fast, editable sites built on the CMS your team already knows.

Sales enablement

Decks, one-pagers and demos your reps actually use.

Product naming

Names that survive trademark search and a noisy trade show.

Brand governance

Guidelines as a living site, not a forgotten PDF.

Desktop

What you get

What we do

Positioning

Find the one sentence your best customers already believe.

Identity systems

Logos, type and colour that work on a factory floor and a pitch deck.

Websites

Fast, editable sites built on the CMS your team already knows.

Sales enablement

Decks, one-pagers and demos your reps actually use.

Product naming

Names that survive trademark search and a noisy trade show.

Brand governance

Guidelines as a living site, not a forgotten PDF.

Phone, 390 px

Dotted steps

list.midcentury-dotted-steps · list

Rule
Three or four steps in one row across the grid: a big orange numeral, a 2px rule, an uppercase title and a short paragraph.
Slots
sectionLabel, title, items[3..4]
Grid
header 1-7 · steps 1-12

The label and title (step 4) on 1–7. Then three or four steps in one row across 1–12: a big orange numeral (step 5, heaviest weight), a 2 px rule, an uppercase h4 title and a short paragraph. At phone width the steps stack.

Index

Services

01

Discovery sprint

Two weeks of interviews, audits and competitor teardown.

02

Positioning workshop

A day with your leadership to agree on one story.

03

Identity design

Logo, type, colour, motion and a working toolkit.

Desktop

Index

Services

01

Discovery sprint

Two weeks of interviews, audits and competitor teardown.

02

Positioning workshop

A day with your leadership to agree on one story.

03

Identity design

Logo, type, colour, motion and a working toolkit.

Phone, 390 px

Mixed frames

gallery.midcentury-mixed-frames · gallery

Rule
Three photos in three different frames: a large circle on 1–5, an arch on 6–8 beside a blob on 9–12, and a wide rounded rectangle on 6–12 below; caption under the circle.
Slots
gallery1, gallery2, gallery3, caption
Grid
circle 1-5 · arch 6-8 · blob 9-12 · wide 6-12 · caption 1-5

Three photos in three different frames: a large duotone circle on 1–5 across two rows, a 3:4 arch on 6–8 next to an orange blob on 9–12, and a 16:9 rounded rectangle on 6–12 below them. The caption sits under the circle on 1–5.

Corvid Robotics — identity

Desktop

Corvid Robotics — identity

Phone, 390 px

Speech blob

testimonial.midcentury-speech-blob · testimonial

Rule
A big orange blob on 1–4 stands in for the speaker; the quote at step 3 sits on 5–11 with the uppercase name and role beside a small circle under it.
Slots
quote, author, role
Grid
blob 1-4 · quote 5-11 · attribution 5-11

A big orange blob on 1–4 stands in for the speaker (no avatar photo). The quote at step 3 (quote role, no explicit weight) on 5–11 (max 40 ch); under it on one line a small teal dot, the name in spaced capitals and the role in muted small type.

“They understood our product faster than our own sales team did.”

Hanna Lindqvist

CEO, Corvid Robotics

Desktop
“They understood our product faster than our own sales team did.”

Hanna Lindqvist

CEO, Corvid Robotics

Phone, 390 px

Dial row

stats.midcentury-dial-row · stats

Rule
A full-bleed teal band: label in 1–3, then three or four figures in one row across 4–12, each a bold numeral over a short centred caption, all in onAccent2.
Slots
sectionLabel, stats[3..4]
Grid
label 1-3 · figures 4-12

A full-bleed `accent2` (teal) band, all text `onAccent2`: the label in 1–3 and three or four figures in one row across 4–12, each a bold numeral (step 5) centred over a short caption.

By the numbers

140+

launches shipped

12

years independent

9 of 10

clients return

Desktop

By the numbers

140+

launches shipped

12

years independent

9 of 10

clients return

Phone, 390 px

Half sun

cta.midcentury-half-sun · cta

Rule
A full-bleed orange band with a cream half-sun rising from the bottom of 1–4; the headline (step 5) and a secondary button sit on 6–12.
Slots
headline, cta
Grid
sun 1-4 · text 6-12

A full-bleed orange (`accent`) band: a cream (`bg`) half-sun rises from the bottom edge of 1–4; the headline (step 5, heaviest weight, `onAccent`, max 20 ch) and a medium secondary pill button sit on 6–12.

Have a hard thing to explain?

Start a project
Desktop

Have a hard thing to explain?

Start a project
Phone, 390 px

Two-up FAQ

faq.midcentury-two-up · faq

Rule
Title across 1–7, then questions in rounded surface panels, two per row across the full grid: bold question, answer under it.
Slots
sectionLabel, title, faqs[4..8]
Grid
header 1-7 · list 1-12

The label and title on 1–7, then the questions in rounded `surface` panels, two per row across the full grid: question as h4, answer in small type under it. All answers visible.

FAQ

Working together

How big are your projects?

Most run 8–16 weeks with a team of three to five people.

Do you work with startups?

Yes, from Series A onwards, when there's a product and paying customers.

Do you build the website too?

We design and build, then train your team to run it.

Where are you based?

Lisbon and London, working with clients across Europe and North America.

Can we hire you for a single deliverable?

Occasionally — a naming project or a sales deck. Ask us.

Desktop

FAQ

Working together

How big are your projects?

Most run 8–16 weeks with a team of three to five people.

Do you work with startups?

Yes, from Series A onwards, when there's a product and paying customers.

Do you build the website too?

We design and build, then train your team to run it.

Where are you based?

Lisbon and London, working with clients across Europe and North America.

Can we hire you for a single deliverable?

Occasionally — a naming project or a sales deck. Ask us.

Phone, 390 px

Ticket stubs

pricing.midcentury-ticket-stubs · pricing

Rule
Header on 1–4; two or three plans as rounded surface tickets in a row on 5–12: uppercase name, big orange price, inclusions, primary button.
Slots
sectionLabel, title, plans[2..3]
Grid
header 1-4 · plans 5-12

The label and title (max 12 ch) on 1–4. Two or three plans as rounded `surface` tickets in one row on 5–12, each opened by a 2 px top rule: plan name in spaced capitals, the price as a big orange numeral, inclusions, a primary pill button.

Pricing

Engagements

Sprint

€18k

Two-week positioning sprint with a written brand platform.

Choose Sprint

Rebrand

€85k

Positioning, identity and a launch toolkit over 12 weeks.

Most popular — choose
Desktop

Pricing

Engagements

Sprint

€18k

Two-week positioning sprint with a written brand platform.

Choose Sprint

Rebrand

€85k

Positioning, identity and a launch toolkit over 12 weeks.

Most popular — choose
Phone, 390 px

Arch portraits

team.midcentury-arch-portraits · team

Rule
Title on 1–6; portraits in arched frames three per row across 2–12, the name and role on one line under each.
Slots
title, team[3..6]
Grid
title 1-6 · people 2-12

The title on 1–6; duotone portraits in arch frames three per row across 2–12, the name (bold) and role (muted) on one line under each.

The studio

Rita Carvalho

Founder, strategy

Owen Blake

Design director

Sana Qureshi

Lead developer

Mateus Lima

Copy and naming

Desktop

The studio

Rita Carvalho

Founder, strategy

Owen Blake

Design director

Sana Qureshi

Lead developer

Mateus Lima

Copy and naming

Phone, 390 px

Story with boomerang

content.midcentury-story-offset · content

Rule
A rounded duotone photo on 1–6, an orange boomerang triangle in column 7 pointing at the text, the story on 8–12: label, h2, paragraph, underlined link.
Slots
image, sectionLabel, title, body, cta
Grid
photo 1-6 · boomerang 7-7 · story 8-12

A rounded duotone photo (3:2) on 1–6, an orange boomerang triangle in column 7 pointing right at the text, and the story on 8–12: label, h2 (step 4), paragraph (max 46 ch), underlined link.

About

How we think

Each engagement starts with a two-week audit: interviews with customers, sales and the people who build the product. The brief writes itself after that.

Start a project
Desktop

About

How we think

Each engagement starts with a two-week audit: interviews with customers, sales and the people who build the product. The brief writes itself after that.

Start a project
Phone, 390 px

Postcard

contact.midcentury-postcard · contact

Rule
A ruled, rounded postcard: details on the left half (1–5), a vertical rule in 6–7, the form on 8–12, and an orange stamp square in the corner.
Slots
title, address, email, hours, contact
Grid
details 1-5 · rule 6-7 · stamp 12-12 · form 8-12

The whole section is a postcard: a 2 px ruled, rounded frame. Inside: title, address, email and hours on 1–5; a 2 px vertical rule in 6–7; a small orange "stamp" square tilted 6° in the top of column 12; the form (name, email, message) on 8–12 with rounded fields.

Start a conversation

Rua da Boavista 72, 1200-066 Lisboa

hello@northfold.com

Studio open Mon–Thu, 9:30–18:00

Name
Your name
Email
you@example.com
Message
Tell us a little about your project…
Send message
Desktop

Start a conversation

Rua da Boavista 72, 1200-066 Lisboa

hello@northfold.com

Studio open Mon–Thu, 9:30–18:00

Name
Your name
Email
you@example.com
Message
Tell us a little about your project…
Send message
Phone, 390 px

Magazine tiles

blog.midcentury-magazine-tiles · blog

Rule
Label and title on 1–6, then posts as a three-column masonry: rounded photo, uppercase date, bold title, short summary.
Slots
sectionLabel, title, posts[3..9]
Grid
header 1-6 · posts 1-12

The label and title on 1–6, then posts as a three-column masonry: rounded 4:3 photo, date in spaced capitals (link colour), an h3 title, a short summary.

Journal

Field notes

Apr 3, 2026 · 8 min

Your homepage is a sales call nobody attends

What lost-deal interviews reveal about B2B websites.

Mar 1, 2026 · 5 min

The case against the brand book

Why guidelines belong in a website your team visits.

Jan 22, 2026 · 6 min

Naming a product in 2026

Trademarks, domains and the 400-name longlist.

Dec 9, 2025 · 4 min

Industrial brands deserve good type

Notes from rebranding a valve manufacturer.

Desktop

Journal

Field notes

Apr 3, 2026 · 8 min

Your homepage is a sales call nobody attends

What lost-deal interviews reveal about B2B websites.

Mar 1, 2026 · 5 min

The case against the brand book

Why guidelines belong in a website your team visits.

Jan 22, 2026 · 6 min

Naming a product in 2026

Trademarks, domains and the 400-name longlist.

Dec 9, 2025 · 4 min

Industrial brands deserve good type

Notes from rebranding a valve manufacturer.

Phone, 390 px

Footers (2)

Mustard band

footer.midcentury-boomerang-band · footer

Rule
A mustard band: wordmark 1–3, links stacked 5–6, an inline newsletter form 8–12, legal under the wordmark.
Slots
siteName, pages, newsletter, legal
Grid
logo 1-3 · links 5-6 · newsletter 8-12 · legal 1-4

A full-bleed mustard (`surfaceAlt`) band: wordmark on 1–3, page links stacked on 5–6, an inline newsletter form (email + pill button) on 8–12, the legal line at the bottom of 1–4.

Northfold
  • Services
  • Work
  • About
  • Contact
you@example.com
Subscribe

© 2026 Northfold. All rights reserved.

Desktop
Northfold
  • Services
  • Work
  • About
  • Contact
Email
you@example.com
Subscribe

© 2026 Northfold. All rights reserved.

Phone, 390 px

Starburst sign

footer.midcentury-starburst-sign · footer

Rule
A centred roadside sign: an orange starburst, the boxed wordmark, pill links, the legal line.
Slots
siteName, pages, legal

A centred roadside-motel sign: an orange starburst, the boxed wordmark, pill page links, the muted legal line.

Northfold
  • Services
  • Work
  • About
  • Contact

© 2026 Northfold. All rights reserved.

Desktop
Northfold
  • Services
  • Work
  • About
  • Contact

© 2026 Northfold. All rights reserved.

Phone, 390 px

Hero library heroes that suit Mid-Century Modern

Cut-out over shapeshero.collage-cutout · collageA cut-out photo (person or product on a transparent background) stands in 6–11 in front of a large accent circle; a tilted accent2 bar sits at its foot; a huge uppercase headline crosses in front of its left edge in 1–8; subhead + CTA bottom-left.Asymmetric colour blockshero.asymmetric-blocks · collageThe hero is cut into unequal colour blocks with no gaps: a big accent headline block (1–7, rows 1–2), a surface subhead block (8–12), a photo (8–10, rows 2–3), an accent2 CTA block (11–12), a surfaceAlt note (1–4) and an outlined caption block (5–7).Split, media lefthero.split-media-left · splitThe image fills columns 1–7 at full hero height; column 8 stays empty; a narrow copy column in 9–12 sits on the bottom edge and ends in a ruled facts list and one CTA.Scattered collagehero.collage-scattered · collageThree photos of different crops are scattered on offset grid rows (4:5 in 1–4, 1:1 in 9–12, 3:4 in 7–9); a slightly rotated display headline crosses them in 2–11; subhead + CTA in 1–5 and a rotated caption in 10–12 close it.Split, diagonal seamhero.split-diagonal · splitA surface-coloured copy panel in 1–6 meets the image (6–12) on a diagonal seam; the panel holds the headline, one CTA and a row of 2–3 stats.Product with flanking specshero.product-floating-specs · productA square product shot in 4–9 is flanked by spec callouts: 2–3 feature labels in 1–3 and 2–3 numbers in 10–12, each with a top rule; the headline runs 1–8 underneath, price and CTA in 10–12.Info posterhero.poster-grid · collageBuilt like an event poster: a giant numeral or date in 1–4 beside an uppercase headline in 5–12; a large circle under the numeral; a 4-column grid of facts (when, where, price, who) with top rules in 5–12; subhead and CTA last.Headline with stickershero.collage-sticker · collageA huge headline in 1–10 with stickers slapped on it: a tilted accent label overlapping its end (10–12), a star in 1–2 and a second tilted accent2 label in 9–11; subhead + CTA in 3–7.