Choose the character of the notebook
Ubuntu, Ubuntu Mono, and an interactive set of aesthetic choices for Alkemist.
The next design question is typography: could Ubuntu and Ubuntu Mono give Alkemist a friendlier technical voice?
Our recommendation is yes. Ubuntu’s shapes give the headings and prose a recognizable character. Ubuntu Mono makes code, labels, and data feel like part of the same family. The trade-off is that this character is more noticeable than a quieter typeface such as IBM Plex.
The Ubuntu font documentation describes the family and its monospaced companion. The study self-hosts both, with their packaged Ubuntu Font License. Mathematical notation keeps a separate serif face; a UI font should not determine how mathematical expressions are typeset.
Make the decision in context
The interactive design studio lets you make 18 choices against the same notebook. Font pairing, headline voice, board surface, accent palette, and layout are single-choice groups. Thirteen checkboxes control handwriting, annotations, chalk edges, the grid, borders, underlines, spacing, and other details.
Every option affects the preview. A phone-width mode shows the layout at a narrow viewport. The full-size link opens the notebook with the same selections and without the controls panel.
A preference you can send back
Choices are saved in the browser and represented in the URL. A shared URL takes precedence over a saved local preference, so two people reviewing the same link see the same combination. Unchecked options are stored explicitly.
You can copy the preview link, copy a readable checklist, or download the choices as JSON. The JSON is a design record, not a published theme configuration API. If clipboard access is unavailable, the studio exposes a selectable summary for manual copying.
The implementation boundary
The studio and notebook preview are separate documents. This lets the notebook respond to its actual available width. The studio sends validated choices to its own preview frame; the frame accepts updates only from its same-origin parent. The existing three board studies remain available as their original comparisons.
The selected direction will eventually move into the shared theme package. These controls are a way to choose it first.