Complete Guide to Hallmark's 21 Catalog Themes: Paper Band, Display Style, and Accent Hue Values

Hallmark defines 21 distinct catalog themes, each specified across three design axes—paper band, display style, and accent hue—with axis values stored in individual markdown files under skills/hallmark/references/themes/.

The Hallmark repository implements a theme diversification system that ensures consecutive visual builds differ on at least one of these three axes. Understanding these catalog themes and their axis values is essential for customizing Hallmark's generative outputs. Each theme's complete specification lives in its own markdown file, making the system modular and extensible.

How the Three-Axis System Works

Every Hallmark catalog theme is defined by three mandatory properties:

• Paper band — Background lightness and colour temperature
• Display style — Headline typography family, weight, and case treatment
• Accent hue — Primary signal colour for interactive elements and emphasis

These values are stored in per-theme markdown files located at skills/hallmark/references/themes/{theme-name}.md.

Complete Catalog Themes with Axis Values

The following five themes have fully documented axis values in the source code:

Hum: The Playful Theme

Axis	Value
Paper band	Light (L 97%), warm-cream tinted toward pear-yellow (~95°)
Display style	Rounded-sans — Plus Jakarta Sans / Open Runde (rounded humanist sans, closed apertures)
Accent hue	Multi — three simultaneous accents: pear-yellow H 95, sky-cyan H 235, coral-red H 18

Source: skills/hallmark/references/themes/hum.md

Hum is the only theme using multiple simultaneous accent hues, creating a deliberately playful, multicolour signature.

Lumen: The Atmospheric/AI-Tool Theme

Axis	Night Mode	Day Mode
Paper band	Dark cool-violet (L 13%, H 265)	Light cool-bone with violet pull (L 97%, H 265)
Display style	Classical-serif-lowercase — Instrument Serif 400, all-lowercase, verb landmark via accent colour + underline
Accent hue	Molten brass (H 50)	Deep indigo with violet tilt (H 268)

Source: skills/hallmark/references/themes/lumen.md

Lumen uniquely implements bi-modal axis values with automatic switching between night and day configurations.

Grid: The Swiss Neo-Grotesque Theme

Axis	Value
Paper band	Light, cool near-white (L 99%, H 255), never pure #fff
Display style	Grotesk-heavy — Archivo 800, lowercase, tight tracking (-0.045 em)
Accent hue	Signal ink — one colour per page; default signal red (oklch(55% 0.21 28)); alternatives: ultramarine (264°), signal yellow (95°)

Source: skills/hallmark/references/themes/grid.md

Grid's accent hue system uses per-page colour locking rather than global assignment.

Cobalt: The Modern-Minimal Dev-Tool Theme

Axis	Value
Paper band	Cool light (L 98.5%, hue ≈ 250°, very low chroma)
Display style	Grotesk-sans — Space Grotesk 500/600, slightly mechanical, tight tracking
Accent hue	Electric cobalt (oklch(58% 0.20 256)) — high-chroma true blue as sole signal accent

Source: skills/hallmark/references/themes/cobalt.md

Cobalt uses a monochromatic accent strategy with electric cobalt as the exclusive signal colour.

Carnival: The Loud-Maximalist Editorial Theme

Axis	Default Value
Paper band	Light (L 88–95%), tinted — varies by drop (e.g., Cold Snap ≈ 92% H 50)
Display style	Display-heavy — Big Shoulders Display 800, variable-width axis, all-caps
Accent hue	Per-drop duo-tone — accent pair varies (e.g., mustard H 95 + oxblood H 25 for Cold Snap; citrus H 130, navy H 250 for other drops)

Source: skills/hallmark/references/themes/carnival.md

Carnival implements drop-specific axis variation, with each drop potentially redefining all three axes.

Remaining 16 Catalog Themes

The following catalog themes follow identical three-axis structure with values defined in their respective markdown files:

• specimen.md
• midnight.md
• brutal.md
• garden.md
• atelier.md
• newsprint.md
• terminal.md
• manifesto.md
• almanac.md
• sport.md
• studio.md
• riso.md
• bloom.md
• coral.md
• aurora.md
• editorial.md

Each file contains the same axis definitions: paper band lightness/colour, display typography specification, and accent hue values.

Using Theme Axis Values in Practice

The diversification rule implemented in Hallmark requires that consecutive builds differ on at least one axis (paper band, display style, or accent hue). This prevents visual repetition without mandating complete theme switches.

When configuring a Hallmark build, reference theme files directly:

# Example: Loading theme axis values from source

theme_path = "skills/hallmark/references/themes/cobalt.md"

# Axis values drive:

# - Paper band → background colour generation

# - Display style → headline font selection

# - Accent hue → interactive element colouring

Summary

• 21 total catalog themes exist in the Hallmark repository
• Three fixed axes define every theme: paper band, display style, accent hue
• Five themes (hum, lumen, grid, cobalt, carnival) have complete published values
• Sixteen additional themes follow identical structure with values in individual markdown files under skills/hallmark/references/themes/
• Bi-modal themes like lumen support night/day axis switching
• Multi-accent themes like hum use simultaneous hue values
• Drop-varying themes like carnival allow per-instance axis customization

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I add a new catalog theme to Hallmark?

Create a new markdown file in skills/hallmark/references/themes/ with your theme name. Define all three axes—paper band, display style, and accent hue—using the same format as existing themes. The diversification system will automatically include your theme in consecutive build differentiation.

Can I override individual axis values without creating a new theme?

The source code structure suggests axis values are theme-locked. Per-file overrides would require modifying the theme definition or implementing custom build logic outside the standard diversification system.

Why does Lumen have two sets of axis values while other themes have one?

Lumen implements bi-modal environmental adaptation. The night/day dual configuration allows automatic switching based on system preference or time-of-day triggers, making it optimal for AI-tool interfaces where ambient context matters.

What OKLCH colour space values does Hallmark use for accent hues?

Hallmark specifies colours in OKLCH perceptual colour space with the syntax oklch(L% C H) where L is lightness, C is chroma, and H is hue angle. Examples include cobalt's oklch(58% 0.20 256) and grid's signal red oklch(55% 0.21 28).

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "instagit": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "instagit@latest"]
    }
  }
}