Technical documents.
Clear by design.
A reusable collection of structured, printable documents for software architecture, technical assessment and stakeholder decisions. Designed to be direct, readable and consistent across projects.
The document system
One consistent visual language for reports and decisions
The Carlo Technical Document Style is a self-contained, editorial document system for architecture notes, assessments, reviews and stakeholder correspondence. It uses a distinctive navy cover, numbered sections, evidence-led layouts and A4 print rules.
Example documents
Browse interactive HTML or the print-ready PDF
Technical assessment
Executive position, evidence basis, severity-ranked findings, stakeholder decisions and delivery feasibility.
Open example →Download PDF ↗
System design
Quality attributes, logical topology, event contracts, failure paths and operational checks.
Open example →Download PDF ↗
Architecture decision record
A shorter, approval-oriented format for a single technical decision, including alternatives and consequences.
Open example →Download PDF ↗
Integrated test plan
Test levels, scenario matrix, offline and recovery cases, test evidence, release thresholds and formal sign-off.
Open example →Download PDF ↗
Read test plan text ↗
The Aster programme in these examples is fictional. All numbers, architecture choices, problems and recommendations are illustrative. Only the presentation system is intended for reuse.
Palette and typography
Design tokens retain the same values as the versioned guide
A considered technical position.
Segoe UI, Arial and Helvetica system fonts. No font downloads. Clear editorial scale and space.
Evidence before conclusions
Use readable tables, descriptive headings, direct text and concrete decision owners.
Reusable document components
Samples of the tables, notes and visual elements available
Priority register
Illustrative| Ref | Priority | Finding | Next action |
|---|---|---|---|
| C-01 | CRITICAL | Unverified access revocation | Approve consistency rules |
| C-02 | HIGH | Unconfirmed supplier integration | Obtain test contract |
| C-03 | OPEN | Missing recovery drill | Schedule restore test |
Understand
Identify the real boundaries and decision owners.
Validate
Run the tests that challenge the highest-risk assumptions.
Decide
Record approval, exceptions and next steps.
Reuse and publish
Static files; suitable for IIS and Cloudflare-backed hosting
Versioned style assets
- Carlo_Document_Theme.css · Original theme
- showcase.css · Example-specific extensions
- Carlo_Document_Style_Guide.md · Style guide v1.1
- README.md · Deployment and reuse instructions
- llms.txt · AI-friendly entry index
- AI_STYLE_REFERENCE.txt · Complete one-file AI reference
- ai-style-guide.md.txt · AI instruction summary
- AI_PROMPT.txt · Ready-to-copy instructions
Drop-in static website
Upload the entire site folder together so the relative links to the CSS, JavaScript and PDF examples remain valid.
Works locally by opening index.html, or behind an IIS virtual directory such as /style/.
For AI-assisted documents
One plain-text URL now contains the complete style system
Some AI services can open HTML but refuse CSS or Markdown because of content-type restrictions. The original files remain unchanged for the browser; this site also publishes byte-identical .txt mirrors for those tools.
AI_STYLE_REFERENCE.txt
Everything in one text/plain document: full design guide, both exact CSS files, a reusable HTML starter, menu/print JavaScript and A4 PDF instructions. AI tools do not need to fetch any other files. The examples are optional.
Read llms.txt for the index and all example links.
Complete guide (TXT)
The exact contents of the original Markdown style guide. Also read the base CSS (TXT), showcase CSS (TXT) and AI implementation guide (TXT).
Read https://hennsa.com/style/AI_STYLE_REFERENCE.txt. It contains ALL design rules, exact CSS, reusable HTML template, JavaScript and A4 print instructions. You do not need any other URL. Create my document in this style, credit Carlo Hennsa and provide standalone HTML plus A4 PDF. Use only real facts.
An assistant needs permission and working web access to fetch URLs. A .txt mirror avoids common content-type problems, but does not bypass authentication, Cloudflare protections or a tool that blocks the domain entirely.
Plain-text mirror directory
Source files and their exact text/plain copies
Use the TXT mirror when an AI browser rejects the original MIME type. The mirror's filename ends in .txt but its contents remain the original CSS, Markdown or JavaScript syntax.
| Source | AI-compatible TXT mirror | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Style guide (.md) | Style guide (.txt) | Complete design rules |
| Core theme (.css) | Core theme (.txt) | Colours, layout, A4 print CSS |
| Extra CSS (.css) | Extra CSS (.txt) | Showcase-specific components |
| AI guide (.md) | AI guide (.txt) | Instructions and conventions |
| Test plan (.md) | Test plan (.txt) | Example Markdown content |
| Site script (.js) | Site script (.txt) | Menu and print functions |
| Site README (.md) | Site README (.txt) | Installation instructions |