:root {
  /* =========================================================
     1. CORE BRAND COLORS (The "Safe" Professional Palette)
     ========================================================= */
  --bg-dark: #f0f7f7;        /* Very light Robin's Egg tint for page gutter */
  --accent-gold: #c27e00;    /* Safety Orange/Ochre (High visibility) */
  --parchment: #ffffff;      /* Main content background (The 'Paper') */
  --text-main: #2d3748;      /* Primary Text: Dark Slate (High contrast) */
  --border-stone: #92c5c2;   /* Robin's Egg for structural borders */
  
  /* =========================================================
     2. LAYOUT SPECIFIC TONES
     ========================================================= */
  --robins-egg: #92c5c2;
  --header-bg: var(--robins-egg);
  --footer-bg: var(--robins-egg);
  
  /* Text colors for the colored bars */
  --header-text: #1a202c;       /* Dark text on blue header */
  --footer-link-color: #1a202c; /* Dark text for footer buttons */

  /* =========================================================
     3. TYPOGRAPHY
     ========================================================= */
  --font-main: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;

  /* =========================================================
     4. COMPONENT STYLING
     ========================================================= */
  /* Navigation Buttons */
  --nav-btn-bg: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.4);
  --nav-btn-hover: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);
  --nav-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.05);
  
  /* Footer Buttons */
  --footer-btn-bg: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.3);
  --footer-btn-hover: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.5);
  
  /* Bottom Ribbon (Privacy/Terms) */
  --ribbon-bg: #7aa7a4;      /* Slightly darker blue for grounding */
  --ribbon-border: #92c5c2;

  /* =========================================================
     5. PAGE-SPECIFIC OVERRIDES
     ========================================================= */
  /* Contributor/Privacy Pages */
  --ledger-dots: #d1e2e1;    /* Subtle dots on the white paper */
  --form-bg: #ffffff;
  
  /* Menu/Portal Page */
  --portal-bg: #ffffff;      
  --hero-overlay: rgba(146, 197, 194, 0.2);
  
  /* Hire Page */
  --hire-bg-light: #e6f0f0;  
  --hire-bg-dark: #ffffff;
  --card-bg: #ffffff;
  --card-border: #92c5c2;
  --card-hover-bg: #f0f7f7;
}