# DESIGN.md: Apple-style design system

Measured from https://www.apple.com/ on 2026-10-14 by PikSpec (https://www.pikspec.com). An independent measurement of the rendered page, not Apple's official design system, and not affiliated with Apple.

Use it to build your own product in this design language: put this file in your project root and tell your AI tool (Claude Code, Cursor, Codex, Lovable, v0) to follow DESIGN.md. Never use the original's name, logo, copy or images; licensed fonts are replaced with the closest free Google Fonts.

To capture any other page, or get a ready project for your tool: https://www.pikspec.com/build-with-ai

HOW IT SHOULD LOOK
Build it in the design language of apple.com, measured from the live site: it should feel designed by the same team as apple.com — the same temperament, colour, type and density — for a different product. Never use apple.com's name, logo, words or images.

Stack: use the one your project already has. Starting fresh: React + Vite + TypeScript + Tailwind CSS v4, with no UI kit (no shadcn/ui, MUI or Chakra) — their defaults would override this system. In a chat that shows one file (an artifact or canvas), build one HTML file instead, with the tokens below in its <style> block.
Use every value exactly as written. Do not round, rename, approximate or substitute a colour, size, radius, shadow or easing (fonts: see section 1). Anything not listed here does not exist in this system.

THE WEBSITE THIS SYSTEM COMES FROM
- Reference page: https://www.apple.com/ — "www.apple.com" (home page).
- Page frame: a top navigation bar, a persistent side panel beside the content and a footer. This is a tool- or docs-style layout, not a marketing page of stacked full-width bands.
- It uses 266 images including 2 videos, 65 of them large. Large, real product imagery is part of the look — leave clearly labelled image slots at those sizes rather than stock photos or abstract 3D shapes.
- Interaction: 53 buttons on one page.
- The page runs about 7 screens long at 1440px wide.
- Density is moderate.

HOW IT LOOKS (WHAT MAKES IT LOOK LIKE ITSELF, BEYOND THE VALUES)
- Almost entirely neutral: 98% of the page is painted in #FFFFFF and #F5F5F7.
- #24568E is an accent: 0.5% of the page, as small fills such as buttons and badges. Keep it to small areas.
- #524617 is an accent: 0.5% of the page, as small fills such as buttons and badges. Keep it to small areas.
- The largest type (56px SF Pro Display) is semibold (600), tracked to -0.005em.
- Open: text covers 8% of the page. Sections sit about 12px apart.
- Share of the painted page: #FFFFFF 39.3% (dominant, backgrounds); #F5F5F7 38.3% (dominant, backgrounds); #000000 18.3% (dominant, backgrounds and text); #1D1D1F 0.8% (supporting, text); #FAFAFC 0.6% (detail, backgrounds); #F4F8FB 0.5% (detail, backgrounds); #24568E 0.5% (accent, backgrounds); #524617 0.5% (accent, backgrounds). Keep accents at these proportions; do not promote them to fills.
- Hairline dividers: 1px lines in #0066CC separate sections and rows (4 of them).
- Large images: Photographs, video or raster artwork cover about 215% of the page.
- Type as set (size, weight and tracking measured together; use these pairs): 56px weight 600 tracking -0.005em; 40px weight 600; 34px weight 600 tracking -0.011em; 28px weight 400 tracking 0.007em; 25.5px weight 600 tracking -0.015em; 21px weight 400 tracking 0.011em.

1. DESIGN TOKENS — PASTE INTO YOUR GLOBAL CSS
Allowed colours, with how the original uses each. Use no other colour, including in hover states:
- #FFFFFF — 39.3% · backgrounds (var(--color-surface))
- #F5F5F7 — 38.3% · backgrounds (var(--color-background))
- #000000 — 18.3% · backgrounds, text (var(--color-000000))
- #1D1D1F — 0.8% · text (var(--color-text))
- #FAFAFC — 0.6% · backgrounds (var(--color-fafafc))
- #F4F8FB — 0.5% · backgrounds (var(--color-f4f8fb))
- #24568E — 0.5% · backgrounds (var(--color-24568e))
- #524617 — 0.5% · backgrounds (var(--color-524617))
- #C69851 — 0.5% · backgrounds (var(--color-c69851))
- #0071E3 — 0.2% · backgrounds (var(--color-action))
- #0066CC — hairlines and grid lines (var(--color-link))
- #6E6E73 — Text muted (var(--color-text-muted))
- #2997FF — Border (var(--color-border))
- #300402 — Negative (var(--color-negative))
- #241004 — Warning (var(--color-warning))
Fonts — put these first in your global CSS (one import per font, so one that fails cannot stop the others):
```css
@import url("https://fonts.googleapis.com/css2?family=Inter:wght@400;600;700&display=swap");
```
Font: apple.com uses SF Pro Text (body) and SF Pro Display (display) — its own licensed faces, not available to download. This kit uses Inter for body and display, the closest free match, already in the tokens. If you own the original, add it with @font-face and it is used first; to use another font, change the --font-* variables.
Keep every size, weight, line height and tracking exactly as listed whichever font renders.
```css
:root {
  --color-background: #F5F5F7; /* Background */
  --color-surface: #FFFFFF; /* Surface */
  --color-text: #1D1D1F; /* Text */
  --color-text-muted: #6E6E73; /* Text muted */
  --color-border: #2997FF; /* Border */
  --color-action: #0071E3; /* Action */
  --color-on-action: #FFFFFF; /* On action */
  --color-link: #0066CC; /* Link */
  --color-negative: #300402; /* Negative */
  --color-warning: #241004; /* Warning */
  --color-000000: #000000; /* 18.3% of the page, as fills */
  --color-fafafc: #FAFAFC; /* 0.6% of the page, as fills */
  --color-f4f8fb: #F4F8FB; /* 0.5% of the page, as fills */
  --color-24568e: #24568E; /* 0.5% of the page, as fills */
  --color-524617: #524617; /* 0.5% of the page, as fills */
  --color-c69851: #C69851; /* 0.5% of the page, as fills */
  --font-body: "SF Pro Text", "Inter", sans-serif; /* SF Pro Text on the site; Inter renders */
  --font-display: "SF Pro Display", "Inter", sans-serif; /* SF Pro Display on the site; Inter renders */
  --type-display-large: 56px; /* Display Large, weight 600 */
  --type-display-large-leading: 60px;
  --type-display-large-tracking: -0.005em;
  --type-display-small: 40px; /* Display Small, weight 600 */
  --type-display-small-leading: 44px;
  --type-headline-large: 34px; /* Headline Large, weight 600 */
  --type-headline-large-leading: 50px;
  --type-headline-large-tracking: -0.011em;
  --type-headline-medium: 28px; /* Headline Medium, weight 400 */
  --type-headline-medium-leading: 32px;
  --type-headline-medium-tracking: 0.007em;
  --type-headline-small: 25.5px; /* Headline Small, weight 600 */
  --type-headline-small-leading: 37.5px;
  --type-headline-small-tracking: -0.015em;
  --type-title-large: 21px; /* Title Large, weight 400 */
  --type-title-large-leading: 25px;
  --type-title-large-tracking: 0.011em;
  --type-title-small: 19px; /* Title Small, weight 400 */
  --type-title-small-leading: 23px;
  --type-title-small-tracking: 0.012em;
  --type-body-large: 17px; /* Body Large, weight 400 */
  --type-body-large-leading: 20.0002px;
  --type-body-large-tracking: -0.022em;
  --type-body-small: 14px; /* Body Small, weight 400 */
  --type-body-small-leading: 18.0008px;
  --type-body-small-tracking: -0.016em;
  --type-label: 12px; /* Label, weight 400 */
  --type-label-leading: 16.0005px;
  --type-label-tracking: -0.01em;
  --space-4: 4px;
  --space-8: 8px;
  --space-12: 12px;
  --space-16: 16px;
  --space-20: 20px;
  --space-24: 24px;
  --space-40: 40px;
  --space-48: 48px;
  --space-56: 56px;
  --space-60: 60px;
  --radius-md: 8px;
  --radius-lg: 11px;
  --radius-full: 9999px;
  --elevation-1: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.22) 3px 5px 30px 0px;
  --duration-1: 0.1s;
  --duration-2: 0.2s;
  --duration-3: 0.24s;
  --duration-4: 0.25s;
  --duration-5: 0.32s;
  --duration-6: 1s;
  --ease-1: cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.6, 1);
  --ease-2: linear;
  --ease-3: ease-in-out;
}
```
Tailwind CSS v4 (the default for new projects): put this after `@import "tailwindcss";`. It removes Tailwind's own palette, so only these colours exist as utilities:
```css
@theme {
  --color-*: initial;
  --color-background: #F5F5F7;
  --color-surface: #FFFFFF;
  --color-text: #1D1D1F;
  --color-text-muted: #6E6E73;
  --color-border: #2997FF;
  --color-action: #0071E3;
  --color-on-action: #FFFFFF;
  --color-link: #0066CC;
  --color-negative: #300402;
  --color-warning: #241004;
  --color-000000: #000000;
  --color-fafafc: #FAFAFC;
  --color-f4f8fb: #F4F8FB;
  --color-24568e: #24568E;
  --color-524617: #524617;
  --color-c69851: #C69851;
  --font-body: "SF Pro Text", "Inter", sans-serif;
  --font-display: "SF Pro Display", "Inter", sans-serif;
  --text-display-large: 56px;
  --text-display-large--line-height: 60px;
  --text-display-large--letter-spacing: -0.005em;
  --text-display-small: 40px;
  --text-display-small--line-height: 44px;
  --text-headline-large: 34px;
  --text-headline-large--line-height: 50px;
  --text-headline-large--letter-spacing: -0.011em;
  --text-headline-medium: 28px;
  --text-headline-medium--line-height: 32px;
  --text-headline-medium--letter-spacing: 0.007em;
  --text-headline-small: 25.5px;
  --text-headline-small--line-height: 37.5px;
  --text-headline-small--letter-spacing: -0.015em;
  --text-title-large: 21px;
  --text-title-large--line-height: 25px;
  --text-title-large--letter-spacing: 0.011em;
  --text-title-small: 19px;
  --text-title-small--line-height: 23px;
  --text-title-small--letter-spacing: 0.012em;
  --text-body-large: 17px;
  --text-body-large--line-height: 20.0002px;
  --text-body-large--letter-spacing: -0.022em;
  --text-body-small: 14px;
  --text-body-small--line-height: 18.0008px;
  --text-body-small--letter-spacing: -0.016em;
  --text-label: 12px;
  --text-label--line-height: 16.0005px;
  --text-label--letter-spacing: -0.01em;
  --radius-md: 8px;
  --radius-lg: 11px;
  --radius-full: 9999px;
  --shadow-e1: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.22) 3px 5px 30px 0px;
  --ease-1: cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.6, 1);
  --ease-2: linear;
  --ease-3: ease-in-out;
}
```
Tailwind CSS v3 only: extend the theme with these instead, and use no other palette:
```js
// tailwind.config — theme.extend
{
  colors: { "background": "var(--color-background)", "surface": "var(--color-surface)", "text": "var(--color-text)", "text-muted": "var(--color-text-muted)", "border": "var(--color-border)", "action": "var(--color-action)", "on-action": "var(--color-on-action)", "link": "var(--color-link)", "negative": "var(--color-negative)", "warning": "var(--color-warning)" },
  fontFamily: { "body": ["var(--font-body)"], "display": ["var(--font-display)"] },
  borderRadius: { "md": "var(--radius-md)", "lg": "var(--radius-lg)", "full": "var(--radius-full)" },
  boxShadow: { "e1": "var(--elevation-1)" },
}
```

2. BASE STYLES
```css
html { background: var(--color-background); }
body { margin: 0; font-family: var(--font-body); font-size: var(--type-body-large); line-height: var(--type-body-large-leading); color: var(--color-text); -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -moz-osx-font-smoothing: grayscale; }
h1, h2, h3 { font-family: var(--font-display); margin: 0; }
a { color: var(--color-link); }
:focus-visible { outline: 2px solid var(--color-action); outline-offset: 2px; }
```

3. COMPONENTS — MATCH THESE EXACTLY
```css
.link-2 { /* Inline 2 */
  background: transparent;
  color: var(--color-000000);
  font-family: var(--font-body);
  font-size: var(--type-label);
  font-weight: 400;
  line-height: 16.0005px;
  /* recorded states: hover, disabled, focus-visible */
}
.link-3 { /* Inline 3 */
  background: transparent;
  padding: 0px 8px 0px 8px;
  min-height: 44px;
  color: var(--color-000000);
  font-family: var(--font-body);
  font-size: var(--type-label);
  font-weight: 400;
  line-height: 12px;
  /* recorded states: hover, focus-visible, focus, disabled */
}
.button { /* Primary */
  background: var(--color-action);
  border-radius: var(--radius-full);
  padding: 11px 21px 11px 21px;
  min-height: 44px;
  color: var(--color-on-action);
  font-family: var(--font-body);
  font-size: var(--type-body-large);
  font-weight: 400;
  line-height: 20.0002px;
  /* recorded states: disabled, hover, focus-visible, active */
}
.button-3 { /* Secondary 2 */
  background: #1D1D1F;
  border-radius: var(--radius-md);
  padding: 8px 15px 8px 15px;
  min-height: 36px;
  color: #FFFFFF;
  font-family: var(--font-body);
  font-size: var(--type-body-small);
  font-weight: 400;
  line-height: 18.0008px;
  /* recorded states: disabled, hover, focus-visible, active */
}
.nav-2 { /* Alternative 1 */
  background: var(--color-surface);
  min-height: 44px;
  color: var(--color-text);
  font-family: var(--font-body);
  font-size: var(--type-body-large);
  font-weight: 400;
  line-height: 25px;
}
```
Where a component lists recorded states, write those states using only the colours above; the capture saw that the state exists, not its values. Never invent a state colour.

4. PAGE COMPOSITION
- Light interface on #F5F5F7. Keep that ground; do not add a dark mode.
- The opening screen carries a large image or video behind or across the heading. Leave a [content: hero image or video] slot there, at least half the screen wide; the opening is not text alone.
- Sections change ground between #FAFAFC and Background (#F5F5F7); use only those.
- #0071E3 is the action colour. Fill the primary action with it and little else — at most one #0071E3-filled element per screen; other accents keep to the uses listed above.
- Type: Inter (standing in for SF Pro Text) for body; Inter (standing in for SF Pro Display) for display. Hierarchy comes from size and weight, not colour or decoration.
- Corner radii are 8px, 11px, fully round (pill) — nothing else.
- Body text uses SF Pro Text at around 17px, weights 400, 600.
- Headings use SF Pro Display; the largest heading is 56px.
- Primary buttons are #0071E3, pill-shaped, weight 400.
- Corner radii in use: 980px, 8px, 11px, 999px.

HOW THE ORIGINAL PACES ITS PAGE (BORROW THE RHYTHM — THE OPENING, THE COLOURED BANDS, THE CARD GRIDS — NOT THE LIST; BUILD THE SECTIONS YOUR PRODUCT NEEDS)
1. Hero — 692px tall, centred 28px heading (weight 400), image behind the content, on #F5F5F7.
2. Hero — 692px tall, centred 56px heading (weight 600), image behind the content, on #000000.
3. Full-bleed image — 692px tall, centred 56px heading (weight 600), image behind the content, on #F5F5F7.
4. Statement — 1764px tall, centred 40px heading (weight 600), image behind the content.
5. Statement — 957px tall, a strip of 9 small items (logos, links or icons), centred 56px heading (weight 600), image centred, on #F5F5F7.
6. Footer — 996px tall, split 3 / 3 / 2 / 2 / 2, left-aligned 12px heading (weight 400), on #F5F5F7.
- The hero is 692px (0.8 screens): centred 28px heading (weight 400), image behind the content, on #F5F5F7.
- Column splits on a 12-column grid: 3/3/2/2/2.
- Headings are centred (5 of 6 sections).
- Sections change background 4 times, between #F5F5F7, #000000: colour comes in full-width bands, not in boxes.
- A typical section is about 957px tall.

COPY SHAPE (MATCH THE LENGTH AND CASE; WRITE YOUR OWN WORDS)
- The main heading is 1 word long.
- Section headings are short: typically 2 words.
- Headings are in Title Case.
- The page describes itself in about 25 words; keep your intro paragraph to about that length.

5. MOTION
Interactive elements change colour, background, border and opacity with the measured timing. Animate nothing else.
```css
a, button, [role="button"], input { transition: color var(--duration-1) var(--ease-1), background-color var(--duration-1) var(--ease-1), border-color var(--duration-1) var(--ease-1), opacity var(--duration-1) var(--ease-1); }
@media (prefers-reduced-motion: reduce) {
  *, *::before, *::after { animation-duration: 0.01ms !important; animation-iteration-count: 1 !important; transition-duration: 0.01ms !important; scroll-behavior: auto !important; }
}
```
No scroll-triggered fade-ins, parallax, typewriter text or bouncing elements.

6. RESPONSIVE
- The design was measured at 1440px wide. Lay it out for that width first, then let it reflow down to 360px.
- Content sits in a column at most 1024px wide, centred, with var(--space-16) (16px) side padding on small screens.
- The largest heading scales fluidly: font-size: clamp(28px, 3.9vw, 56px). Every other size stays fixed.
- Break on composition, not device names: a row of columns drops a column when any column would be narrower than 240px; side-by-side splits stack when either side would be narrower than 320px.
- Spacing steps never change between sizes; use smaller steps from the same list where space is tight.
- On touch screens, every link and button has a hit area of at least 44 × 44px without changing its drawn size.

7. ACCESSIBILITY
- Text pairs that pass for body copy: Text on Background (15.5:1), Text muted on Background (4.7:1), Link on Background (5.1:1), Negative on Background (16.9:1), Text on Surface (16.8:1), Text muted on Surface (5.1:1), Action on Surface (4.7:1), Link on Surface (5.6:1), Negative on Surface (18.4:1) and On action on Action (4.7:1).
- Only for text 24px and up, or 18.66px bold: Action on Background (4.3:1).
- Use no other text-on-background pairing.
- One h1 per page, headings in order, landmarks (header, nav, main, footer), real buttons and links, a label on every field, alt text on every image, an aria-label on icon-only buttons.
- Every interactive element shows the :focus-visible outline above.

8. DO NOT (THESE ARE WHAT MAKE AI-BUILT SITES LOOK GENERIC)
- Only the one shadow in the tokens, on the components that use them. (1 shadow value was measured; inventing softer ones changes the depth of the page.)
- No gradients: not in backgrounds, text, buttons or borders. (No gradient was measured.)
- Only these colours: #FFFFFF, #F5F5F7, #000000, #1D1D1F, #FAFAFC, #F4F8FB, #24568E, #524617, #C69851, #0071E3, #0066CC, #6E6E73, #2997FF, #300402, #241004. No new tints, no Tailwind defaults (slate, indigo, violet). (They are every colour that covers a measurable part of the page, and the colours its lines and drawings use.)
- #24568E only as small fills (buttons, badges) — never a section background or a large panel. (It covers 0.5% of the page.)
- #524617 only as small fills (buttons, badges) — never a section background or a large panel. (It covers 0.5% of the page.)
- Only the fonts in the tokens: Inter for body; Inter for display. No other typeface, and no Inter, Roboto or system UI font unless it is one of these. (The page is set in SF Pro Text and SF Pro Display; the tokens carry what stands in for them.)
- Headings and large text never heavier than weight 600. Do not make headlines bold to add emphasis. (Every size from 24px up is set at weight 600 or lighter.)
- Large headlines tracked tight (letter-spacing -0.005em), not at the browser default. (The 56px headline is set at -0.005em.)
- No all-caps eyebrow labels above headings. (No uppercase text was measured.)
- No icon above every feature, no emoji, no decorative blobs, sparkles or glows. (None of these is part of the captured design; they are a coding model's defaults.)
- Build the sections your product needs, not the original's list. Give each one this system's look: its kinds of section (hero, image, statement, footer), its colours, type, shapes and spacing. (The style carries to any kind of site; the original's page was for a different product.)
- No glassmorphism, backdrop blur, glowing orbs, noise blobs or neon outlines.
- No row of three identical feature cards as the default section. Vary the layout from section to section: a split, a list, a single large statement, a table.
- No centred-everything hero with a pill badge, a gradient headline and two buttons. Lead with the most specific thing about the product.
- No filler copy: no "Unlock your potential", "Revolutionize", "Seamless", "Elevate", "Supercharge", "Next-gen" or lorem ipsum. Write plain, specific sentences a real company would publish.
- No made-up statistics, testimonials or customer logos. Leave a clearly marked [content: …] slot instead.
- No radius larger than the largest one listed.
- Do not use apple.com's name, logo, copy or images. This is its design system, not its content.

BEFORE YOU FINISH
- Search your code for every colour, font size, spacing value, radius, shadow and easing, and replace anything that is not a variable above.
- Check that no [content: …] slot has been filled with invented facts.
- Search your CSS for gradient(. There should be none.
- Every colour value in your CSS is one of the allowed colours. Nothing else, including in hover states.
- #24568E covers about 0.5% of the page or less, as on the original.
- #524617 covers about 0.5% of the page or less, as on the original.
- No text 24px or larger has a font-weight above 600.
- The largest headline uses letter-spacing -0.005em.
- Every section, including ones the original does not have, uses only this system's colours, type, shapes and spacing.
- There is no placeholder copy (lorem ipsum, "Feature one", "Your headline here"). Every word is real.
- Take a screenshot at 1440px and put it beside the original. List every difference in colour, weight, spacing, alignment and imagery, and fix each before finishing. Then check 390px wide: nothing scrolls sideways and no heading runs off the screen.