# DESIGN.md: Coda-style design system

Measured from https://coda.io/ on 2026-10-15 by PikSpec (https://www.pikspec.com). An independent measurement of the rendered page, not Coda's official design system, and not affiliated with Coda.

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 coda.io, measured from the live site: it should feel designed by the same team as coda.io — the same temperament, colour, type and density — for a different product. Never use coda.io'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://coda.io/ — "coda.io" (home page).
- Page frame: a top navigation bar and a footer.
- It uses 68 images including 7 videos, 38 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: 35 buttons on one page.
- The page runs about 19 screens long at 1440px wide.
- Density is low: few elements per screen, generous space around each one.

HOW IT LOOKS (WHAT MAKES IT LOOK LIKE ITSELF, BEYOND THE VALUES)
- Almost entirely neutral: 99% of the page is painted in #FFFFFF and #FFF6EC.
- #EE5A29 is an accent: 0.2% of the page, as small fills such as buttons and badges. Keep it to small areas.
- #FDC298 is an accent: 0.1% of the page, used for text only. Don't fill large areas with it.
- The largest type (72px Calibre-R) is bold (700), tracked to -0.045em.
- Very airy: text covers 4% of the page.
- Structure comes from thin grid lines, not from shadows or filled cards.
- Share of the painted page: #FFFFFF 88% (dominant, backgrounds); #FFF6EC 7.4% (supporting, backgrounds); #292827 1.8% (supporting, text); #73716D 1.1% (supporting, text); #141413 0.8% (detail, backgrounds and text); #FCFAF7 0.6% (detail, backgrounds); #EE5A29 0.2% (accent, backgrounds); #FDC298 0.1% (accent, text). Keep accents at these proportions; do not promote them to fills.
- Hairline grid: 1px lines in #DEDBD5 run both across and down the page (23 across, 16 down), dividing it into cells instead of cards.
- Type as set (size, weight and tracking measured together; use these pairs): 72px weight 700 tracking -0.045em; 52px weight 700 tracking -0.035em; 38px weight 700 tracking -0.025em; 22px weight 400 tracking -0.03em; 20px weight 400 tracking -0.03em; 16px weight 400 tracking -0.03em.

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 — 88% · backgrounds (var(--color-background))
- #FFF6EC — 7.4% · backgrounds (var(--color-surface))
- #292827 — 1.8% · text
- #73716D — 1.1% · text (var(--color-text-muted))
- #141413 — 0.8% · backgrounds, text (var(--color-text))
- #FCFAF7 — 0.6% · backgrounds (var(--color-fcfaf7))
- #EE5A29 — 0.2% · backgrounds (var(--color-negative))
- #FDC298 — 0.1% · text (var(--color-warning))
- #DEDBD5 — hairlines and grid lines (var(--color-border))
- #346E4A — Positive (var(--color-positive))
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");
@import url("https://fonts.googleapis.com/css2?family=Archivo:wght@700&display=swap");
@import url("https://fonts.googleapis.com/css2?family=Figtree:wght@400;600;700&display=swap");
```
Font: coda.io uses Calibre-R (display) and Super Sans VF (interface) — its own licensed faces, not available to download. This kit uses Archivo for display and Figtree for interface, the closest free matches, 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.
Inter is on Google Fonts and loaded from there.
Keep every size, weight, line height and tracking exactly as listed whichever font renders.
```css
:root {
  --color-background: #FFFFFF; /* Background */
  --color-surface: #FFF6EC; /* Surface */
  --color-text: #141413; /* Text */
  --color-text-muted: #73716D; /* Text muted */
  --color-border: #DEDBD5; /* Border */
  --color-action: #141413; /* Action */
  --color-on-action: #FFFFFF; /* On action */
  --color-positive: #346E4A; /* Positive */
  --color-negative: #EE5A29; /* Negative */
  --color-warning: #FDC298; /* Warning */
  --color-fcfaf7: #FCFAF7; /* 0.6% of the page, as fills */
  --font-body: "Inter", sans-serif; /* Inter */
  --font-display: "Calibre-R", "Archivo", sans-serif; /* Calibre-R on the site; Archivo renders */
  --font-interface: "Super Sans VF", "Figtree", sans-serif; /* Super Sans VF on the site; Figtree renders */
  --type-display-large: 72px; /* Display Large, weight 700 */
  --type-display-large-leading: 72px;
  --type-display-large-tracking: -0.045em;
  --type-display-medium: 52px; /* Display Medium, weight 700 */
  --type-display-medium-leading: 57.2px;
  --type-display-medium-tracking: -0.035em;
  --type-display-small: 38px; /* Display Small, weight 700 */
  --type-display-small-leading: 41.8px;
  --type-display-small-tracking: -0.025em;
  --type-title-large: 22px; /* Title Large, weight 400 */
  --type-title-large-leading: 34px;
  --type-title-large-tracking: -0.03em;
  --type-title-small: 20px; /* Title Small, weight 400 */
  --type-title-small-leading: 30px;
  --type-title-small-tracking: -0.03em;
  --type-body-large: 16px; /* Body Large, weight 400 */
  --type-body-large-leading: 24px;
  --type-body-large-tracking: -0.03em;
  --type-body-small: 14px; /* Body Small, weight 600 */
  --type-body-small-leading: 20px;
  --type-body-small-tracking: -0.03em;
  --space-1: 4px;
  --space-2: 8px;
  --space-3: 12px;
  --space-4: 16px;
  --space-5: 20px;
  --space-6: 24px;
  --space-7: 28px;
  --space-8: 32px;
  --space-9: 36px;
  --space-10: 40px;
  --space-12: 48px;
  --space-15: 60px;
  --space-18: 72px;
  --space-24: 96px;
  --space-25: 100px;
  --space-29: 116px;
  --space-30: 120px;
  --radius-xs: 1px;
  --radius-sm: 2px;
  --radius-md: 3px;
  --radius-lg: 4px;
  --radius-xl: 8px;
  --radius-2xl: 9.6px;
  --radius-3xl: 12px;
  --elevation-1: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.12) 0px 0px 0px 1px inset;
  --elevation-2: rgb(41, 40, 39) 0px 0px 0px 1.5px inset;
  --elevation-3: rgb(224, 224, 224) 0px 0px 0px 1.5px inset;
  --elevation-4: rgb(222, 219, 213) 0px 0px 0px 1.5px inset;
  --elevation-5: rgb(20, 20, 19) 6px 6px 0px 0px;
  --elevation-6: rgb(199, 197, 199) 0px 0px 12px 2px;
  --elevation-7: rgb(20, 20, 19) 8px 8px 0px 0px;
  --elevation-8: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.06) 0px 12px 24px -5px, rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.06) 0px 5px 10px -6px;
  --elevation-9: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.06) 0px 18px 36px -6px, rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.06) 0px 6px 12px -6px;
  --duration-1: 0.05s;
  --duration-2: 0.15s;
  --duration-3: 0.2s;
}
```
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: #FFFFFF;
  --color-surface: #FFF6EC;
  --color-text: #141413;
  --color-text-muted: #73716D;
  --color-border: #DEDBD5;
  --color-action: #141413;
  --color-on-action: #FFFFFF;
  --color-positive: #346E4A;
  --color-negative: #EE5A29;
  --color-warning: #FDC298;
  --color-fcfaf7: #FCFAF7;
  --font-body: "Inter", sans-serif;
  --font-display: "Calibre-R", "Archivo", sans-serif;
  --font-interface: "Super Sans VF", "Figtree", sans-serif;
  --text-display-large: 72px;
  --text-display-large--line-height: 72px;
  --text-display-large--letter-spacing: -0.045em;
  --text-display-medium: 52px;
  --text-display-medium--line-height: 57.2px;
  --text-display-medium--letter-spacing: -0.035em;
  --text-display-small: 38px;
  --text-display-small--line-height: 41.8px;
  --text-display-small--letter-spacing: -0.025em;
  --text-title-large: 22px;
  --text-title-large--line-height: 34px;
  --text-title-large--letter-spacing: -0.03em;
  --text-title-small: 20px;
  --text-title-small--line-height: 30px;
  --text-title-small--letter-spacing: -0.03em;
  --text-body-large: 16px;
  --text-body-large--line-height: 24px;
  --text-body-large--letter-spacing: -0.03em;
  --text-body-small: 14px;
  --text-body-small--line-height: 20px;
  --text-body-small--letter-spacing: -0.03em;
  --radius-xs: 1px;
  --radius-sm: 2px;
  --radius-md: 3px;
  --radius-lg: 4px;
  --radius-xl: 8px;
  --radius-2xl: 9.6px;
  --radius-3xl: 12px;
  --shadow-e1: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.12) 0px 0px 0px 1px inset;
  --shadow-e2: rgb(41, 40, 39) 0px 0px 0px 1.5px inset;
  --shadow-e3: rgb(224, 224, 224) 0px 0px 0px 1.5px inset;
  --shadow-e4: rgb(222, 219, 213) 0px 0px 0px 1.5px inset;
  --shadow-e5: rgb(20, 20, 19) 6px 6px 0px 0px;
  --shadow-e6: rgb(199, 197, 199) 0px 0px 12px 2px;
  --shadow-e7: rgb(20, 20, 19) 8px 8px 0px 0px;
  --shadow-e8: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.06) 0px 12px 24px -5px, rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.06) 0px 5px 10px -6px;
  --shadow-e9: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.06) 0px 18px 36px -6px, rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.06) 0px 6px 12px -6px;
}
```
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)", "positive": "var(--color-positive)", "negative": "var(--color-negative)", "warning": "var(--color-warning)" },
  fontFamily: { "body": ["var(--font-body)"], "display": ["var(--font-display)"], "interface": ["var(--font-interface)"] },
  borderRadius: { "xs": "var(--radius-xs)", "sm": "var(--radius-sm)", "md": "var(--radius-md)", "lg": "var(--radius-lg)", "xl": "var(--radius-xl)", "2xl": "var(--radius-2xl)", "3xl": "var(--radius-3xl)" },
  boxShadow: { "e1": "var(--elevation-1)", "e2": "var(--elevation-2)", "e3": "var(--elevation-3)", "e4": "var(--elevation-4)", "e5": "var(--elevation-5)", "e6": "var(--elevation-6)", "e7": "var(--elevation-7)", "e8": "var(--elevation-8)", "e9": "var(--elevation-9)" },
}
```

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: inherit; }
:focus-visible { outline: 2px solid var(--color-action); outline-offset: 2px; }
```

3. COMPONENTS — MATCH THESE EXACTLY
```css
.link-2 { /* Strong */
  background: transparent;
  color: #292827;
  font-family: var(--font-body);
  font-size: var(--type-body-small);
  font-weight: 600;
  line-height: 20px;
}
.link-3 { /* Inline 2 */
  background: transparent;
  min-height: 24px;
  color: var(--color-text-muted);
  font-family: var(--font-body);
  font-size: var(--type-body-large);
  font-weight: 400;
  line-height: 24px;
  /* recorded states: hover */
}
.button { /* Primary */
  background: var(--color-action);
  border-radius: var(--radius-xl);
  padding: 8px 12px 8px 12px;
  min-height: 40px;
  box-shadow: var(--elevation-2);
  color: var(--color-on-action);
  font-family: var(--font-body);
  font-size: var(--type-body-large);
  font-weight: 600;
  line-height: 22px;
  /* recorded states: active, hover */
}
.button-2 { /* Secondary */
  background: var(--color-action);
  border-radius: var(--radius-3xl);
  padding: 16px 28px 16px 28px;
  min-height: 62px;
  box-shadow: var(--elevation-2);
  color: var(--color-on-action);
  font-family: var(--font-body);
  font-size: var(--type-title-small);
  font-weight: 600;
  line-height: 30px;
  /* recorded states: active, hover */
}
.button-3 { /* Secondary 2 */
  background: var(--color-background);
  border-radius: var(--radius-xl);
  padding: 12px 32px 12px 32px;
  color: var(--color-text);
  font-family: var(--font-interface);
  font-size: var(--type-body-small);
  font-weight: 400;
  line-height: 20px;
  /* recorded states: hover */
}
```
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 #FFFFFF. Keep that ground; do not add a dark mode or alternate section backgrounds the system does not have.
- 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.
- #141413 is the action colour. Fill the primary action with it and little else — at most one #141413-filled element per screen; other accents keep to the uses listed above.
- Type: Inter for body; Archivo (standing in for Calibre-R) for display; Figtree (standing in for Super Sans VF) for interface. Hierarchy comes from size and weight, not colour or decoration.
- Everything sits on a 4px grid.
- Corner radii are 1px, 2px, 3px, 4px, 8px, 9.6px, 12px — nothing else.
- Body text uses Inter at around 16px, weights 400, 600, 700.
- Headings use Calibre-R; the largest heading is 72px.
- Primary buttons are #141413, 8px radius, weight 600.
- Corner radii in use: 8px, 9.6px, 2px, 12px, 1px.

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 — 328px tall, left-aligned 38px heading (weight 700), image behind the content, on an image background.
2. Hero — 1280px tall, left-aligned 72px heading (weight 700), image behind the content, on an image background.
3. Statement — 234px tall, centred 20px heading (weight 400).
4. Text — about 900px tall (the original scroll-animates this band over 7200px; build it as one screen), full-width image.
5. Full-bleed image — 346px tall, left-aligned 38px heading (weight 700), image behind the content, on an image background.
6. Text — 694px tall, image centred.
7. Text — 114px tall, left-aligned 52px heading (weight 700).
8. Text (×4) — 4 bands of 437px, left-aligned 38px heading (weight 700), image on the right.
9. Split — 404px tall, split 3 / 9, 48px gap, left-aligned 38px heading (weight 700), image on the left.
10. Cards — 657px tall, 3 equal columns, 24px gap, left-aligned 52px heading (weight 700).
11. Split — 644px tall, 2 equal columns, 96px gap, left-aligned 52px heading (weight 700), image on the left.
12. Cards — 369px tall, 6 equal columns, 12px gap, left-aligned 52px heading (weight 700), on #FFF6EC.
13. Split — 1002px tall, split 4 / 8, 60px gap, left-aligned 38px heading (weight 700), image behind the content.
14. Text — 702px tall, left-aligned 38px heading (weight 300) set mid-band, image centred.
15. Split — 444px tall, 2 equal columns, 96px gap, left-aligned 52px heading (weight 700), image on the right.
16. Footer — 520px tall, 6 equal columns, 24px gap, left-aligned 16px heading (weight 400), image on the left, on #FFF6EC.
- Content sits in a 1200px container, 152px from the edge at 1440px wide.
- A 132px header stays fixed at the top.
- The hero is 328px (0.4 screens): left-aligned 38px heading (weight 700), image behind the content, on an image background.
- Column splits on a 12-column grid: halves (2×), sixths (2×), 3/9, thirds; gaps of 48px.
- Headings align left (13 of 14 sections); centre only the occasional statement.
- Sections share one background; they are separated by space and lines, not colour bands.
- A typical section is about 444px tall.

COPY SHAPE (MATCH THE LENGTH AND CASE; WRITE YOUR OWN WORDS)
- The main heading is 4 words long.
- Section headings are medium length: typically 5 words.
- Headings are in sentence case (only the first word capitalised).
- The page describes itself in about 21 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) ease-out, background-color var(--duration-1) ease-out, border-color var(--duration-1) ease-out, opacity var(--duration-1) ease-out; }
@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 1200px wide, centred, with var(--space-4) (16px) side padding on small screens.
- The largest heading scales fluidly: font-size: clamp(38px, 5vw, 72px). 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 (18.4:1), Text muted on Background (4.9:1), Action on Background (18.4:1), Positive on Background (6:1), Text on Surface (17.2:1), Text muted on Surface (4.6:1), Action on Surface (17.2:1), Positive on Surface (5.7:1) and On action on Action (18.4:1).
- Only for text 24px and up, or 18.66px bold: Negative on Background (3.4:1) and Negative on Surface (3.2:1).
- 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)
- No gradients: not in backgrounds, text, buttons or borders. (No gradient was measured.)
- Only these colours: #FFFFFF, #FFF6EC, #292827, #73716D, #141413, #FCFAF7, #EE5A29, #FDC298, #DEDBD5, #346E4A. 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.)
- #EE5A29 only as small fills (buttons, badges) — never a section background or a large panel. (It covers 0.2% of the page.)
- #FDC298 only for text — never as a section background or a large panel. (It covers 0.1% of the page.)
- Only the fonts in the tokens: Inter for body; Archivo for display; Figtree for interface. No other typeface, and no Inter, Roboto or system UI font unless it is one of these. (The page is set in Calibre-R and Inter and Tiempos-Headline; the tokens carry what stands in for them.)
- Headings and large text never heavier than weight 700. Do not make headlines bold to add emphasis. (Every size from 24px up is set at weight 700 or lighter.)
- Large headlines tracked tight (letter-spacing -0.045em), not at the browser default. (The 72px headline is set at -0.045em.)
- No all-caps eyebrow labels above headings. (No uppercase text was measured.)
- No stock photography or AI-generated photos. (Photographs cover almost none of the page.)
- 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.)
- The hero is left-aligned. Do not centre it. (The captured hero sets its heading on the left.)
- Build the sections your product needs, not the original's list. Give each one this system's look: its kinds of section (hero, statement, text, image, split, cards, 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.
- No shadows other than the levels listed.
- Do not use coda.io'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.
- #EE5A29 covers about 0.2% of the page or less, as on the original.
- #FDC298 covers about 0.1% of the page or less, as on the original.
- No text 24px or larger has a font-weight above 700.
- The largest headline uses letter-spacing -0.045em.
- Every section, including ones the original does not have, uses only this system's colours, type, shapes and spacing.
- Content sits in a 1200px container with 152px side margins at 1440px.
- 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.