# DESIGN.md: Descript-style design system

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

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 descript.com, measured from the live site: it should feel designed by the same team as descript.com — the same temperament, colour, type and density — for a different product. Never use descript.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.descript.com/ — "www.descript.com" (home page).
- Page frame: a top navigation bar and a footer.
- Content is grouped in cards (34 on the page, up to 3 side by side). Keep cards for grouped content only, not for every section.
- It uses 201 images including 31 videos, 66 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 11 screens long at 1440px wide.
- Density is moderate.

HOW IT LOOKS (WHAT MAKES IT LOOK LIKE ITSELF, BEYOND THE VALUES)
- Almost entirely neutral: 99% of the page is painted in #FFF7FA and #390A1A.
- #F73B3B is an accent: 0.2% of the page, as small fills such as buttons and badges. Keep it to small areas.
- #772A4D is an accent: under 0.1% of the page, as small fills such as buttons and badges. Keep it to small areas.
- The largest type (88px gamuthDisplay) is regular weight, not bold (400).
- Balanced: text covers 12% of the page. Sections sit about 190px apart.
- Share of the painted page: #FFF7FA 49.2% (dominant, backgrounds); #390A1A 24.1% (dominant, backgrounds); #190308 9.9% (supporting, backgrounds); #110A0D 5.1% (supporting, backgrounds); #180101 3.5% (detail, backgrounds); #F1EAED 1.8% (detail, backgrounds); #FFFFFF 1.5% (detail, backgrounds); #EBEBFF 1.3% (detail, backgrounds). Keep accents at these proportions; do not promote them to fills.
- Hairline dividers: 1px lines in #E4DDE0 separate sections and rows (14 of them).
- Large images: Photographs, video or raster artwork cover about 19% of the page.
- Type as set (size, weight and tracking measured together; use these pairs): 88px weight 400; 72px weight 700; 56px weight 700; 40px weight 700; 28px weight 700; 24px weight 600.

1. DESIGN TOKENS — PASTE INTO YOUR GLOBAL CSS
Allowed colours, with how the original uses each. Use no other colour, including in hover states:
- #FFF7FA — 49.2% · backgrounds (var(--color-text))
- #390A1A — 24.1% · backgrounds (var(--color-background))
- #190308 — 9.9% · backgrounds (var(--color-190308))
- #110A0D — 5.1% · backgrounds (var(--color-surface))
- #180101 — 3.5% · backgrounds (var(--color-180101))
- #F1EAED — 1.8% · backgrounds (var(--color-f1eaed))
- #FFFFFF — 1.5% · backgrounds (var(--color-ffffff))
- #EBEBFF — 1.3% · backgrounds (var(--color-ebebff))
- #FFF8F4 — 1.3% · text
- #26171D — 0.9% · backgrounds (var(--color-26171d))
- #E4DDE0 — hairlines and grid lines
- #A28993 — hairlines and grid lines
- #D1C7CB — Text muted (var(--color-text-muted))
- #B8A5AD — Border (var(--color-border))
- #F73B3B — Action (var(--color-action))
- #000000 — On action (var(--color-on-action))
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=Figtree:wght@400;600&display=swap");
@import url("https://fonts.googleapis.com/css2?family=Archivo:wght@400;600;700&display=swap");
```
Font: descript.com uses booton (body) and gamuthDisplay (display) — its own licensed faces, not available to download. This kit uses Figtree for body and Archivo for display, 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.
Keep every size, weight, line height and tracking exactly as listed whichever font renders.
```css
:root {
  --color-background: #390A1A; /* Background */
  --color-surface: #110A0D; /* Surface */
  --color-text: #FFF7FA; /* Text */
  --color-text-muted: #D1C7CB; /* Text muted */
  --color-border: #B8A5AD; /* Border */
  --color-action: #F73B3B; /* Action */
  --color-on-action: #000000; /* On action */
  --color-190308: #190308; /* 9.9% of the page, as fills */
  --color-180101: #180101; /* 3.5% of the page, as fills */
  --color-f1eaed: #F1EAED; /* 1.8% of the page, as fills */
  --color-ffffff: #FFFFFF; /* 1.5% of the page, as fills */
  --color-ebebff: #EBEBFF; /* 1.3% of the page, as fills */
  --color-26171d: #26171D; /* 0.9% of the page, as fills */
  --color-4c343e: #4C343E; /* 0.3% of the page, as fills */
  --font-body: booton, "Figtree", sans-serif; /* booton on the site; Figtree renders */
  --font-interface: "Arial", sans-serif; /* Arial */
  --font-display: "gamuthDisplay", "Archivo", sans-serif; /* gamuthDisplay on the site; Archivo renders */
  --type-display-1: 88px; /* Display 1, weight 400 */
  --type-display-1-leading: normal;
  --type-display-2: 72px; /* Display 2, weight 700 */
  --type-display-2-leading: 79.2px;
  --type-display-3: 56px; /* Display 3, weight 700 */
  --type-display-3-leading: 61.6px;
  --type-display-4: 40px; /* Display 4, weight 700 */
  --type-display-4-leading: 44px;
  --type-headline-large: 28px; /* Headline Large, weight 700 */
  --type-headline-large-leading: 33.6px;
  --type-headline-small: 24px; /* Headline Small, weight 600 */
  --type-headline-small-leading: 31.2px;
  --type-title: 18px; /* Title, weight 400 */
  --type-title-leading: 25.2px;
  --type-body-large: 16px; /* Body Large, weight 400 */
  --type-body-large-leading: 22.4px;
  --type-body-small: 14px; /* Body Small, weight 400 */
  --type-body-small-leading: normal;
  --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-10: 40px;
  --space-12: 48px;
  --space-14: 56px;
  --space-15: 60px;
  --space-16: 64px;
  --space-18: 72px;
  --space-20: 80px;
  --space-24: 96px;
  --space-25: 100px;
  --space-26: 104px;
  --space-29: 116px;
  --space-30: 120px;
  --space-36: 144px;
  --space-40: 160px;
  --space-43: 172px;
  --radius-sm: 3.5625px;
  --radius-md: 4px;
  --radius-lg: 4.75px;
  --radius-xl: 5px;
  --radius-2xl: 8px;
  --radius-3xl: 12px;
  --radius-full: 9999px;
  --elevation-1: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0) 0px 0px 0px 0px, rgba(0, 0, 0, 0) 0px 0px 0px 0px, rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.16) 0px 3px 3px 0px;
  --elevation-2: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.16) 0px 2px 4px 0px;
  --elevation-3: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0) 0px 0px 0px 0px, rgba(0, 0, 0, 0) 0px 0px 0px 0px, rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.16) 0px 2px 4px 0px;
  --elevation-4: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0) 0px 0px 0px 0px, rgba(0, 0, 0, 0) 0px 0px 0px 0px, rgba(88, 63, 74, 0.14) 0px 16px 38px 0px, rgba(88, 63, 74, 0.12) 0px 120px 136px 0px;
  --duration-1: 0.15s;
  --duration-2: 0.2s;
  --duration-3: 0.5s;
  --ease-1: cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1);
}
```
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: #390A1A;
  --color-surface: #110A0D;
  --color-text: #FFF7FA;
  --color-text-muted: #D1C7CB;
  --color-border: #B8A5AD;
  --color-action: #F73B3B;
  --color-on-action: #000000;
  --color-190308: #190308;
  --color-180101: #180101;
  --color-f1eaed: #F1EAED;
  --color-ffffff: #FFFFFF;
  --color-ebebff: #EBEBFF;
  --color-26171d: #26171D;
  --color-4c343e: #4C343E;
  --font-body: booton, "Figtree", sans-serif;
  --font-interface: "Arial", sans-serif;
  --font-display: "gamuthDisplay", "Archivo", sans-serif;
  --text-display-1: 88px;
  --text-display-2: 72px;
  --text-display-2--line-height: 79.2px;
  --text-display-3: 56px;
  --text-display-3--line-height: 61.6px;
  --text-display-4: 40px;
  --text-display-4--line-height: 44px;
  --text-headline-large: 28px;
  --text-headline-large--line-height: 33.6px;
  --text-headline-small: 24px;
  --text-headline-small--line-height: 31.2px;
  --text-title: 18px;
  --text-title--line-height: 25.2px;
  --text-body-large: 16px;
  --text-body-large--line-height: 22.4px;
  --text-body-small: 14px;
  --radius-sm: 3.5625px;
  --radius-md: 4px;
  --radius-lg: 4.75px;
  --radius-xl: 5px;
  --radius-2xl: 8px;
  --radius-3xl: 12px;
  --radius-full: 9999px;
  --shadow-e1: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0) 0px 0px 0px 0px, rgba(0, 0, 0, 0) 0px 0px 0px 0px, rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.16) 0px 3px 3px 0px;
  --shadow-e2: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.16) 0px 2px 4px 0px;
  --shadow-e3: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0) 0px 0px 0px 0px, rgba(0, 0, 0, 0) 0px 0px 0px 0px, rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.16) 0px 2px 4px 0px;
  --shadow-e4: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0) 0px 0px 0px 0px, rgba(0, 0, 0, 0) 0px 0px 0px 0px, rgba(88, 63, 74, 0.14) 0px 16px 38px 0px, rgba(88, 63, 74, 0.12) 0px 120px 136px 0px;
  --ease-1: cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1);
}
```
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)" },
  fontFamily: { "body": ["var(--font-body)"], "interface": ["var(--font-interface)"], "display": ["var(--font-display)"] },
  borderRadius: { "sm": "var(--radius-sm)", "md": "var(--radius-md)", "lg": "var(--radius-lg)", "xl": "var(--radius-xl)", "2xl": "var(--radius-2xl)", "3xl": "var(--radius-3xl)", "full": "var(--radius-full)" },
  boxShadow: { "e1": "var(--elevation-1)", "e2": "var(--elevation-2)", "e3": "var(--elevation-3)", "e4": "var(--elevation-4)" },
}
```

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
.card { /* Default */
  background: var(--color-ebebff);
  border-radius: var(--radius-md);
  padding: 30px 30px 30px 30px;
  min-height: 372px;
  color: var(--color-26171d);
  font-family: var(--font-body);
  font-size: var(--type-body-large);
  font-weight: 400;
  line-height: 24px;
}
.card-2 { /* Alternative 1 */
  background: var(--color-f1eaed);
  border-radius: var(--radius-md);
  padding: var(--space-6);
  min-height: 264px;
  color: var(--color-26171d);
  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-3xl);
  padding: 16px 32px 16px 32px;
  min-height: 56px;
  color: var(--color-on-action);
  font-family: var(--font-body);
  font-size: var(--type-body-large);
  font-weight: 400;
  line-height: 24px;
  /* recorded states: hover, active, disabled */
}
.button-2 { /* Secondary */
  border-radius: var(--radius-full);
  padding: var(--space-3);
  min-height: 48px;
  color: var(--color-26171d);
  font-family: var(--font-body);
  font-size: var(--type-body-large);
  font-weight: 400;
  line-height: 24px;
  /* recorded states: hover */
}
.button-3 { /* Secondary 2 */
  border-radius: var(--radius-3xl);
  padding: 16px 24px 16px 24px;
  min-height: 54px;
  box-shadow: var(--elevation-2);
  color: var(--color-ffffff);
  font-family: var(--font-body);
  font-size: var(--type-body-large);
  font-weight: 600;
  line-height: 22.08px;
  /* recorded states: hover */
}
.link { /* Inline */
  background: transparent;
  color: var(--color-text-muted);
  font-family: var(--font-body);
  font-size: var(--type-title);
  font-weight: 400;
  line-height: 25.2px;
  /* recorded states: hover */
}
.link-2 { /* Inline 2 */
  background: transparent;
  color: var(--color-text);
  font-family: var(--font-body);
  font-size: var(--type-body-large);
  font-weight: 400;
  line-height: 22.4px;
  /* recorded states: hover */
}
.nav { /* Default */
  background: #FFF7FA;
  border-radius: var(--radius-3xl);
  padding: var(--space-6);
  color: var(--color-26171d);
  font-family: var(--font-body);
  font-size: var(--type-body-large);
  font-weight: 600;
  line-height: 24px;
}
```
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
- Dark interface on #390A1A. Keep that ground; do not add a light mode.
- Sections change ground between Background (#390A1A), #190308, #180101 and Text (#FFF7FA); use only those.
- #F73B3B is the action colour. Fill the primary action with it and little else — at most one #F73B3B-filled element per screen; other accents keep to the uses listed above.
- Type: Figtree (standing in for booton) for body; Arial for interface; Archivo (standing in for gamuthDisplay) for display. Hierarchy comes from size and weight, not colour or decoration.
- Everything sits on a 4px grid.
- Corner radii are 3.5625px, 4px, 4.75px, 5px, 8px, 12px, fully round (pill) — nothing else.
- Body text uses booton at around 16px, weights 400, 600.
- Headings use brett; the largest heading is 88px.
- Primary buttons are #F73B3B, 12px radius, weight 400.
- Cards use 8px corners.
- Corner radii in use: 3.5625px, 8px, 4px, 4.75px, 60px.

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. Grid — 225px tall, 7 items in 6 columns with 96px gaps, centred 18px heading (weight 600), image on the right, on #390A1A.
2. Cards — 384px tall, 3 equal columns, 24px gap, left-aligned 16px heading (weight 400), on #390A1A.
3. Cards — 942px tall, split 3 / 3 / 2 / 2 / 2, 144px gap, centred 56px heading (weight 700), image on the right, on #190308.
4. Cards — 777px tall, split 3 / 3 / 2 / 2 / 2, centred 56px heading (weight 600), image on the right, on #180101.
5. Split — 1008px tall, split 5 / 7, centred 56px heading (weight 700), image on the right, on #190308.
6. Cards — 1109px tall, 3 equal columns, 10px gap, left-aligned 72px heading (weight 400) set low in the band, on #FFF7FA.
7. Cards — 919px tall, 3 equal columns, 16px gap, left-aligned 56px heading (weight 400), image centred.
8. Split — 866px tall, 2 equal columns, 48px gap, left-aligned 56px heading (weight 400).
9. Split — 1009px tall, 2 equal columns, 32px gap, centred 72px heading (weight 700), image on the left, on #390A1A.
10. Footer — 1146px tall, split 3 / 9, 24px gap, left-aligned 18px heading (weight 400), on #110A0D.
- Content sits in a 1200px container, 120px from the edge at 1440px wide.
- A 102px header stays fixed at the top.
- Column splits on a 12-column grid: thirds (3×), 3/3/2/2/2 (2×), halves (2×), 1/2/1/3/2/3; gaps of 24px.
- Headings mix left (5) and centred (5) alignment.
- Sections change background 7 times, between #390A1A, #190308, #180101: colour comes in full-width bands; #390A1A is large rounded panels inside a section instead.
- A typical section is about 919px tall.

COPY SHAPE (MATCH THE LENGTH AND CASE; WRITE YOUR OWN WORDS)
- The main heading is 3 words long.
- Section headings are medium length: typically 6 words.
- Headings are in sentence case (only the first word capitalised).
- The page describes itself in about 27 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 1208px wide, centred, with var(--space-4) (16px) side padding on small screens.
- The largest heading scales fluidly: font-size: clamp(40px, 6.1vw, 88px). 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 (16.2:1), Text muted on Background (10.3:1), Action on Background (4.6:1), Text on Surface (18.6:1), Text muted on Surface (11.9:1), Action on Surface (5.3:1) and On action on Action (5.6:1).
- 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: #FFF7FA, #390A1A, #190308, #110A0D, #180101, #F1EAED, #FFFFFF, #EBEBFF, #FFF8F4, #26171D, #E4DDE0, #A28993, #D1C7CB, #B8A5AD, #F73B3B, #000000. 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.)
- #F73B3B only as small fills (buttons, badges) — never a section background or a large panel. (It covers 0.2% of the page.)
- #772A4D only as small fills (buttons, badges) — never a section background or a large panel. (It covers under 0.1% of the page.)
- Only the fonts in the tokens: Figtree for body; Arial for interface; Archivo for display. No other typeface, and no Inter, Roboto or system UI font unless it is one of these. (The page is set in booton and gamuthDisplay and brett; 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.)
- 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 (grid, cards, split, 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 descript.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.
- #F73B3B covers about 0.2% of the page or less, as on the original.
- #772A4D covers about 0.1% of the page or less, as on the original.
- No text 24px or larger has a font-weight above 700.
- 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 120px 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.