# DESIGN.md: Discord-style design system

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

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 discord.com, measured from the live site: it should feel designed by the same team as discord.com — the same temperament, colour, type and density — for a different product. Never use discord.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://discord.com/ — "discord.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 120 images including 16 videos, 40 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: 11 buttons on one page.
- The page runs about 9 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)
- Colourful: only 8% of the page is neutral; #1A2081 (91.8%) fills whole sections.
- #5865F2 is an accent: 0.1% of the page, as small fills such as buttons and badges. Keep it to small areas.
- The largest type (61px Abcgintodiscordnord) is bold (700), tracked to -0.01em, in capitals.
- Very airy: text covers 6% of the page. Sections sit about 409px apart.
- Share of the painted page: #1A2081 91.8% (dominant, backgrounds); #000000 5.2% (supporting, backgrounds); #FFFFFF 2.9% (supporting, text); #5865F2 0.1% (accent, backgrounds). Keep accents at these proportions; do not promote them to fills.
- Illustrations: One large illustration in filled shapes, in #000000.
- Large images: Photographs, video or raster artwork cover about 274% of the page.
- Type as set (size, weight and tracking measured together; use these pairs): 61px weight 700 tracking -0.01em uppercase; 56px weight 700 tracking -0.01em uppercase; 48px weight 700 tracking -0.01em uppercase; 36px weight 800 tracking -0.01em uppercase; 20px weight 400; 16px weight 400.

1. DESIGN TOKENS — PASTE INTO YOUR GLOBAL CSS
Allowed colours, with how the original uses each. Use no other colour, including in hover states:
- #1A2081 — 91.8% · backgrounds (var(--color-background))
- #000000 — 5.2% · backgrounds (var(--color-on-action))
- #FFFFFF — 2.9% · text (var(--color-text))
- #5865F2 — 0.1% · backgrounds
- #35ED7E — 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=Figtree:wght@400;500&display=swap");
@import url("https://fonts.googleapis.com/css2?family=Archivo:wght@700;800&display=swap");
```
Font: discord.com uses Abcgintodiscord (body) and Abcgintodiscordnord (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: #1A2081; /* Background */
  --color-text: #FFFFFF; /* Text */
  --color-action: #FFFFFF; /* Action */
  --color-on-action: #000000; /* On action */
  --color-positive: #35ED7E; /* Positive */
  --font-body: "Abcgintodiscord", "Figtree", sans-serif; /* Abcgintodiscord on the site; Figtree renders */
  --font-display: "Abcgintodiscordnord", "Archivo", sans-serif; /* Abcgintodiscordnord on the site; Archivo renders */
  --type-display-1: 61px; /* Display 1, weight 700 */
  --type-display-1-leading: 25px;
  --type-display-1-tracking: -0.01em;
  --type-display-2: 56px; /* Display 2, weight 700 */
  --type-display-2-leading: 48px;
  --type-display-2-tracking: -0.01em;
  --type-display-3: 48px; /* Display 3, weight 700 */
  --type-display-3-leading: 57.6px;
  --type-display-3-tracking: -0.01em;
  --type-display-4: 36px; /* Display 4, weight 800 */
  --type-display-4-leading: 33.48px;
  --type-display-4-tracking: -0.01em;
  --type-title: 20px; /* Title, weight 400 */
  --type-title-leading: 26px;
  --type-body: 16px; /* Body, weight 400 */
  --type-body-leading: 24px;
  --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-13: 52px;
  --space-14: 56px;
  --space-15: 60px;
  --space-20: 80px;
  --space-28: 112px;
  --space-32: 128px;
  --space-34: 136px;
  --space-37: 148px;
  --space-44: 176px;
  --radius-lg: 12px;
  --radius-xl: 14px;
  --radius-2xl: 16px;
  --radius-3xl: 40px;
  --radius-full: 9999px;
  --duration-1: 0.2s;
  --duration-2: 0.25s;
  --duration-3: 0.3s;
  --duration-4: 0.4s;
  --ease-1: 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: #1A2081;
  --color-text: #FFFFFF;
  --color-action: #FFFFFF;
  --color-on-action: #000000;
  --color-positive: #35ED7E;
  --font-body: "Abcgintodiscord", "Figtree", sans-serif;
  --font-display: "Abcgintodiscordnord", "Archivo", sans-serif;
  --text-display-1: 61px;
  --text-display-1--line-height: 25px;
  --text-display-1--letter-spacing: -0.01em;
  --text-display-2: 56px;
  --text-display-2--line-height: 48px;
  --text-display-2--letter-spacing: -0.01em;
  --text-display-3: 48px;
  --text-display-3--line-height: 57.6px;
  --text-display-3--letter-spacing: -0.01em;
  --text-display-4: 36px;
  --text-display-4--line-height: 33.48px;
  --text-display-4--letter-spacing: -0.01em;
  --text-title: 20px;
  --text-title--line-height: 26px;
  --text-body: 16px;
  --text-body--line-height: 24px;
  --radius-lg: 12px;
  --radius-xl: 14px;
  --radius-2xl: 16px;
  --radius-3xl: 40px;
  --radius-full: 9999px;
  --ease-1: 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)", "text": "var(--color-text)", "action": "var(--color-action)", "on-action": "var(--color-on-action)", "positive": "var(--color-positive)" },
  fontFamily: { "body": ["var(--font-body)"], "display": ["var(--font-display)"] },
  borderRadius: { "lg": "var(--radius-lg)", "xl": "var(--radius-xl)", "2xl": "var(--radius-2xl)", "3xl": "var(--radius-3xl)", "full": "var(--radius-full)" },
}
```

2. BASE STYLES
```css
html { background: var(--color-background); }
body { margin: 0; font-family: var(--font-body); 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 { /* Inline */
  background: transparent;
  min-height: 24px;
  color: var(--color-text);
  font-family: var(--font-body);
  font-size: var(--type-body);
  font-weight: 400;
  line-height: 24px;
  /* recorded states: active, hover, focus-visible */
}
.link-2 { /* Inline 2 */
  background: transparent;
  border-radius: var(--radius-2xl);
  min-height: 39px;
  color: var(--color-text);
  font-family: var(--font-body);
  font-size: var(--type-body);
  font-weight: 500;
  line-height: 19.2px;
  /* recorded states: active, hover, focus-visible */
}
.link-3 { /* Inline 3 */
  background: transparent;
  border-radius: var(--radius-lg);
  padding: 10px 16px 10px 16px;
  min-height: 39px;
  color: var(--color-text);
  font-family: var(--font-body);
  font-size: var(--type-body);
  font-weight: 500;
  line-height: 19.2px;
  /* recorded states: active, hover, focus-visible */
}
.button { /* Primary */
  background: var(--color-action);
  border-radius: var(--radius-2xl);
  padding: 10px 16px 10px 16px;
  min-height: 39px;
  color: var(--color-on-action);
  font-family: var(--font-body);
  font-size: var(--type-body);
  font-weight: 500;
  line-height: 19.2px;
  /* recorded states: active, hover, focus-visible */
}
.button-2 { /* Secondary */
  background: var(--color-action);
  border-radius: var(--radius-lg);
  padding: 15px 24px 15px 24px;
  min-height: 65px;
  font-family: var(--font-body);
  font-size: var(--type-title);
  font-weight: 400;
  line-height: 26px;
  /* recorded states: active, hover, focus-visible */
}
.button-3 { /* Secondary 2 */
  background: #5865F2;
  border-radius: var(--radius-lg);
  padding: 20px 24px 20px 24px;
  min-height: 65px;
  color: var(--color-text);
  font-family: var(--font-body);
  font-size: var(--type-title);
  font-weight: 400;
  line-height: 26px;
  /* 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
- Dark interface on #1A2081. Keep that ground; do not add a light mode or alternate section backgrounds the system does not have.
- The opening screen carries a large image or video on the right. Leave a [content: hero image or video] slot there, at least half the screen wide; the opening is not text alone.
- #FFFFFF is the action colour. Fill the primary action with it and little else — at most one #FFFFFF-filled element per screen; other accents keep to the uses listed above.
- Type: Figtree (standing in for Abcgintodiscord) for body; Archivo (standing in for Abcgintodiscordnord) for display. Hierarchy comes from size and weight, not colour or decoration.
- Everything sits on a 4px grid.
- Corner radii are 12px, 14px, 16px, 40px, fully round (pill) — nothing else.
- The system is flat: no drop shadows.
- Body text uses Abcgintodiscord at around 16px, weights 400, 500.
- Headings use Abcgintodiscordnord; the largest heading is 61px.
- Primary buttons are #FFFFFF, 16px radius, weight 500.
- Corner radii in use: 16px, 12px, 40px, 120px, 104px.

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 — 896px tall, split 5 / 7, 109px gap, left-aligned 56px heading (weight 700), artwork on the right, on an image background.
2. Full-bleed image — 863px tall, left-aligned 36px heading (weight 800) set mid-band, artwork behind the content, on an image background.
3. Full-bleed image — 800px tall, left-aligned 36px heading (weight 800) set mid-band, artwork behind the content, on an image background.
4. Full-bleed image — 895px tall, left-aligned 36px heading (weight 800) set mid-band, artwork behind the content, on an image background.
5. Full-bleed image — 140px tall, left-aligned 61px heading (weight 700), artwork behind the content, on an image background.
6. Full-bleed image — 936px tall, left-aligned 36px heading (weight 800) set mid-band, artwork behind the content, on an image background.
7. Full-bleed image — 897px tall, left-aligned 36px heading (weight 800) set mid-band, artwork behind the content, on an image background.
8. Full-bleed image — 951px tall, left-aligned 36px heading (weight 800) set mid-band, artwork behind the content, on an image background.
9. Statement — 904px tall, centred 48px heading (weight 700), artwork centred, on an image background.
10. Footer — 823px tall, split 4 / 2 / 2 / 2 / 2, 20px gap, left-aligned 16px heading (weight 400), full-width artwork, on #000000.
- Content sits in a 1240px container, 100px from the edge at 1440px wide.
- A 80px header scrolls away, transparent over the first section.
- The hero is 896px (exactly one screen): split 5 / 7, 109px gap, left-aligned 56px heading (weight 700), artwork on the right, on an image background.
- Column splits on a 12-column grid: 5/7, 4/2/2/2/2; gaps of 109px.
- Headings align left (9 of 10 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 897px tall.

COPY SHAPE (MATCH THE LENGTH AND CASE; WRITE YOUR OWN WORDS)
- The main heading is 7 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 26 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 1240px wide, centred, with var(--space-4) (16px) side padding on small screens.
- The largest heading scales fluidly: font-size: clamp(36px, 4.2vw, 61px). 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 (13.4:1), Action on Background (13.4:1), Positive on Background (8.7:1) and On action on Action (21:1).
- 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 drop shadows anywhere, including cards, buttons and images. (No box-shadow was measured on the page.)
- No gradients: not in backgrounds, text, buttons or borders. (No gradient was measured.)
- Only these colours: #1A2081, #000000, #FFFFFF, #5865F2, #35ED7E. 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.)
- #5865F2 only as small fills (buttons, badges) — never a section background or a large panel. (It covers 0.1% of the page.)
- Only the fonts in the tokens: Figtree for body; 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 Abcgintodiscordnord and Abcgintodiscord; the tokens carry what stands in for them.)
- The largest headlines are heavy (weight 700). Keep them that heavy, and keep smaller text at the weights in the type scale. (The page sets its biggest type at 700.)
- Large headlines tracked tight (letter-spacing -0.01em), not at the browser default. (The 61px headline is set at -0.01em.)
- 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, 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 discord.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 box-shadow and filter: drop-shadow. There should be none.
- 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.
- #5865F2 covers about 0.1% of the page or less, as on the original.
- The largest headline is set at weight 700.
- The largest headline uses letter-spacing -0.01em.
- Every section, including ones the original does not have, uses only this system's colours, type, shapes and spacing.
- Content sits in a 1240px container with 100px 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.