# DESIGN.md: Dropbox-style design system

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

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 dropbox.com, measured from the live site: it should feel designed by the same team as dropbox.com — the same temperament, colour, type and density — for a different product. Never use dropbox.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.dropbox.com/ — "www.dropbox.com" (home page).
- Page frame: a top navigation bar and a footer.
- Content is grouped in cards (13 on the page, up to 2 side by side). Keep cards for grouped content only, not for every section.
- It uses 194 images including 6 videos, 44 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: 19 buttons on one page.
- The page runs about 11 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 #F7F5F2.
- #0061FE is an accent: 0.2% of the page, as small fills such as buttons and badges. Keep it to small areas.
- #CD2F7B is an accent: under 0.1% of the page, used for text only. Don't fill large areas with it.
- The largest type (40px Sharp Grotesk) is medium weight, not bold (500).
- Very airy: text covers 6% of the page. Sections sit about 96px apart.
- Share of the painted page: #FFFFFF 46.9% (dominant, backgrounds); #F7F5F2 27.2% (dominant, backgrounds); #1E1919 9.6% (supporting, backgrounds and text); #000000 8.6% (supporting, backgrounds); #EEE9E2 3.3% (detail, backgrounds); #1C1D21 2.9% (detail, backgrounds); #524A3E 1.3% (supporting, text); #0061FE 0.2% (accent, backgrounds and text). Keep accents at these proportions; do not promote them to fills.
- Large images: Photographs, video or raster artwork cover about 44% of the page.
- Type as set (size, weight and tracking measured together; use these pairs): 40px weight 500; 32px weight 400; 26px weight 500; 20px weight 500; 18px weight 500; 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:
- #FFFFFF — 46.9% · backgrounds (var(--color-surface))
- #F7F5F2 — 27.2% · backgrounds (var(--color-background))
- #1E1919 — 9.6% · backgrounds, text (var(--color-1e1919))
- #000000 — 8.6% · backgrounds (var(--color-text))
- #EEE9E2 — 3.3% · backgrounds (var(--color-eee9e2))
- #1C1D21 — 2.9% · backgrounds (var(--color-1c1d21))
- #524A3E — 1.3% · text
- #0061FE — 0.2% · backgrounds, text (var(--color-action))
- #BBB5AE — Border (var(--color-border))
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;700&display=swap");
```
Font: dropbox.com uses Atlas Grotesk Web (body), Sharp Grotesk (display) and Sharp Grotesk 23 (interface) — its own licensed faces, not available to download. This kit uses Figtree for body, display and interface, 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: #F7F5F2; /* Background */
  --color-surface: #FFFFFF; /* Surface */
  --color-text: #000000; /* Text */
  --color-border: #BBB5AE; /* Border */
  --color-action: #0061FE; /* Action */
  --color-on-action: #F7F5F2; /* On action */
  --color-link: #0061FE; /* Link */
  --color-1e1919: #1E1919; /* 9.6% of the page, as fills */
  --color-eee9e2: #EEE9E2; /* 3.3% of the page, as fills */
  --color-1c1d21: #1C1D21; /* 2.9% of the page, as fills */
  --font-body: "Atlas Grotesk Web", "Figtree", sans-serif; /* Atlas Grotesk Web on the site; Figtree renders */
  --font-display: "Sharp Grotesk", "Figtree", sans-serif; /* Sharp Grotesk on the site; Figtree renders */
  --font-interface: "Sharp Grotesk 23", "Figtree", sans-serif; /* Sharp Grotesk 23 on the site; Figtree renders */
  --type-display: 40px; /* Display, weight 500 */
  --type-display-leading: 48px;
  --type-headline-large: 32px; /* Headline Large, weight 400 */
  --type-headline-large-leading: 38.4px;
  --type-headline-small: 26px; /* Headline Small, weight 500 */
  --type-headline-small-leading: 33.8px;
  --type-title-large: 20px; /* Title Large, weight 500 */
  --type-title-large-leading: 24px;
  --type-title-small: 18px; /* Title Small, weight 500 */
  --type-title-small-leading: 21.6px;
  --type-body-large: 16px; /* Body Large, weight 400 */
  --type-body-large-leading: 24px;
  --type-body-small: 14px; /* Body Small, weight 400 */
  --type-body-small-leading: 22px;
  --type-label: 12px; /* Label, weight 700 */
  --type-label-leading: 14.4px;
  --space-1: 4px;
  --space-2: 8px;
  --space-3: 12px;
  --space-4: 16px;
  --space-6: 24px;
  --space-8: 32px;
  --space-12: 48px;
  --space-13: 52px;
  --space-18: 72px;
  --space-21: 84px;
  --space-24: 96px;
  --space-30: 120px;
  --radius-md: 8px;
  --radius-lg: 12px;
  --radius-xl: 16px;
  --radius-2xl: 20px;
  --radius-full: 9999px;
  --elevation-1: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1) 0px 16px 32px 0px;
  --duration-1: 0.1s;
  --duration-2: 0.125s;
  --duration-3: 0.15s;
  --duration-4: 0.5s;
  --duration-5: 0.75s;
  --ease-1: cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.6, 1);
  --ease-2: linear;
  --ease-3: cubic-bezier(0.4, -0.01, 0.4, 1.01);
  --ease-4: 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: #F7F5F2;
  --color-surface: #FFFFFF;
  --color-text: #000000;
  --color-border: #BBB5AE;
  --color-action: #0061FE;
  --color-on-action: #F7F5F2;
  --color-link: #0061FE;
  --color-1e1919: #1E1919;
  --color-eee9e2: #EEE9E2;
  --color-1c1d21: #1C1D21;
  --font-body: "Atlas Grotesk Web", "Figtree", sans-serif;
  --font-display: "Sharp Grotesk", "Figtree", sans-serif;
  --font-interface: "Sharp Grotesk 23", "Figtree", sans-serif;
  --text-display: 40px;
  --text-display--line-height: 48px;
  --text-headline-large: 32px;
  --text-headline-large--line-height: 38.4px;
  --text-headline-small: 26px;
  --text-headline-small--line-height: 33.8px;
  --text-title-large: 20px;
  --text-title-large--line-height: 24px;
  --text-title-small: 18px;
  --text-title-small--line-height: 21.6px;
  --text-body-large: 16px;
  --text-body-large--line-height: 24px;
  --text-body-small: 14px;
  --text-body-small--line-height: 22px;
  --text-label: 12px;
  --text-label--line-height: 14.4px;
  --radius-md: 8px;
  --radius-lg: 12px;
  --radius-xl: 16px;
  --radius-2xl: 20px;
  --radius-full: 9999px;
  --shadow-e1: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1) 0px 16px 32px 0px;
  --ease-1: cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.6, 1);
  --ease-2: linear;
  --ease-3: cubic-bezier(0.4, -0.01, 0.4, 1.01);
  --ease-4: 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)", "border": "var(--color-border)", "action": "var(--color-action)", "on-action": "var(--color-on-action)", "link": "var(--color-link)" },
  fontFamily: { "body": ["var(--font-body)"], "display": ["var(--font-display)"], "interface": ["var(--font-interface)"] },
  borderRadius: { "md": "var(--radius-md)", "lg": "var(--radius-lg)", "xl": "var(--radius-xl)", "2xl": "var(--radius-2xl)", "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
.card { /* Default */
  background: var(--color-surface);
  border-radius: var(--radius-lg);
  min-height: 526px;
  color: var(--color-text);
  font-family: "Times New Roman";
  font-size: var(--type-body-large);
  font-weight: 400;
}
.card-2 { /* Alternative 1 */
  background: var(--color-background);
  border-radius: var(--radius-lg);
  min-height: 198px;
  color: var(--color-text);
  font-family: "Times New Roman";
  font-size: var(--type-body-large);
  font-weight: 400;
}
.card-3 { /* Alternative 2 */
  background: var(--color-surface);
  border-radius: var(--radius-md);
  min-height: 216px;
  color: var(--color-1e1919);
  font-family: var(--font-body);
  font-size: var(--type-body-small);
  font-weight: 400;
}
.link { /* Inline */
  background: transparent;
  color: var(--color-link);
  font-family: var(--font-body);
  font-size: var(--type-body-small);
  font-weight: 400;
  line-height: 22px;
  /* recorded states: active, hover */
}
.link-2 { /* Inline 2 */
  background: transparent;
  padding: 16px 12px 16px 12px;
  min-height: 72px;
  color: var(--color-1e1919);
  font-family: "Times New Roman";
  font-size: var(--type-body-large);
  font-weight: 400;
  /* recorded states: active, hover, focus, focus-visible, disabled */
}
.nav { /* Default */
  background: var(--color-surface);
  padding: 16px 24px 16px 24px;
  min-height: 72px;
  color: var(--color-1e1919);
  font-family: "Times New Roman";
  font-size: var(--type-body-large);
  font-weight: 400;
}
.button { /* Primary */
  background: var(--color-action);
  border: 2px solid #0061FE;
  border-radius: var(--radius-xl);
  padding: var(--space-6);
  min-height: 72px;
  color: var(--color-on-action);
  font-family: "Times New Roman";
  font-size: var(--type-body-large);
  font-weight: 400;
  /* recorded states: hover, active, focus, focus-visible, disabled */
}
.button-2 { /* Secondary */
  background: var(--color-action);
  border: 2px solid #0061FE;
  border-radius: var(--radius-lg);
  padding: 0px 12px 0px 12px;
  min-height: 40px;
  color: var(--color-on-action);
  font-family: "Times New Roman";
  font-size: var(--type-body-large);
  font-weight: 400;
  /* recorded states: hover, active, focus, focus-visible, disabled */
}
.button-3 { /* Tertiary */
  background: transparent;
  padding: 16px 12px 16px 12px;
  min-height: 72px;
  color: var(--color-1e1919);
  font-family: "Arial";
  font-size: 13.3333px;
  font-weight: 400;
  /* recorded states: collapsed, active, hover, focus, focus-visible */
}
```
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 #F7F5F2. 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 on the right. Leave a [content: hero image or video] slot there, at least half the screen wide; the opening is not text alone.
- #0061FE is the action colour. Fill the primary action with it and little else — at most one #0061FE-filled element per screen; other accents keep to the uses listed above.
- Type: Figtree (standing in for Atlas Grotesk Web) for body; Figtree (standing in for Sharp Grotesk) for display; Figtree (standing in for Sharp Grotesk 23) for interface. Hierarchy comes from size and weight, not colour or decoration.
- Everything sits on a 4px grid.
- Corner radii are 8px, 12px, 16px, 20px, fully round (pill) — nothing else.
- Body text uses Atlas Grotesk Web at around 16px, weights 400, 500, 700.
- Headings use Sharp Grotesk; the largest heading is 40px.
- Primary buttons are #0061FE, square-cornered, weight 400.
- Cards use 8px corners.
- Corner radii in use: 12px, 16px, 8px, 100px, 20px.

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 — 735px tall, split 5 / 7, left-aligned 40px heading (weight 500) set mid-band, image on the right, on #F7F5F2.
2. Cards — 246px tall, split 3 / 3 / 2 / 2 / 2, centred 20px heading (weight 500), image on the left, on #F7F5F2.
3. Statement — 248px tall, centred 32px heading (weight 400), on #1E1919.
4. Cards — 236px tall, 3 equal columns, left-aligned 20px heading (weight 500), image on the right, on #1E1919.
5. Split — 236px tall, 2 equal columns, left-aligned 20px heading (weight 500), image on the left, on #1E1919.
6. Text — 1002px tall, image on the right, on #FFFFFF.
7. Text (×2) — 2 bands of 882px, image on the left, on #FFFFFF.
8. Statement — 868px tall, centred 26px heading (weight 500), image on the right.
9. Cards — 387px tall, 3 equal columns, 24px gap, left-aligned 18px heading (weight 500), image on the left.
10. Grid — 641px tall, 6 items in 2 columns with 0px gaps, left-aligned 18px heading (weight 500), image on the left, on #FFFFFF.
11. Statement — 110px tall, centred 32px heading (weight 400) set low in the band, on #F7F5F2.
12. Cards — 526px tall, 3 equal columns, left-aligned 18px heading (weight 500) set mid-band, image on the right, on #F7F5F2.
13. Statement — 96px tall, centred 16px heading (weight 400), on #F7F5F2.
14. Footer — 868px tall, 6 equal columns, left-aligned 20px heading (weight 500).
- Content sits in a 1344px container, 222px from the edge at 1440px wide.
- A 72px header stays fixed at the top.
- The hero is 735px (0.8 screens): split 5 / 7, left-aligned 40px heading (weight 500) set mid-band, image on the right, on #F7F5F2.
- Column splits on a 12-column grid: thirds (3×), halves (2×), 5/7, 3/3/2/2/2; gaps of 24px.
- Headings mix left (7) and centred (5) alignment.
- Sections change background 6 times, between #F7F5F2, #1E1919, #FFFFFF: colour comes in full-width bands, not in boxes.
- A typical section is about 387px tall.

COPY SHAPE (MATCH THE LENGTH AND CASE; WRITE YOUR OWN WORDS)
- The main heading is 8 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 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 886px wide, centred, with var(--space-4) (16px) side padding on small screens.
- The largest heading scales fluidly: font-size: clamp(20px, 2.8vw, 40px). 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 (19.3:1), Action on Background (4.7:1), Link on Background (4.7:1), Text on Surface (21:1), Action on Surface (5.1:1), Link on Surface (5.1:1) and On action on Action (4.7:1).
- 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, #F7F5F2, #1E1919, #000000, #EEE9E2, #1C1D21, #524A3E, #0061FE, #BBB5AE. 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.)
- #0061FE only as small fills (buttons, badges) — never a section background or a large panel. (It covers 0.2% of the page.)
- #CD2F7B only for text — never as a section background or a large panel. (It covers under 0.1% of the page.)
- Only the fonts in the tokens: Figtree for body; Figtree 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 Atlas Grotesk Web and Sharp Grotesk 23 and Sharp Grotesk; the tokens carry what stands in for them.)
- Headings and large text never heavier than weight 500. Do not make headlines bold to add emphasis. (Every size from 24px up is set at weight 500 or lighter.)
- 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.)
- 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, cards, statement, split, text, grid, 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 dropbox.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.
- #0061FE covers about 0.2% of the page or less, as on the original.
- #CD2F7B covers about 0.1% of the page or less, as on the original.
- No text 24px or larger has a font-weight above 500.
- Every section, including ones the original does not have, uses only this system's colours, type, shapes and spacing.
- Content sits in a 1344px container with 222px 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.