# DESIGN.md: Intercom-style design system

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

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 intercom.com, measured from the live site: it should feel designed by the same team as intercom.com — the same temperament, colour, type and density — for a different product. Never use intercom.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.intercom.com/ — "www.intercom.com" (home page).
- Page frame: a top navigation bar and a footer.
- Content is grouped in cards (1 on the page). Keep cards for grouped content only, not for every section.
- It uses 359 images, 67 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 and 2 form fields 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: 95% of the page is painted in #FFFFFF and #FAF9F6.
- #0007CB is an accent: 4.7% of the page, used for drawings and small fills such as buttons. Don't fill large areas with it.
- #FF5600 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 (80px Saans) is regular weight, not bold (400), tracked to -0.03em.
- Open: text covers 10% of the page.
- Structure comes from thin grid lines, not from shadows or filled cards.
- Share of the painted page: #FFFFFF 45.5% (dominant, backgrounds); #FAF9F6 36% (dominant, backgrounds); #111111 6.6% (supporting, text); #F1EEE9 6.5% (supporting, backgrounds); #0007CB 4.7% (accent, drawings); #000000 0.4% (detail, text); #E1E2E5 0.3% (detail, backgrounds). Keep accents at these proportions; do not promote them to fills.
- Hairline grid: 1px lines in #111111 run both across and down the page (15 across, 6 down), dividing it into cells instead of cards.
- Illustrations: One large illustration in filled shapes, in #0007CB.
- Small marks: 64 small decorative marks (dots, crosses or ticks under 16px) in #D3CEC6 and #0007CB, placed at corners and edges.
- Large images: Photographs, video or raster artwork cover about 53% of the page.
- Type as set (size, weight and tracking measured together; use these pairs): 80px weight 400 tracking -0.03em; 54px weight 400 tracking -0.03em; 40px weight 300 tracking -0.03em; 28px weight 400 tracking -0.034em; 24px weight 400 tracking -0.02em; 20px weight 400 tracking -0.01em.

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 — 45.5% · backgrounds (var(--color-background))
- #FAF9F6 — 36% · backgrounds (var(--color-faf9f6))
- #111111 — 6.6% · text (var(--color-text))
- #F1EEE9 — 6.5% · backgrounds (var(--color-surface))
- #0007CB — 4.7% · drawings (var(--color-0007cb))
- #000000 — 0.4% · text
- #E1E2E5 — 0.3% · backgrounds (var(--color-e1e2e5))
- #DEDBD6 — hairlines and grid lines
- #D3CEC6 — small marks (var(--color-border))
- #FF5600 — small marks (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=Figtree:wght@400;500&display=swap");
@import url("https://fonts.googleapis.com/css2?family=JetBrains+Mono:wght@400;500&display=swap");
@import url("https://fonts.googleapis.com/css2?family=Source+Serif+4:wght@300&display=swap");
```
Font: intercom.com uses Saans (body), SaansMono (code) and Serrif (interface) — its own licensed faces, not available to download. This kit uses Figtree for body, JetBrains Mono for code and Source Serif 4 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.
Keep every size, weight, line height and tracking exactly as listed whichever font renders.
```css
:root {
  --color-background: #FFFFFF; /* Background */
  --color-surface: #F1EEE9; /* Surface */
  --color-text: #111111; /* Text */
  --color-border: #D3CEC6; /* Border */
  --color-action: #111111; /* Action */
  --color-on-action: #FFFFFF; /* On action */
  --color-warning: #FF5600; /* Warning */
  --color-faf9f6: #FAF9F6; /* 36% of the page, as fills */
  --color-0007cb: #0007CB; /* 4.7% of the page, as drawings */
  --color-e1e2e5: #E1E2E5; /* 0.3% of the page, as fills */
  --font-body: "Saans", "Figtree", sans-serif; /* Saans on the site; Figtree renders */
  --font-code: "SaansMono", "JetBrains Mono", monospace; /* SaansMono on the site; JetBrains Mono renders */
  --font-interface: "Serrif", "Source Serif 4", serif; /* Serrif on the site; Source Serif 4 renders */
  --type-display-large: 80px; /* Display Large, weight 400 */
  --type-display-large-leading: 80px;
  --type-display-large-tracking: -0.03em;
  --type-display-medium: 54px; /* Display Medium, weight 400 */
  --type-display-medium-leading: 54px;
  --type-display-medium-tracking: -0.03em;
  --type-display-small: 40px; /* Display Small, weight 300 */
  --type-display-small-leading: 40px;
  --type-display-small-tracking: -0.03em;
  --type-headline-large: 28px; /* Headline Large, weight 400 */
  --type-headline-large-leading: 28px;
  --type-headline-large-tracking: -0.034em;
  --type-headline-small: 24px; /* Headline Small, weight 400 */
  --type-headline-small-leading: 24px;
  --type-headline-small-tracking: -0.02em;
  --type-title: 20px; /* Title, weight 400 */
  --type-title-leading: 24px;
  --type-title-tracking: -0.01em;
  --type-body-large: 16px; /* Body Large, weight 300 */
  --type-body-large-leading: 22.4px;
  --type-body-large-tracking: -0.01em;
  --type-body-small: 14px; /* Body Small, weight 400 */
  --type-body-small-leading: 17.5px;
  --space-1: 4px;
  --space-2: 8px;
  --space-3: 12px;
  --space-4: 16px;
  --space-5: 20px;
  --space-6: 24px;
  --space-8: 32px;
  --space-9: 36px;
  --space-10: 40px;
  --space-12: 48px;
  --space-14: 56px;
  --space-16: 64px;
  --space-20: 80px;
  --space-24: 96px;
  --space-25: 100px;
  --space-28: 112px;
  --radius-sm: 4px;
  --radius-md: 6px;
  --radius-lg: 8px;
  --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) 0px 0px 0px 0px, rgba(0, 0, 0, 0) 0px 0px 0px 0px, rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.75) 0px 9.841px 82.665px 0px;
  --duration-1: 0.1s;
  --duration-2: 0.15s;
  --duration-3: 0.2s;
  --duration-4: 0.4s;
  --ease-1: cubic-bezier(0.165, 0.84, 0.44, 1);
  --ease-2: ease-out;
  --ease-3: 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: #FFFFFF;
  --color-surface: #F1EEE9;
  --color-text: #111111;
  --color-border: #D3CEC6;
  --color-action: #111111;
  --color-on-action: #FFFFFF;
  --color-warning: #FF5600;
  --color-faf9f6: #FAF9F6;
  --color-0007cb: #0007CB;
  --color-e1e2e5: #E1E2E5;
  --font-body: "Saans", "Figtree", sans-serif;
  --font-code: "SaansMono", "JetBrains Mono", monospace;
  --font-interface: "Serrif", "Source Serif 4", serif;
  --text-display-large: 80px;
  --text-display-large--line-height: 80px;
  --text-display-large--letter-spacing: -0.03em;
  --text-display-medium: 54px;
  --text-display-medium--line-height: 54px;
  --text-display-medium--letter-spacing: -0.03em;
  --text-display-small: 40px;
  --text-display-small--line-height: 40px;
  --text-display-small--letter-spacing: -0.03em;
  --text-headline-large: 28px;
  --text-headline-large--line-height: 28px;
  --text-headline-large--letter-spacing: -0.034em;
  --text-headline-small: 24px;
  --text-headline-small--line-height: 24px;
  --text-headline-small--letter-spacing: -0.02em;
  --text-title: 20px;
  --text-title--line-height: 24px;
  --text-title--letter-spacing: -0.01em;
  --text-body-large: 16px;
  --text-body-large--line-height: 22.4px;
  --text-body-large--letter-spacing: -0.01em;
  --text-body-small: 14px;
  --text-body-small--line-height: 17.5px;
  --radius-sm: 4px;
  --radius-md: 6px;
  --radius-lg: 8px;
  --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) 0px 0px 0px 0px, rgba(0, 0, 0, 0) 0px 0px 0px 0px, rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.75) 0px 9.841px 82.665px 0px;
  --ease-1: cubic-bezier(0.165, 0.84, 0.44, 1);
  --ease-2: ease-out;
  --ease-3: 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)", "border": "var(--color-border)", "action": "var(--color-action)", "on-action": "var(--color-on-action)", "warning": "var(--color-warning)" },
  fontFamily: { "body": ["var(--font-body)"], "code": ["var(--font-code)"], "interface": ["var(--font-interface)"] },
  borderRadius: { "sm": "var(--radius-sm)", "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-body); margin: 0; }
a { color: inherit; }
:focus-visible { outline: 2px solid var(--color-action); outline-offset: 2px; }
```

3. COMPONENTS — MATCH THESE EXACTLY
```css
.button { /* Primary */
  background: var(--color-action);
  border-radius: var(--radius-sm);
  padding: 0px 14px 0px 14px;
  min-height: 40px;
  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, focus-visible, active, disabled */
}
.button-2 { /* Secondary */
  background: var(--color-action);
  border-radius: var(--radius-sm);
  padding: 0px 12px 0px 12px;
  min-height: 40px;
  color: var(--color-on-action);
  font-family: var(--font-body);
  font-size: var(--type-body-small);
  font-weight: 400;
  line-height: 15.4px;
  /* recorded states: hover, focus-visible, active, disabled */
}
.button-3 { /* Secondary 2 */
  background: var(--color-background);
  padding: var(--space-4);
  min-height: 45px;
  color: var(--color-text);
  font-family: var(--font-code);
  font-size: 12px;
  font-weight: 400;
  line-height: 12px;
  /* recorded states: hover, focus-visible */
}
.link { /* Inline */
  background: transparent;
  padding: 8px 0px 8px 0px;
  min-height: 34px;
  color: var(--color-text);
  font-family: var(--font-body);
  font-size: var(--type-body-small);
  font-weight: 400;
  line-height: 20px;
}
.link-2 { /* Inline 2 */
  background: transparent;
  color: var(--color-text);
  font-family: var(--font-interface);
  font-size: var(--type-body-large);
  font-weight: 300;
  line-height: 22.4px;
  /* recorded states: hover, focus-visible, focus */
}
.link-3 { /* Inline 3 */
  background: transparent;
  border-radius: var(--radius-md);
  padding: 0px 12px 0px 12px;
  min-height: 40px;
  color: var(--color-text);
  font-family: var(--font-body);
  font-size: var(--type-body-large);
  font-weight: 400;
  line-height: 24px;
  /* recorded states: focus-visible */
}
.nav { /* Default */
  background: transparent;
  min-height: 40px;
  color: var(--color-text);
  font-family: var(--font-body);
  font-size: var(--type-body-large);
  font-weight: 400;
  line-height: 24px;
}
.card { /* Default */
  background: var(--color-background);
  border-radius: var(--radius-sm);
  padding: var(--space-2);
  min-height: 58px;
  color: var(--color-text);
  font-family: var(--font-body);
  font-size: var(--type-body-large);
  font-weight: 400;
  line-height: 24px;
}
.input { /* Default */
  background: transparent;
  padding: 8px 12px 8px 12px;
  min-height: 36px;
  color: var(--color-text);
  font-family: var(--font-body);
  font-size: var(--type-body-small);
  font-weight: 400;
  line-height: 19.6px;
}
```
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.
- 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.
- Sections change ground between Background (#FFFFFF) and #FAF9F6; use only those.
- #111111 is the action colour. Fill the primary action with it and little else — at most one #111111-filled element per screen; other accents keep to the uses listed above.
- Type: Figtree (standing in for Saans) for body; JetBrains Mono (standing in for SaansMono) for code; Source Serif 4 (standing in for Serrif) for interface. Hierarchy comes from size and weight, not colour or decoration.
- Everything sits on a 4px grid.
- Corner radii are 4px, 6px, 8px, fully round (pill) — nothing else.
- Body text uses Saans at around 16px, weights 400, 500.
- Headings use Serrif; the largest heading is 80px.
- Primary buttons are #111111, 4px radius, weight 400.
- Cards use 4px corners.
- Corner radii in use: 4px, 6px, 8px, 9999px (pill).

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 — 672px tall, split 5 / 7, 1025px gap, centred 80px heading (weight 400), artwork on the right.
2. Split — 795px tall, 2 equal columns, 1175px gap, left-aligned 24px heading (weight 400), artwork centred, on #FAF9F6.
3. Statement — 516px tall, centred 12px heading (weight 400).
4. Cards — 1140px tall, 3 equal columns, 1173px gap, left-aligned 54px heading (weight 400), artwork centred.
5. Cards — 1313px tall, 3 equal columns, 704px gap, left-aligned 54px heading (weight 400), artwork behind the content.
6. Cards — 1219px tall, 3 equal columns, 16px gap, left-aligned 54px heading (weight 400), artwork centred, on #FAF9F6.
7. Cards — 640px tall, 3 equal columns, 1173px gap, left-aligned 28px heading (weight 400) set mid-band, artwork on the right, on #FAF9F6.
8. Split — 646px tall, split 7 / 5, 16px gap, left-aligned 54px heading (weight 400), artwork on the right.
9. Statement — 798px tall, centred 54px heading (weight 400), artwork behind the content, on #FAF9F6.
10. Full-bleed image — 592px tall, centred 80px heading (weight 400) set mid-band, artwork behind the content, on #FFFFFF.
11. Footer — 534px tall, split 3 / 3 / 2 / 2 / 2, 24px gap, left-aligned 14px heading (weight 400), on #FFFFFF.
- Content runs 1171px wide with 135px side margins at 1440px; there is no narrower centred container.
- A 108px header stays fixed at the top.
- The hero is 672px (0.7 screens): split 5 / 7, 1025px gap, centred 80px heading (weight 400), artwork on the right.
- Column splits on a 12-column grid: thirds (4×), 5/7, halves, 7/5; gaps of 16px.
- Headings mix left (7) and centred (4) alignment.
- Sections change background 6 times, between #FAF9F6, #FFFFFF: colour comes in full-width bands, not in boxes.
- A typical section is about 795px 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 5 words.
- Headings are in sentence case (only the first word capitalised).
- The page describes itself in about 28 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 1171px wide, centred, with var(--space-4) (16px) side padding on small screens.
- The largest heading scales fluidly: font-size: clamp(40px, 5.6vw, 80px). 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 (18.9:1), Action on Background (18.9:1), Text on Surface (16.3:1), Action on Surface (16.3:1) and On action on Action (18.9:1).
- 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.)
- Corners at most 8px, plus fully rounded pills where the components use them. No 12–24px "friendly" rounding. (The largest measured radius is 8px.)
- No gradients: not in backgrounds, text, buttons or borders. (No gradient was measured.)
- Only these colours: #FFFFFF, #FAF9F6, #111111, #F1EEE9, #0007CB, #000000, #E1E2E5, #DEDBD6, #D3CEC6, #FF5600. 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.)
- #0007CB only for drawings and small fills such as buttons — never as a section background or a large panel. (It covers 4.7% of the page.)
- #FF5600 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; JetBrains Mono for code; Source Serif 4 for interface. No other typeface, and no Inter, Roboto or system UI font unless it is one of these. (The page is set in Serrif and Saans and SaansMono; the tokens carry what stands in for them.)
- Headings and large text never heavier than weight 400. Do not make headlines bold to add emphasis. (Every size from 24px up is set at weight 400 or lighter.)
- Large headlines tracked tight (letter-spacing -0.03em), not at the browser default. (The 80px headline is set at -0.03em.)
- 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, split, statement, cards, image, 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.
- Do not use intercom.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.
- No border-radius above 8px except pills.
- 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.
- #0007CB covers about 4.7% of the page or less, as on the original.
- #FF5600 covers about 0.1% of the page or less, as on the original.
- No text 24px or larger has a font-weight above 400.
- The largest headline uses letter-spacing -0.03em.
- 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.