# DESIGN.md: Sonos-style design system

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

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 sonos.com, measured from the live site: it should feel designed by the same team as sonos.com — the same temperament, colour, type and density — for a different product. Never use sonos.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.sonos.com/en-in/home — "www.sonos.com" (editorial page).
- Page frame: a top navigation bar.
- Content is grouped in cards (14 on the page). Keep cards for grouped content only, not for every section.
- It uses 495 images including 12 videos, 19 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: 18 buttons on one page.
- The page runs about 14 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: 100% of the page is painted in #FFFFFF and #000000.
- The largest type (96px aktiv-grotesk) is medium weight, not bold (500).
- 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 77.3% (dominant, backgrounds); #000000 15.1% (dominant, backgrounds and text); #2E2E2E 7% (supporting, backgrounds); #BFBFBF 0.2% (detail, text); #F5F5F5 0.2% (detail, text); #333333 0.1% (detail, text). Keep accents at these proportions; do not promote them to fills.
- Hairline grid: 1px lines in #E0E0E0 run both across and down the page (11 across, 8 down), dividing it into cells instead of cards.
- Small marks: 13 small decorative marks (dots, crosses or ticks under 16px) in #000000, placed at corners and edges.
- Large images: Photographs, video or raster artwork cover about 46% of the page.
- Type as set (size, weight and tracking measured together; use these pairs): 96px weight 500; 72px weight 500; 64px weight 500; 48px weight 500; 42px weight 500; 40px 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 — 77.3% · backgrounds (var(--color-background))
- #000000 — 15.1% · backgrounds, text (var(--color-text))
- #2E2E2E — 7% · backgrounds (var(--color-text-muted))
- #BFBFBF — 0.2% · text (var(--color-border))
- #F5F5F5 — 0.2% · text (var(--color-surface))
- #333333 — 0.1% · text
- #E0E0E0 — hairlines and grid lines
- #CDCDCD — hairlines and grid lines
- #C59C6E — Warning (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=Inter+Tight:wght@400;500;600;700&display=swap");
```
Font: sonos.com uses aktiv-grotesk (body) — its own licensed face, not available to download. This kit uses Inter Tight for body, 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: #FFFFFF; /* Background */
  --color-surface: #F5F5F5; /* Surface */
  --color-text: #000000; /* Text */
  --color-text-muted: #2E2E2E; /* Text muted */
  --color-border: #BFBFBF; /* Border */
  --color-action: #FFFFFF; /* Action */
  --color-on-action: #000000; /* On action */
  --color-warning: #C59C6E; /* Warning */
  --font-body: aktiv-grotesk, "Inter Tight", sans-serif; /* aktiv-grotesk on the site; Inter Tight renders */
  --type-display-1: 96px; /* Display 1, weight 500 */
  --type-display-1-leading: 115.2px;
  --type-display-2: 72px; /* Display 2, weight 500 */
  --type-display-2-leading: 86.4px;
  --type-display-3: 64px; /* Display 3, weight 500 */
  --type-display-3-leading: 76.8px;
  --type-display-4: 48px; /* Display 4, weight 500 */
  --type-display-4-leading: 57.6px;
  --type-display-5: 42px; /* Display 5, weight 500 */
  --type-display-5-leading: 42px;
  --type-display-6: 40px; /* Display 6, weight 400 */
  --type-display-6-leading: 48px;
  --type-title-large: 21px; /* Title Large, weight 400 */
  --type-title-large-leading: 27.3px;
  --type-title-small: 18px; /* Title Small, weight 400 */
  --type-title-small-leading: 25.2px;
  --type-body-large: 16px; /* Body Large, weight 400 */
  --type-body-large-leading: normal;
  --type-body-small: 14px; /* Body Small, weight 400 */
  --type-body-small-leading: 20px;
  --type-body-small-tracking: 0.014em;
  --space-4: 4px;
  --space-8: 8px;
  --space-12: 12px;
  --space-16: 16px;
  --space-20: 20px;
  --space-24: 24px;
  --space-32: 32px;
  --space-40: 40px;
  --space-48: 48px;
  --space-56: 56px;
  --space-80: 80px;
  --space-112: 112px;
  --space-160: 160px;
  --space-172: 172px;
  --radius-xs: 1px;
  --radius-sm: 2px;
  --radius-md: 3px;
  --radius-lg: 10px;
  --radius-2xl: 17px;
  --radius-3xl: 20px;
  --radius-full: 9999px;
  --radius-80: 80px; /* component radius */
  --elevation-1: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0) 0px 0px 0px 0px, rgba(0, 0, 0, 0) 0px 0px 0px 0px, rgb(224, 224, 224) 0px -1px 0px 0px inset;
  --elevation-2: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0) 0px 0px 0px 0px, rgba(0, 0, 0, 0) 0px 0px 0px 0px, rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.627) 0px 0px 3px 0px inset, rgb(0, 0, 0) 0px 0px 3px 0px;
  --elevation-3: rgb(199, 197, 199) 0px 0px 12px 2px;
  --duration-1: 0.1s;
  --duration-2: 0.5s;
  --ease-1: cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1);
  --ease-2: cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 1, 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: #F5F5F5;
  --color-text: #000000;
  --color-text-muted: #2E2E2E;
  --color-border: #BFBFBF;
  --color-action: #FFFFFF;
  --color-on-action: #000000;
  --color-warning: #C59C6E;
  --font-body: aktiv-grotesk, "Inter Tight", sans-serif;
  --text-display-1: 96px;
  --text-display-1--line-height: 115.2px;
  --text-display-2: 72px;
  --text-display-2--line-height: 86.4px;
  --text-display-3: 64px;
  --text-display-3--line-height: 76.8px;
  --text-display-4: 48px;
  --text-display-4--line-height: 57.6px;
  --text-display-5: 42px;
  --text-display-5--line-height: 42px;
  --text-display-6: 40px;
  --text-display-6--line-height: 48px;
  --text-title-large: 21px;
  --text-title-large--line-height: 27.3px;
  --text-title-small: 18px;
  --text-title-small--line-height: 25.2px;
  --text-body-large: 16px;
  --text-body-small: 14px;
  --text-body-small--line-height: 20px;
  --text-body-small--letter-spacing: 0.014em;
  --radius-xs: 1px;
  --radius-sm: 2px;
  --radius-md: 3px;
  --radius-lg: 10px;
  --radius-2xl: 17px;
  --radius-3xl: 20px;
  --radius-full: 9999px;
  --shadow-e1: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0) 0px 0px 0px 0px, rgba(0, 0, 0, 0) 0px 0px 0px 0px, rgb(224, 224, 224) 0px -1px 0px 0px inset;
  --shadow-e2: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0) 0px 0px 0px 0px, rgba(0, 0, 0, 0) 0px 0px 0px 0px, rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.627) 0px 0px 3px 0px inset, rgb(0, 0, 0) 0px 0px 3px 0px;
  --shadow-e3: rgb(199, 197, 199) 0px 0px 12px 2px;
  --ease-1: cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1);
  --ease-2: cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 1, 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)", "warning": "var(--color-warning)" },
  fontFamily: { "body": ["var(--font-body)"] },
  borderRadius: { "xs": "var(--radius-xs)", "sm": "var(--radius-sm)", "md": "var(--radius-md)", "lg": "var(--radius-lg)", "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)" },
}
```

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
.card { /* Default */
  background: var(--color-background);
  min-height: 152px;
  box-shadow: var(--elevation-1);
  color: var(--color-text);
  font-family: var(--font-body);
  font-size: var(--type-body-large);
  font-weight: 400;
}
.link-2 { /* Inline 2 */
  background: transparent;
  border-radius: var(--radius-80);
  color: var(--color-text);
  font-family: var(--font-body);
  font-size: var(--type-body-large);
  font-weight: 400;
  line-height: 20.8px;
  /* recorded states: focus, focus-visible, hover, active, disabled */
}
.link-3 { /* Inline 3 */
  background: transparent;
  min-height: 25px;
  color: var(--color-text);
  font-family: var(--font-body);
  font-size: var(--type-title-small);
  font-weight: 400;
  /* recorded states: focus, focus-visible */
}
.button { /* Secondary */
  background: var(--color-action);
  border: 2px solid #000000;
  border-radius: var(--radius-80);
  padding: 16px 48px 16px 48px;
  min-height: 59px;
  color: var(--color-on-action);
  font-family: var(--font-body);
  font-size: var(--type-title-small);
  font-weight: 500;
  line-height: 23.4px;
  /* recorded states: focus, focus-visible, hover, active, disabled */
}
.button-2 { /* Secondary 2 */
  background: #F5F5F5;
  border: 2px solid #F5F5F5;
  border-radius: var(--radius-80);
  padding: 16px 48px 16px 48px;
  min-height: 59px;
  color: var(--color-text-muted);
  font-family: var(--font-body);
  font-size: var(--type-title-small);
  font-weight: 500;
  line-height: 23.4px;
  /* recorded states: focus, focus-visible, hover, active, disabled */
}
.button-3 { /* Icon */
  background: transparent;
  border: 2px solid #FFFFFF;
  border-radius: 50%;
  min-height: 28px;
  box-shadow: var(--elevation-2);
  color: var(--color-text);
  font-family: var(--font-body);
  font-size: 13.3333px;
  font-weight: 400;
  /* recorded states: 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 #FFFFFF. Keep that ground; do not add a dark mode.
- 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.
- Sections change ground between Background (#FFFFFF), Text (#000000) and Text muted (#2E2E2E); use only those.
- #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: Inter Tight (standing in for aktiv-grotesk) for body. Hierarchy comes from size and weight, not colour or decoration.
- Corner radii are 1px, 2px, 3px, 10px, 17px, 20px, fully round (pill) — nothing else.
- Body text uses aktiv-grotesk at around 16px, weights 400, 500, 600, 700.
- Headings use the same family as body text; the largest heading is 96px.
- Primary buttons are #FFFFFF, 80px radius, weight 500.
- Cards use square corners with a soft shadow.
- Corner radii in use: 80px, 9999px (pill), 2px, 24px, 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 — 810px tall, centred 96px heading (weight 500) set mid-band, image behind the content.
2. Full-bleed image — 487px tall, left-aligned 40px heading (weight 400), image behind the content.
3. Statement — 1048px tall, centred 96px heading (weight 500), image on the right.
4. Grid — 757px tall, 3 items in 2 columns with 107px gaps, left-aligned 64px heading (weight 500) set mid-band, image on the left.
5. Split — 615px tall, 2 equal columns, 107px gap, left-aligned 64px heading (weight 500), image on the right.
6. Cards — 687px tall, split 3 / 3 / 2 / 2 / 2, centred 64px heading (weight 500), image on the left.
7. Full-bleed image — 1252px tall, left-aligned 72px heading (weight 500), full-width image.
8. Cards — 556px tall, 3 equal columns, 53px gap, left-aligned 21px heading (weight 400) set low in the band, image on the left.
9. Full-bleed image — 810px tall, centred 96px heading (weight 500) set mid-band, image behind the content.
10. Text — 856px tall, left-aligned 64px heading (weight 500) set mid-band, image on the right, on #000000.
11. Full-bleed image — 810px tall, left-aligned 64px heading (weight 500), image behind the content, on #000000.
12. Text — 747px tall, left-aligned 64px heading (weight 500) set mid-band, image on the left, on #000000.
13. Text — 900px tall, left-aligned 64px heading (weight 500), image on the left, on #000000.
14. Cards — 779px tall, 3 equal columns, 53px gap, centred 96px heading (weight 500), image on the left.
15. Footer — 1377px tall, 6 equal columns, 16px gap, left-aligned 42px heading (weight 500).
- Content runs 1227px wide with 107px side margins at 1440px; there is no narrower centred container.
- A 152px header stays fixed at the top.
- The hero is 810px (0.9 screens): centred 96px heading (weight 500) set mid-band, image behind the content.
- Column splits on a 12-column grid: halves (2×), thirds (2×), 3/3/2/2/2, sixths; gaps of 53px.
- Headings align left (10 of 15 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 779px tall.

COPY SHAPE (MATCH THE LENGTH AND CASE; WRITE YOUR OWN WORDS)
- The main heading is 6 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 15 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 960px wide, centred, with var(--space-16) (16px) side padding on small screens.
- The largest heading scales fluidly: font-size: clamp(48px, 6.7vw, 96px). 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 (21:1), Text muted on Background (13.6:1), Text on Surface (19.3:1), Text muted on Surface (12.5:1) 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 gradients: not in backgrounds, text, buttons or borders. (No gradient was measured.)
- Only these colours: #FFFFFF, #000000, #2E2E2E, #BFBFBF, #F5F5F5, #333333, #E0E0E0, #CDCDCD, #C59C6E. 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.)
- Only the fonts in the tokens: Inter Tight for body. No other typeface, and no Inter, Roboto or system UI font unless it is one of these. (The page is set in aktiv-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.)
- 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, grid, split, cards, text, 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 sonos.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.
- 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.
- 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.