# DESIGN.md: Spotify-style design system

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

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 spotify.com, measured from the live site: it should feel designed by the same team as spotify.com — the same temperament, colour, type and density — for a different product. Never use spotify.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.spotify.com/uk/premium/ — "www.spotify.com".
- Page frame: a top navigation bar and a footer.
- Content is grouped in cards (16 on the page, up to 3 side by side). Keep cards for grouped content only, not for every section.
- It uses 10 images including 2 videos, 7 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: 8 buttons on one page.
- The page runs about 16 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 44% of the page is neutral; #0D4A3D (45.5%) fills whole sections.
- #0D72EA is an accent: 1.8% of the page, as one of a few coloured bands or panels. Use it for a band or two, never as the page ground.
- #D64000 is an accent: 1.8% of the page, as one of a few coloured bands or panels. Use it for a band or two, never as the page ground.
- The largest type (128px SpotifyMixUITitleVariable) is bold (900).
- Open: text covers 9% of the page.
- Share of the painted page: #0D4A3D 45.5% (dominant, backgrounds); #121212 30.2% (dominant, backgrounds); #FFFFFF 5.6% (supporting, text); #000000 5.5% (supporting, backgrounds); #242424 2.2% (detail, backgrounds); #0D72EA 1.8% (accent, backgrounds); #D64000 1.8% (accent, backgrounds); #7358FF 1.8% (accent, backgrounds). Keep accents at these proportions; do not promote them to fills.
- Large images: Photographs, video or raster artwork cover about 17% of the page.
- Type as set (size, weight and tracking measured together; use these pairs): 128px weight 900; 64px weight 800; 48px weight 400; 32px weight 700; 24px weight 300; 20px weight 700.

1. DESIGN TOKENS — PASTE INTO YOUR GLOBAL CSS
Allowed colours, with how the original uses each. Use no other colour, including in hover states:
- #0D4A3D — 45.5% · backgrounds (var(--color-0d4a3d))
- #121212 — 30.2% · backgrounds (var(--color-background))
- #FFFFFF — 5.6% · text (var(--color-text))
- #000000 — 5.5% · backgrounds (var(--color-surface))
- #242424 — 2.2% · backgrounds (var(--color-242424))
- #0D72EA — 1.8% · backgrounds (var(--color-0d72ea))
- #D64000 — 1.8% · backgrounds (var(--color-d64000))
- #7358FF — 1.8% · backgrounds (var(--color-7358ff))
- #CC2FAF — 1.8% · backgrounds (var(--color-cc2faf))
- #088569 — 1.8% · backgrounds (var(--color-088569))
- #7F7F7F — hairlines and grid lines
- #696969 — Text muted (var(--color-text-muted))
- #303030 — Border (var(--color-border))
- #1ED760 — Action (var(--color-action))
- #9E9EFF — Link (var(--color-link))
- #10B28E — Positive (var(--color-positive))
- #FFA178 — 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=Figtree:wght@400;600;700;900&display=swap");
@import url("https://fonts.googleapis.com/css2?family=Archivo:wght@300;400;700;800;900&display=swap");
```
Font: spotify.com uses SpotifyMixUI (body), SpotifyMixUITitleVariable (display) and SpotifyMixUITitle (interface) — its own licensed faces, not available to download. This kit uses Figtree for body and Archivo for display and 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: #121212; /* Background */
  --color-surface: #000000; /* Surface */
  --color-text: #FFFFFF; /* Text */
  --color-text-muted: #696969; /* Text muted */
  --color-border: #303030; /* Border */
  --color-action: #1ED760; /* Action */
  --color-on-action: #121212; /* On action */
  --color-link: #9E9EFF; /* Link */
  --color-positive: #10B28E; /* Positive */
  --color-warning: #FFA178; /* Warning */
  --color-0d4a3d: #0D4A3D; /* 45.5% of the page, as fills */
  --color-242424: #242424; /* 2.2% of the page, as fills */
  --color-0d72ea: #0D72EA; /* 1.8% of the page, as fills */
  --color-d64000: #D64000; /* 1.8% of the page, as fills */
  --color-7358ff: #7358FF; /* 1.8% of the page, as fills */
  --color-cc2faf: #CC2FAF; /* 1.8% of the page, as fills */
  --color-088569: #088569; /* 1.8% of the page, as fills */
  --color-035341: #035341; /* 1.1% of the page, as fills */
  --font-body: "SpotifyMixUI", "Figtree", sans-serif; /* SpotifyMixUI on the site; Figtree renders */
  --font-display: "SpotifyMixUITitleVariable", "Archivo", sans-serif; /* SpotifyMixUITitleVariable on the site; Archivo renders */
  --font-interface: "SpotifyMixUITitle", "Archivo", sans-serif; /* SpotifyMixUITitle on the site; Archivo renders */
  --type-display-large: 128px; /* Display Large, weight 900 */
  --type-display-large-leading: 153px;
  --type-display-medium: 64px; /* Display Medium, weight 800 */
  --type-display-medium-leading: normal;
  --type-display-small: 48px; /* Display Small, weight 400 */
  --type-display-small-leading: normal;
  --type-headline-large: 32px; /* Headline Large, weight 700 */
  --type-headline-large-leading: normal;
  --type-headline-small: 24px; /* Headline Small, weight 300 */
  --type-headline-small-leading: normal;
  --type-title: 20px; /* Title, weight 700 */
  --type-title-leading: normal;
  --type-body-large: 16px; /* Body Large, weight 400 */
  --type-body-large-leading: 22px;
  --type-body-small: 14px; /* Body Small, weight 400 */
  --type-body-small-leading: normal;
  --type-label: 12px; /* Label, weight 400 */
  --type-label-leading: 16px;
  --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-16: 64px;
  --space-18: 72px;
  --space-20: 80px;
  --space-25: 100px;
  --space-32: 128px;
  --space-40: 160px;
  --radius-xs: 1px;
  --radius-sm: 2px;
  --radius-md: 3px;
  --radius-2xl: 17px;
  --radius-3xl: 20px;
  --radius-full: 9999px;
  --radius-24: 24px; /* component radius */
  --elevation-1: rgb(199, 197, 199) 0px 0px 12px 2px;
  --elevation-2: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.15) 0px 5px 10px 0px;
  --duration-1: 0.15s;
  --duration-2: 0.2s;
  --ease-1: cubic-bezier(0.3, 0, 0, 1);
  --ease-2: 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: #121212;
  --color-surface: #000000;
  --color-text: #FFFFFF;
  --color-text-muted: #696969;
  --color-border: #303030;
  --color-action: #1ED760;
  --color-on-action: #121212;
  --color-link: #9E9EFF;
  --color-positive: #10B28E;
  --color-warning: #FFA178;
  --color-0d4a3d: #0D4A3D;
  --color-242424: #242424;
  --color-0d72ea: #0D72EA;
  --color-d64000: #D64000;
  --color-7358ff: #7358FF;
  --color-cc2faf: #CC2FAF;
  --color-088569: #088569;
  --color-035341: #035341;
  --font-body: "SpotifyMixUI", "Figtree", sans-serif;
  --font-display: "SpotifyMixUITitleVariable", "Archivo", sans-serif;
  --font-interface: "SpotifyMixUITitle", "Archivo", sans-serif;
  --text-display-large: 128px;
  --text-display-large--line-height: 153px;
  --text-display-medium: 64px;
  --text-display-small: 48px;
  --text-headline-large: 32px;
  --text-headline-small: 24px;
  --text-title: 20px;
  --text-body-large: 16px;
  --text-body-large--line-height: 22px;
  --text-body-small: 14px;
  --text-label: 12px;
  --text-label--line-height: 16px;
  --radius-xs: 1px;
  --radius-sm: 2px;
  --radius-md: 3px;
  --radius-2xl: 17px;
  --radius-3xl: 20px;
  --radius-full: 9999px;
  --shadow-e1: rgb(199, 197, 199) 0px 0px 12px 2px;
  --shadow-e2: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.15) 0px 5px 10px 0px;
  --ease-1: cubic-bezier(0.3, 0, 0, 1);
  --ease-2: 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)", "text-muted": "var(--color-text-muted)", "border": "var(--color-border)", "action": "var(--color-action)", "on-action": "var(--color-on-action)", "link": "var(--color-link)", "positive": "var(--color-positive)", "warning": "var(--color-warning)" },
  fontFamily: { "body": ["var(--font-body)"], "display": ["var(--font-display)"], "interface": ["var(--font-interface)"] },
  borderRadius: { "xs": "var(--radius-xs)", "sm": "var(--radius-sm)", "md": "var(--radius-md)", "2xl": "var(--radius-2xl)", "3xl": "var(--radius-3xl)", "full": "var(--radius-full)" },
  boxShadow: { "e1": "var(--elevation-1)", "e2": "var(--elevation-2)" },
}
```

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-0d72ea);
  border-radius: var(--radius-24);
  min-height: 509px;
  color: var(--color-text);
  font-family: var(--font-body);
  font-size: var(--type-body-large);
  font-weight: 400;
}
.card-2 { /* Alternative 1 */
  background: var(--color-cc2faf);
  border-radius: var(--radius-24);
  min-height: 509px;
  color: var(--color-text);
  font-family: var(--font-body);
  font-size: var(--type-body-large);
  font-weight: 400;
}
.card-3 { /* Alternative 2 */
  background: var(--color-0d4a3d);
  border-radius: var(--radius-24);
  padding: var(--space-6);
  min-height: 340px;
  color: var(--color-text);
  font-family: var(--font-body);
  font-size: var(--type-body-large);
  font-weight: 400;
}
.link { /* Strong */
  background: transparent;
  border-radius: 9999px;
  min-height: 48px;
  color: var(--color-link);
  font-family: var(--font-body);
  font-size: var(--type-body-large);
  font-weight: 700;
}
.link-2 { /* Strong 2 */
  background: transparent;
  padding: var(--space-5);
  min-height: 72px;
  color: var(--color-text);
  font-family: var(--font-body);
  font-size: var(--type-body-large);
  font-weight: 700;
  line-height: 24px;
}
.link-3 { /* Inline */
  background: transparent;
  padding: 0px 0px 16px 0px;
  min-height: 40px;
  color: var(--color-text);
  font-family: var(--font-body);
  font-size: var(--type-body-large);
  font-weight: 400;
  line-height: 24px;
}
.button { /* Primary */
  background: var(--color-action);
  border-radius: var(--radius-full);
  padding: 16px 48px 16px 48px;
  min-height: 32px;
  color: var(--color-on-action);
  font-family: var(--font-body);
  font-size: var(--type-body-large);
  font-weight: 700;
  line-height: 24px;
}
.button-2 { /* Secondary */
  background: var(--color-242424);
  border-radius: 50%;
  min-height: 54px;
  color: var(--color-text);
  font-family: var(--font-body);
  font-size: var(--type-body-large);
  font-weight: 400;
}
.button-3 { /* Tertiary */
  background: transparent;
  padding: 20px 20px 20px 0px;
  min-height: 72px;
  color: var(--color-text);
  font-family: var(--font-body);
  font-size: var(--type-body-large);
  font-weight: 700;
  line-height: 24px;
  /* recorded states: collapsed */
}
```
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 #121212. Keep that ground; do not add a light mode.
- The opening screen carries a large image or video beside 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 Surface (#000000) and Background (#121212); use only those.
- #1ED760 is the action colour. Fill the primary action with it and little else — at most one #1ED760-filled element per screen; other accents keep to the uses listed above.
- Type: Figtree (standing in for SpotifyMixUI) for body; Archivo (standing in for SpotifyMixUITitleVariable) for display; Archivo (standing in for SpotifyMixUITitle) for interface. Hierarchy comes from size and weight, not colour or decoration.
- Everything sits on a 4px grid.
- Corner radii are 1px, 2px, 3px, 17px, 20px, fully round (pill) — nothing else.
- Body text uses SpotifyMixUI at around 16px, weights 400, 600, 700, 900.
- Headings use SpotifyMixUITitleVariable; the largest heading is 128px.
- Primary buttons are #1ED760, pill-shaped, weight 700.
- Cards use 24px corners.
- Corner radii in use: 2px, 9999px (pill), 24px, 20px, 1px.

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 — 900px tall, left-aligned 128px heading (weight 900).
2. Text — 529px tall, a strip of 11 small items (logos, links or icons), left-aligned 48px heading (weight 400).
3. Cards — 146px tall, split 2 / 1 / 2 / 2 / 5, 8px gap, centred 64px heading (weight 800).
4. Text — about 900px tall (the original scroll-animates this band over 3235px; build it as one screen), left-aligned 32px heading (weight 700), image on the right.
5. Cards — 1416px tall, 4 equal columns, 32px gap, centred 64px heading (weight 800), image centred.
6. Cards — 226px tall, split 3 / 2 / 2 / 2 / 3, 8px gap, centred 64px heading (weight 800).
7. Split — 509px tall, split 7 / 5, left-aligned 32px heading (weight 700) set mid-band, image on the left, on #0D72EA.
8. Split — 509px tall, split 7 / 5, left-aligned 32px heading (weight 700) set mid-band, image on the left, on #D64000.
9. Split — 509px tall, split 7 / 5, left-aligned 32px heading (weight 700) set mid-band, image on the left, on #7358FF.
10. Statement — 226px tall, a strip of 8 small items (logos, links or icons), centred 64px heading (weight 800).
11. Split — 1050px tall, split 7 / 5, left-aligned 32px heading (weight 700), image on the left.
12. Cards — 790px tall, 3 equal columns, 32px gap, centred 64px heading (weight 800).
13. Grid — 2149px tall, 16 items in 3 columns with 32px gaps, centred 64px heading (weight 800).
14. Footer — 584px tall, split 9 / 3, 30px gap, left-aligned 16px heading (weight 400), on #000000.
- Content sits in a 1120px container, 160px from the edge at 1440px wide.
- A 72px header stays fixed at the top.
- The hero is 900px (exactly one screen): left-aligned 128px heading (weight 900).
- Column splits on a 12-column grid: 7/5 (4×), thirds (2×), 2/1/2/2/5, quarters; gaps of 30px.
- Headings mix left (8) and centred (6) alignment.
- Sections change background 5 times, between #0D72EA, #D64000, #7358FF: colour comes in full-width bands; #0D72EA is large rounded panels inside a section instead.
- A typical section is about 529px tall.

COPY SHAPE (MATCH THE LENGTH AND CASE; WRITE YOUR OWN WORDS)
- The main heading is 5 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 19 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 1120px wide, centred, with var(--space-4) (16px) side padding on small screens.
- The largest heading scales fluidly: font-size: clamp(64px, 8.9vw, 128px). 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 (18.7:1), Action on Background (9.8:1), Link on Background (7.8:1), Positive on Background (6.9:1), Text on Surface (21:1), Action on Surface (10.9:1), Link on Surface (8.8:1), Positive on Surface (7.8:1) and On action on Action (9.8:1).
- Only for text 24px and up, or 18.66px bold: Text muted on Background (3.4:1) and Text muted on Surface (3.8:1).
- 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 two shadows in the tokens, on the components that use them. (2 shadow values were 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: #0D4A3D, #121212, #FFFFFF, #000000, #242424, #0D72EA, #D64000, #7358FF, #CC2FAF, #088569, #7F7F7F, #696969, #303030, #1ED760, #9E9EFF, #10B28E, #FFA178. 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.)
- #0D72EA fills a few coloured bands or panels, as in the layout — a handful at most, never the page ground and never body text. (It covers 1.8% of the page, all of it in those panels.)
- #D64000 fills a few coloured bands or panels, as in the layout — a handful at most, never the page ground and never body text. (It covers 1.8% of the page, all of it in those panels.)
- Only the fonts in the tokens: Figtree for body; Archivo for display; Archivo for interface. No other typeface, and no Inter, Roboto or system UI font unless it is one of these. (The page is set in SpotifyMixUITitleVariable and SpotifyMixUITitle and SpotifyMixUI; the tokens carry what stands in for them.)
- The largest headlines are heavy (weight 900). Keep them that heavy, and keep smaller text at the weights in the type scale. (The page sets its biggest type at 900.)
- 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, text, cards, split, statement, 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 spotify.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.
- The largest headline is set at weight 900.
- Every section, including ones the original does not have, uses only this system's colours, type, shapes and spacing.
- Content sits in a 1120px container with 160px 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.