# DESIGN.md: Telegram-style design system

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

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 telegram.org, measured from the live site: it should feel designed by the same team as telegram.org — the same temperament, colour, type and density — for a different product. Never use telegram.org'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://telegram.org/ — "telegram.org" (home page).
- It uses 18 images including 2 videos, 3 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: 1 button on one page.
- The page runs about 3 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 #333333.
- #0088CC is an accent: 1.3% of the page, used for text and small fills such as buttons. Don't fill large areas with it.
- The largest type (26px -apple-system) is semibold (600).
- Very airy: text covers 6% of the page.
- Share of the painted page: #FFFFFF 97.1% (dominant, backgrounds); #333333 1.5% (supporting, text); #0088CC 1.3% (accent, text); #8C8C8C 0.1% (detail, text); #222222 0.1% (detail, text). Keep accents at these proportions; do not promote them to fills.
- Large images: Photographs, video or raster artwork cover about 25% of the page.
- Type as set (size, weight and tracking measured together; use these pairs): 26px weight 600; 23px weight 600; 20px weight 300; 16px weight 600; 15px weight 400; 14px 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 — 97.1% · backgrounds (var(--color-background))
- #333333 — 1.5% · text (var(--color-text))
- #0088CC — 1.3% · text (var(--color-action))
- #8C8C8C — 0.1% · text
- #222222 — 0.1% · text
- #E8E8E8 — hairlines and grid lines (var(--color-border))
- #A2A2A2 — Text muted (var(--color-text-muted))
- #000000 — On action (var(--color-on-action))
Keep every size, weight, line height and tracking exactly as listed whichever font renders.
```css
:root {
  --color-background: #FFFFFF; /* Background */
  --color-text: #333333; /* Text */
  --color-text-muted: #A2A2A2; /* Text muted */
  --color-border: #E8E8E8; /* Border */
  --color-action: #0088CC; /* Action */
  --color-on-action: #000000; /* On action */
  --font-body: -apple-system, sans-serif; /* -apple-system */
  --type-headline: 26px; /* Headline, weight 600 */
  --type-headline-leading: 28.6px;
  --type-title-large: 23px; /* Title Large, weight 600 */
  --type-title-large-leading: 25.3px;
  --type-title-small: 20px; /* Title Small, weight 300 */
  --type-title-small-leading: 29.6px;
  --type-body-large: 16px; /* Body Large, weight 600 */
  --type-body-large-leading: 25.6px;
  --type-body-medium: 15px; /* Body Medium, weight 400 */
  --type-body-medium-leading: 23.7px;
  --type-body-small: 14px; /* Body Small, weight 400 */
  --type-body-small-leading: 22.4px;
  --type-label: 12px; /* Label, weight 400 */
  --type-label-leading: 18px;
  --space-4: 4px;
  --space-16: 16px;
  --space-20: 20px;
  --space-28: 28px;
  --space-32: 32px;
  --space-40: 40px;
  --space-44: 44px;
  --space-128: 128px;
  --space-160: 160px;
  --radius-sm: 4px;
  --radius-md: 8px;
  --elevation-1: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1) 1px 1px 3px 1px;
  --duration-1: 0.15s;
  --duration-2: 0.2s;
  --ease-1: ease-in-out;
  --ease-2: ease-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: #FFFFFF;
  --color-text: #333333;
  --color-text-muted: #A2A2A2;
  --color-border: #E8E8E8;
  --color-action: #0088CC;
  --color-on-action: #000000;
  --font-body: -apple-system, sans-serif;
  --text-headline: 26px;
  --text-headline--line-height: 28.6px;
  --text-title-large: 23px;
  --text-title-large--line-height: 25.3px;
  --text-title-small: 20px;
  --text-title-small--line-height: 29.6px;
  --text-body-large: 16px;
  --text-body-large--line-height: 25.6px;
  --text-body-medium: 15px;
  --text-body-medium--line-height: 23.7px;
  --text-body-small: 14px;
  --text-body-small--line-height: 22.4px;
  --text-label: 12px;
  --text-label--line-height: 18px;
  --radius-sm: 4px;
  --radius-md: 8px;
  --shadow-e1: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1) 1px 1px 3px 1px;
  --ease-1: ease-in-out;
  --ease-2: ease-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)", "text-muted": "var(--color-text-muted)", "border": "var(--color-border)", "action": "var(--color-action)", "on-action": "var(--color-on-action)" },
  fontFamily: { "body": ["var(--font-body)"] },
  borderRadius: { "sm": "var(--radius-sm)", "md": "var(--radius-md)" },
  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
.link-3 { /* Inline 3 */
  background: transparent;
  padding: 16px 15px 16px 15px;
  min-height: 48px;
  color: #0088CC;
  font-family: var(--font-body);
  font-size: var(--type-body-medium);
  font-weight: 500;
  line-height: 17px;
  /* recorded states: active, hover, focus */
}
.button { /* Tertiary */
  background: var(--color-action);
  padding: 0px 16px 0px 16px;
  min-height: 52px;
  color: var(--color-on-action);
  font-family: var(--font-body);
  font-size: var(--type-label);
  font-weight: 400;
  line-height: 18px;
  /* recorded states: hover, focus */
}
```
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 or alternate section backgrounds the system does not have.
- #0088CC is the action colour. Fill the primary action with it and little else — at most one #0088CC-filled element per screen; other accents keep to the uses listed above.
- Type: -apple-system for body. Hierarchy comes from size and weight, not colour or decoration.
- Corner radii are 4px, 8px — nothing else.
- Body text uses -apple-system at around 16px, weights 300, 400, 500, 600, 700.
- Corner radii in use: 4px, 8px.

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 — 269px tall, centred 20px heading (weight 300) set low in the band.
2. Statement — 380px tall, centred 15px heading (weight 400), image on the left.
3. Split — 291px tall, 2 equal columns, centred 15px heading (weight 400), image behind the content, on an image background.
4. Grid — 976px tall, 9 items in 3 columns with 0px gaps, centred 26px heading (weight 600), image on the left.
5. Footer — 156px tall, split 6 / 2 / 2 / 2, 76px gap, left-aligned 14px heading (weight 600).
- The hero is 269px (0.3 screens): centred 20px heading (weight 300) set low in the band.
- Column splits on a 12-column grid: halves, thirds, 6/2/2/2; gaps of 76px.
- Headings are centred (4 of 5 sections).
- Sections share one background; they are separated by space and lines, not colour bands.
- A typical section is about 380px tall.

COPY SHAPE (MATCH THE LENGTH AND CASE; WRITE YOUR OWN WORDS)
- The page has no single main heading.
- Section headings are short: typically 1 word.
- Headings are in sentence case (only the first word capitalised).

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 1028px wide, centred, with var(--space-16) (16px) side padding on small screens.
- The largest heading scales fluidly: font-size: clamp(15px, 1.8vw, 26px). 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 (12.6:1) and On action on Action (5.4:1).
- Only for text 24px and up, or 18.66px bold: Action on Background (3.9:1).
- 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. 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, #333333, #0088CC, #8C8C8C, #222222, #E8E8E8, #A2A2A2, #000000. 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.)
- #0088CC only for text and small fills such as buttons — never as a section background or a large panel. (It covers 1.3% of the page.)
- Only the fonts in the tokens: -apple-system for body. No other typeface, and no Inter, Roboto or system UI font unless it is one of these. (The page is set in -apple-system; the tokens carry what stands in for them.)
- Headings and large text never heavier than weight 600. Do not make headlines bold to add emphasis. (Every size from 24px up is set at weight 600 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, statement, split, 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.
- Do not use telegram.org'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.
- 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.
- #0088CC covers about 1.3% of the page or less, as on the original.
- No text 24px or larger has a font-weight above 600.
- Every section, including ones the original does not have, uses only this system's colours, type, shapes and spacing.
- Content sits in a 950px container with the measuredpx 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.