# DESIGN.md: Vercel-style design system

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

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 vercel.com, measured from the live site: it should feel designed by the same team as vercel.com — the same temperament, colour, type and density — for a different product. Never use vercel.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://vercel.com/ — "vercel.com" (home page).
- Page frame: a top navigation bar and a footer.
- Content is grouped in cards (6 on the page). Keep cards for grouped content only, not for every section.
- It uses 17 images, 16 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: 13 buttons on one page.
- The page runs about 7 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 #FAFAFA and #FFFFFF.
- #0070F3 is an accent: under 0.1% of the page, used for text and small fills such as buttons. Don't fill large areas with it.
- #297A3A is an accent: under 0.1% of the page, used for text only. Don't fill large areas with it.
- The largest type (64px GeistSans) is regular weight, not bold (400), tracked to -0.06em.
- Open: text covers 8% of the page.
- Share of the painted page: #FAFAFA 92.1% (dominant, backgrounds); #FFFFFF 3.4% (detail, backgrounds and drawings); #171717 3.3% (supporting, backgrounds and text); #4D4D4D 0.9% (supporting, text); #000000 0.3% (detail, drawings). Keep accents at these proportions; do not promote them to fills.
- Illustrations: 2 large illustrations in filled shapes, in #000000 and #FFFFFF.
- Large images: Photographs, video or raster artwork cover about 16% of the page.
- Type as set (size, weight and tracking measured together; use these pairs): 64px weight 400 tracking -0.06em; 56px weight 450 tracking -0.06em; 24px weight 450 tracking -0.04em; 16px weight 450 tracking -0.02em; 14px weight 400; 12px 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:
- #FAFAFA — 92.1% · backgrounds (var(--color-background))
- #FFFFFF — 3.4% · backgrounds, drawings (var(--color-on-action))
- #171717 — 3.3% · backgrounds, text (var(--color-text))
- #4D4D4D — 0.9% · text (var(--color-text-muted))
- #000000 — 0.3% · drawings (var(--color-000000))
- #EBEBEB — Surface (var(--color-surface))
- #297A3A — Positive (var(--color-positive))
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=Geist:wght@400;450;500&display=swap");
@import url("https://fonts.googleapis.com/css2?family=Geist+Mono:wght@400;500&display=swap");
```
GeistSans (Google's Geist) and Geist Mono are on Google Fonts and loaded from there.
Keep every size, weight, line height and tracking exactly as listed whichever font renders.
```css
:root {
  --color-background: #FAFAFA; /* Background */
  --color-surface: #EBEBEB; /* Surface */
  --color-text: #171717; /* Text */
  --color-text-muted: #4D4D4D; /* Text muted */
  --color-action: #171717; /* Action */
  --color-on-action: #FFFFFF; /* On action */
  --color-positive: #297A3A; /* Positive */
  --color-000000: #000000; /* 0.3% of the page, as drawings */
  --font-body: "GeistSans", "Geist", sans-serif; /* GeistSans on the site; Geist renders */
  --font-code: "Geist Mono", "Geist Mono", monospace; /* Geist Mono */
  --type-display-large: 64px; /* Display Large, weight 400 */
  --type-display-large-leading: 64px;
  --type-display-large-tracking: -0.06em;
  --type-display-small: 56px; /* Display Small, weight 450 */
  --type-display-small-leading: 56px;
  --type-display-small-tracking: -0.06em;
  --type-headline: 24px; /* Headline, weight 450 */
  --type-headline-leading: 32px;
  --type-headline-tracking: -0.04em;
  --type-body-large: 16px; /* Body Large, weight 450 */
  --type-body-large-leading: 24px;
  --type-body-large-tracking: -0.02em;
  --type-body-small: 14px; /* Body Small, weight 400 */
  --type-body-small-leading: 20px;
  --type-label: 11px; /* Label, weight 500 */
  --type-label-leading: 20px;
  --type-label-tracking: 0.018em;
  --space-1: 4px;
  --space-2: 8px;
  --space-3: 12px;
  --space-4: 16px;
  --space-5: 20px;
  --space-6: 24px;
  --space-8: 32px;
  --space-10: 40px;
  --space-11: 44px;
  --space-12: 48px;
  --space-20: 80px;
  --radius-sm: 4px;
  --radius-md: 6px;
  --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, rgb(235, 235, 235) 0px 0px 0px 1px;
  --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) 0px 0px 0px 0px, rgba(0, 0, 0, 0) 0px 0px 0px 0px, rgb(235, 235, 235) 0px 0px 0px 1px inset;
  --elevation-3: 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, 0.08) 0px 0px 0px 1px inset;
  --elevation-4: 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, 0.08) 0px 0px 0px 1px, rgb(250, 250, 250) 0px 0px 0px 1px;
  --elevation-5: 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, rgb(255, 255, 255) 0px 0px 0px 2px, rgb(0, 114, 245) 0px 0px 0px 4px;
  --elevation-6: 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, 0.08) 0px 0px 0px 1px, rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.02) 0px 1px 1px 0px, rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.04) 0px 4px 8px 0px, rgb(250, 250, 250) 0px 0px 0px 1px, rgb(255, 255, 255) 0px 0px 0px 1px;
  --duration-1: 0.1s;
  --duration-2: 0.15s;
  --duration-3: 0.2s;
  --duration-4: 0.3s;
  --duration-5: 0.7s;
  --duration-6: 1s;
  --ease-1: cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1);
  --ease-2: linear;
  --ease-3: cubic-bezier(0, 0, 0.2, 1);
  --ease-4: cubic-bezier(0.23, 1, 0.32, 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: #FAFAFA;
  --color-surface: #EBEBEB;
  --color-text: #171717;
  --color-text-muted: #4D4D4D;
  --color-action: #171717;
  --color-on-action: #FFFFFF;
  --color-positive: #297A3A;
  --color-000000: #000000;
  --font-body: "GeistSans", "Geist", sans-serif;
  --font-code: "Geist Mono", "Geist Mono", monospace;
  --text-display-large: 64px;
  --text-display-large--line-height: 64px;
  --text-display-large--letter-spacing: -0.06em;
  --text-display-small: 56px;
  --text-display-small--line-height: 56px;
  --text-display-small--letter-spacing: -0.06em;
  --text-headline: 24px;
  --text-headline--line-height: 32px;
  --text-headline--letter-spacing: -0.04em;
  --text-body-large: 16px;
  --text-body-large--line-height: 24px;
  --text-body-large--letter-spacing: -0.02em;
  --text-body-small: 14px;
  --text-body-small--line-height: 20px;
  --text-label: 11px;
  --text-label--line-height: 20px;
  --text-label--letter-spacing: 0.018em;
  --radius-sm: 4px;
  --radius-md: 6px;
  --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, rgb(235, 235, 235) 0px 0px 0px 1px;
  --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) 0px 0px 0px 0px, rgba(0, 0, 0, 0) 0px 0px 0px 0px, rgb(235, 235, 235) 0px 0px 0px 1px inset;
  --shadow-e3: 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, 0.08) 0px 0px 0px 1px inset;
  --shadow-e4: 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, 0.08) 0px 0px 0px 1px, rgb(250, 250, 250) 0px 0px 0px 1px;
  --shadow-e5: 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, rgb(255, 255, 255) 0px 0px 0px 2px, rgb(0, 114, 245) 0px 0px 0px 4px;
  --shadow-e6: 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, 0.08) 0px 0px 0px 1px, rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.02) 0px 1px 1px 0px, rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.04) 0px 4px 8px 0px, rgb(250, 250, 250) 0px 0px 0px 1px, rgb(255, 255, 255) 0px 0px 0px 1px;
  --ease-1: cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1);
  --ease-2: linear;
  --ease-3: cubic-bezier(0, 0, 0.2, 1);
  --ease-4: cubic-bezier(0.23, 1, 0.32, 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)", "action": "var(--color-action)", "on-action": "var(--color-on-action)", "positive": "var(--color-positive)" },
  fontFamily: { "body": ["var(--font-body)"], "code": ["var(--font-code)"] },
  borderRadius: { "sm": "var(--radius-sm)", "md": "var(--radius-md)", "full": "var(--radius-full)" },
  boxShadow: { "e1": "var(--elevation-1)", "e2": "var(--elevation-2)", "e3": "var(--elevation-3)", "e4": "var(--elevation-4)", "e5": "var(--elevation-5)", "e6": "var(--elevation-6)" },
}
```

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
.nav-2 { /* Alternative 1 */
  background: transparent;
  padding: 32px 8px 32px 8px;
  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: 0px 12px 0px 12px;
  min-height: 40px;
  color: var(--color-on-action);
  font-family: var(--font-body);
  font-size: var(--type-body-large);
  font-weight: 500;
  line-height: 24px;
  /* recorded states: disabled */
}
.button-2 { /* Secondary */
  background: #FFFFFF;
  border-radius: var(--radius-md);
  padding: 0px 6px 0px 6px;
  min-height: 32px;
  box-shadow: var(--elevation-1);
  color: var(--color-text);
  font-family: var(--font-body);
  font-size: var(--type-body-small);
  font-weight: 500;
  line-height: 21px;
  /* recorded states: disabled */
}
.card { /* Default */
  background: #FFFFFF;
  border-radius: var(--radius-md);
  padding: var(--space-4);
  min-height: 420px;
  box-shadow: var(--elevation-4);
  color: var(--color-text);
  font-family: var(--font-code);
  font-size: 12px;
  font-weight: 400;
  line-height: 16px;
  /* recorded states: hover */
}
.link { /* Inline */
  background: transparent;
  padding: 2px 2px 2px 2px;
  min-height: 24px;
  color: var(--color-text-muted);
  font-family: var(--font-body);
  font-size: var(--type-body-small);
  font-weight: 400;
  line-height: 20px;
  /* recorded states: focus-visible */
}
.link-2 { /* Inline 2 */
  background: transparent;
  border-radius: var(--radius-full);
  padding: 0px 12px 0px 12px;
  min-height: 32px;
  color: var(--color-text);
  font-family: var(--font-body);
  font-size: var(--type-body-small);
  font-weight: 500;
  line-height: 21px;
  /* recorded states: disabled */
}
.link-3 { /* Inline 3 */
  background: transparent;
  min-height: 32px;
  color: var(--color-text);
  font-family: var(--font-body);
  font-size: var(--type-body-small);
  font-weight: 400;
  line-height: 21px;
  /* recorded states: 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 #FAFAFA. 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 middle. Leave a [content: hero image or video] slot there, at least half the screen wide; the opening is not text alone.
- #171717 is the action colour. Fill the primary action with it and little else — at most one #171717-filled element per screen; other accents keep to the uses listed above.
- Type: Geist for body; Geist Mono for code. Hierarchy comes from size and weight, not colour or decoration.
- Everything sits on a 4px grid.
- Corner radii are 4px, 6px, fully round (pill) — nothing else.
- Body text uses GeistSans at around 16px, weights 400, 450, 500.
- Headings use the same family as body text; the largest heading is 64px.
- Primary buttons are #171717, pill-shaped, weight 500.
- Cards use 0px 0px 0px 1px corners.
- Corner radii in use: 9999px (pill), 6px, 4px.

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 — 836px tall, left-aligned 64px heading (weight 400) set mid-band, artwork centred.
2. Text (×3) — 3 bands of 617px, left-aligned 56px heading (weight 450), artwork on the left.
3. Grid — 926px tall, 3 items in 2 columns with 20px gaps, left-aligned 56px heading (weight 450), artwork on the left.
4. Statement — 688px tall, centred 56px heading (weight 450) set mid-band.
5. Footer — 846px tall, a strip of 12 small items (logos, links or icons), left-aligned 14px heading (weight 500).
- Content sits in a 1080px container, 24px from the edge at 1440px wide.
- A 64px header stays fixed at the top, transparent over the first section.
- The hero is 836px (0.9 screens): left-aligned 64px heading (weight 400) set mid-band, artwork centred.
- Column splits on a 12-column grid: halves; gaps of 24px.
- Headings align left (4 of 5 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 688px tall.

COPY SHAPE (MATCH THE LENGTH AND CASE; WRITE YOUR OWN WORDS)
- The main heading is 2 words long.
- Section headings are short: typically 1 word.
- Headings are in sentence case (only the first word capitalised).
- The page describes itself in about 8 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 961px wide, centred, with var(--space-4) (16px) side padding on small screens.
- The largest heading scales fluidly: font-size: clamp(24px, 4.4vw, 64px). 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 (17.2:1), Text muted on Background (8.1:1), Action on Background (17.2:1), Positive on Background (5.1:1), Text on Surface (15:1), Text muted on Surface (7.1:1), Action on Surface (15:1), Positive on Surface (4.5:1) and On action on Action (17.9:1).
- 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)
- 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: #FAFAFA, #FFFFFF, #171717, #4D4D4D, #000000, #EBEBEB, #297A3A. 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.)
- #0070F3 only for text and small fills such as buttons — never as a section background or a large panel. (It covers under 0.1% of the page.)
- #297A3A 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: Geist for body; Geist Mono for code. No other typeface, and no Inter, Roboto or system UI font unless it is one of these. (The page is set in GeistSans and Geist Mono; the tokens carry what stands in for them.)
- Headings and large text never heavier than weight 450. Do not make headlines bold to add emphasis. (Every size from 24px up is set at weight 450 or lighter.)
- Large headlines tracked tight (letter-spacing -0.06em), not at the browser default. (The 64px headline is set at -0.06em.)
- 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, grid, statement, 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 shadows other than the levels listed.
- Do not use vercel.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.
- #0070F3 covers about 0.1% of the page or less, as on the original.
- #297A3A covers about 0.1% of the page or less, as on the original.
- No text 24px or larger has a font-weight above 450.
- The largest headline uses letter-spacing -0.06em.
- Every section, including ones the original does not have, uses only this system's colours, type, shapes and spacing.
- Content sits in a 1080px container with 24px 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.