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PUBLIC REFERENCE

Apple

Polished lens on innovation — clear, precise, and understated.

Apple captured reference
DESIGN.md tokens.json Tailwind v4 detail JSON

Colors

Midnight Graphite #1d1d1f

Primary text, headline text, glyphs, and navigation elements. Near-black for maximum contrast on light backgrounds.

Deep Gray #333333

Secondary text and navigation elements, slightly softer than primary text.

Charcoal Grey #474747

Link text and navigation link text, indicating interactive elements.

Medium Gray #707070

Tertiary text, footer text, and subtle UI elements. Softer body copy.

Light Gray #858585

Muted text for less prominent information, icon fills.

Light Silver #c7c7c7

Subtle image box shadows, creating depth without heavy obscuration.

Border Silver #d6d6d6

Thin, crisp border lines for UI separation.

Lightest Gray Background #e2e2e5

Subtle background for UI components, hinting at separation.

Canvas White #f5f5f7

Dominant page background, primary canvas for content. The foundational light surface.

Pure White #ffffff

Elevated UI elements, such as navigation backgrounds or contained content blocks, contrasting subtly with the primary canvas.

True Black #000000

Icon fills and occasional headline accents, providing maximum visual punch where needed.

Interactive Blue #0071e3

Primary interactive element background, such as filled buttons and focus rings. A vivid, clear blue that signifies action.

Action Blue #0066cc

Link color for interactive text and outline buttons. Slightly darker than Interactive Blue for text hierarchy.

Sky Blue Highlight #2997ff

Vivid blue for interactive states, highlighting links, buttons, and other active elements. Creates a bright, inviting focus.

Cerulean Shine #3397d4

Secondary accent color, used in specific graphic elements or backgrounds to provide visual variation.

Pale Blue Overlay #9fc6f4

Muted background for specific content sections, providing a soft color block.

Vibrant Orange #ec893c

Accent color for specific products or promotional blocks, providing a warm, energetic contrast.

Deep Plum #7424b5

Accent color for distinct content blocks, especially in content-rich sections like Apple TV.

Do

  • Prioritize SF Pro Display for headlines (21px and up) with its specific letter spacing and 'numr' feature for numeral alignment.
  • Use SF Pro Text for all body copy, UI labels, and navigation elements, leveraging different weights for hierarchy (e.g., 300 for captions, 400 for body, 600 for important labels).
  • Apply 980px border-radius for all primary and secondary buttons, ensuring a consistent pill-shape aesthetic.
  • Utilize Interactive Blue (#0071e3) as the default background for interactive elements and Action Blue (#0066cc) for link text.
  • Maintain a clear visual hierarchy using the neutral color scale: Midnight Graphite (#1d1d1f) for primary text, Deep Gray (#333333) for secondary, and Medium Gray (#707070) for tertiary.
  • Frame product imagery tightly, allowing the product to be the central visual element without excessive padding or decorative borders.
  • Implement the 10px element gap for consistent vertical spacing between UI items and 15px card padding where applicable for internal content.

Don't

  • Avoid using harsh drop shadows; instead, suggest elevation through subtle background color shifts (e.g., Canvas White to Pure White) and a very light box-shadow like rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.22) 3px 5px 30px 0px for images.
  • Do not deviate from the established pill-shape radius for buttons; rounded rectangles or sharp corners are reserved for specific components like image containers (8px).
  • Refrain from using heavily saturated colors for backgrounds unless it is a specific accent area or product showcase as defined by the accent palette.
  • Do not introduce decorative borders or heavy strokes around primary content blocks or cards; opt for clean edges or subtle background shifts.
  • Avoid excessive letter spacing on body or caption text; maintain the precise, optically balanced tracking values defined in the typography section.
  • Do not use generic system default link styles; ensure all links use Action Blue (#0066cc) and inherit SF Pro Text styling.
  • Do not introduce extraneous visual elements that compete with product imagery; the UI should be understated and serve to highlight the content.