Notion — Calm Green

Remix of notion.so. The colors, fonts and shapes were edited in DesignMD. The token block above has the current values. The sections below were written for the original, so they may still mention it.

1. Visual Theme & Atmosphere

Notion's design system embodies a modern, collaborative, and intelligent workspace aesthetic. The visual personality is clean and minimalist, with purposeful use of bright accent colors that convey action and possibility. The design prioritizes clarity and usability through generous whitespace, subtle micro-interactions, and a carefully balanced neutral foundation that allows content and data to take center stage. The system communicates professionalism and innovation through its precise typography, accessible color contrasts, and intuitive component hierarchy. Playful touches—such as the diverse character avatars and colorful status badges—inject personality while maintaining enterprise-grade polish.

Key Characteristics

• Clean, minimalist aesthetic with purposeful whitespace
• Bright, confident primary blue as the dominant action color
• Accessible, high-contrast neutral palette grounded in black and white
• Modern, friendly typography using Inter for consistency
• Subtle, layered shadows for depth without visual noise
• Data-forward design that prioritizes content legibility
• Collaborative energy through diverse, inclusive iconography
• Enterprise-ready with playful, human-centered details

2. Color Palette & Roles

Primary

• Primary Blue (#C2410C): Dominant call-to-action color for primary buttons, links, and key interactive elements. Used 137 times across the system.
• Primary Blue Light (#097FE8): Secondary primary shade for hover states and supporting UI elements requiring distinction from the dominant primary.

Accent Colors

• Teal (#27918D): Accent color for status indicators, badges, and complementary UI elements.
• Purple (#9849E8): Accent for secondary actions and special feature callouts.
• Orange (#FF6D00): Warm accent for highlighted status and attention-drawing elements.
• Sky Blue (#62AEF0): Light accent for supporting visual hierarchy and background fills.
• Deep Blue (#1313BA): Dark accent reserved for premium or high-priority states.
• Dark Blue (#005BAB): Secondary accent for navigation and structural emphasis.

Interactive

• Primary Button Background (#C2410C): Filled primary buttons and high-priority CTAs.
• Secondary Button Background (#E6F3FE): Soft secondary button variant with subtle blue tint.
• Secondary Button Text (#005BAB): Text color for secondary buttons and tertiary links.

Neutral Scale

• Black (#1C1917): Primary text, icons, and foreground elements. Used 5039 times, the most frequent token.
• Near Black (#57534E): Slightly warmed alternative to pure black for softer text passages.
• Dark Gray (#615D59): Tertiary text and disabled states.
• Medium Gray (#A39E98): Placeholder text, hints, and subtle UI elements.
• Off White (#F7F2EA): Minimal background fill, nearly white with warm undertone.
• Light Gray (#F6F5F4): Secondary background fill for subtle sections.
• White (#FFFCF7): Primary background color for main content areas and cards. Used 609 times.

Surface & Borders

• Light Blue Surface (#F2F9FF): Card and container background for light, airy sections.
• Border Stroke (rgba(28, 25, 23, 0.05)): Subtle border color for card and container edges.
• Input Border (rgba(28, 25, 23, 0.08)): Slightly darker border for form inputs and interactive fields.

Semantic / Status

• Error / Danger (#F64932): Error states, validation failures, and destructive actions.
• Warning (#FFB110): Warning states and cautionary notifications.
• Success / Complete (#27918D): Success confirmations and completed status indicators.

3. Typography Rules

Font Family

Primary Font Stack: Inter, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif

Secondary Font Stack: Inter, system-ui, sans-serif (fallback for code and monospace contexts if needed)

Hierarchy

Role	Font	Size	Weight	Line Height	Letter Spacing	Notes
Display XL	Inter	96px	600	100px	0px	Hero section headings, page titles
Display LG	Inter	64px	700	64px	0px	Large hero headings
Heading LG	Inter	54px	700	56px	0px	Section headings, major CTAs
Heading MD	Inter	42px	700	48px	0px	Subsection headings
Heading SM	Inter	32px	700	40px	0px	Card headings, secondary headings
Subheading	Inter	22px	700	28px	0px	Feature titles, h3 elements
Heading XS	Inter	18px	700	28px	0px	h5 elements, small headings
Body	Inter	16px	400	24px	0px	Body text, paragraph copy, default text
Body Emphasis	Inter	16px	500	24px	0px	Emphasis within body text, button labels
Body Small	Inter	14px	400	20px	0px	Secondary text, labels
Body Small Bold	Inter	14px	500	20px	0px	Span elements, small labels
Caption	Inter	12px	500	16px	0px	List items, tiny labels, helper text

Principles

• Hierarchy through weight and size: Use bold weights (600–700) for headings; regular (400) for body; medium (500) for emphasis and UI labels.
• Line height consistency: Maintain 1.5× line-height ratio for body text (16px = 24px) and proportional scaling for display sizes to ensure readability.
• Font pairing: Inter is the sole typeface across the system, ensuring consistency and reducing cognitive load.
• Contrast and accessibility: All text meets WCAG AA standards with sufficient contrast against backgrounds.
• Responsive scaling: Maintain hierarchy across breakpoints; reduce heading sizes by 10–20% on mobile while preserving weight distinctions.

4. Component Stylings

Buttons

Primary Button

• Background: #C2410C
• Text Color: #FFFCF7
• Font Size: 16px
• Font Weight: 500
• Padding: 6px 15px
• Border Radius: 8px
• Border: 1px solid rgba(255, 252, 247, 0)
• Height: 38px
• Line Height: 24px
• Box Shadow: none
• Hover State: Background brightens to #097FE8, shadow adds subtle lift
• Active State: Background darkens to #005BAB, no shadow
• Disabled State: Background becomes rgba(28, 25, 23, 0.1), text color rgba(28, 25, 23, 0.4), cursor not-allowed

Secondary Button

• Background: #E6F3FE
• Text Color: #005BAB
• Font Size: 16px
• Font Weight: 500
• Padding: 6px 15px
• Border Radius: 8px
• Border: 1px solid rgba(255, 252, 247, 0)
• Height: 38px
• Line Height: 24px
• Box Shadow: none
• Hover State: Background darkens to #D6E8FD, text color remains #005BAB
• Active State: Background becomes #C0DFFB, text color #003F7F

Ghost / Tertiary Button

• Background: rgba(28, 25, 23, 0)
• Text Color: rgba(28, 25, 23, 0.898)
• Font Size: 16px
• Font Weight: 400
• Padding: 5px 10px (compact) or 6px 15px (standard)
• Border Radius: 4px or 8px
• Border: 0px none
• Height: 30px (compact) or 36px (standard)
• Line Height: 24px
• Box Shadow: none
• Hover State: Background becomes rgba(28, 25, 23, 0.05), text darkens
• Active State: Background becomes rgba(28, 25, 23, 0.1)

Icon Button

• Background: rgba(28, 25, 23, 0) (default) or rgba(28, 25, 23, 0.05) (hover)
• Text Color: rgba(28, 25, 23, 0.6)
• Padding: 11px 11px
• Border Radius: 0px or 4px
• Height: auto
• Width: auto
• Hover State: Background rgba(28, 25, 23, 0.05), text color rgba(28, 25, 23, 0.898)

Cards & Containers

Light Blue Card

• Background: #F2F9FF
• Text Color: rgba(28, 25, 23, 0.898)
• Font Size: 16px
• Font Weight: 400
• Padding: 16px 16px
• Border Radius: 8px
• Border: 1px solid rgba(28, 25, 23, 0.05)
• Box Shadow: none
• Height: 256px
• Width: 254px
• Line Height: 24px

Neutral Card (No Background)

• Background: rgba(28, 25, 23, 0)
• Text Color: rgba(28, 25, 23, 0.95)
• Padding: 0px 0px
• Border Radius: 0px
• Border: 0px none
• Box Shadow: none

Card with Rounded Top

• Background: rgba(28, 25, 23, 0)
• Text Color: rgba(28, 25, 23, 0.898)
• Padding: 0px 0px
• Border Radius: 8px 8px 0px 0px
• Border: 0px none
• Height: 126px
• Width: 220px
• Line Height: 0px

Inputs & Forms

Text Input

• Background: rgba(28, 25, 23, 0) (transparent) or #FFFCF7 (solid variant)
• Text Color: rgba(28, 25, 23, 0.95)
• Font Size: 16px
• Font Weight: 400
• Padding: 7px 10px 7px 30px (with icon) or 11px 46px 11px 12px (search)
• Border Radius: 5px or 6px
• Border: 1px solid rgba(28, 25, 23, 0.08)
• Height: 100% or 44px (standard)
• Width: 100%
• Line Height: 24px
• Box Shadow: none (default) or rgba(28, 25, 23, 0.016) 0px 0.7px 1.462px 0px, rgba(28, 25, 23, 0.03) 0px 3px 9px 0px (search variant)
• Focus State: Border color #C2410C, box shadow adds blue glow
• Disabled State: Background rgba(28, 25, 23, 0.05), text color rgba(28, 25, 23, 0.4), cursor not-allowed

Navigation

Top Navigation Bar

• Background: #FFFCF7
• Text Color: rgba(28, 25, 23, 0.898)
• Font Size: 16px
• Font Weight: 400
• Padding: 0px 0px
• Border Radius: 0px
• Border: 0px none
• Box Shadow: rgba(28, 25, 23, 0) 0px 1px 0px 0px
• Height: 64px
• Width: 1440px
• Line Height: 24px
• Hover State (nav items): Text color #C2410C, background subtle gray

Links

Primary Link

• Background: rgba(28, 25, 23, 0)
• Text Color: #C2410C
• Font Size: 16px
• Font Weight: 400
• Padding: 0px 0px
• Border Radius: 0px
• Border: 0px none
• Box Shadow: none
• Line Height: 24px
• Hover State: Text color #097FE8, underline appears
• Visited State: Text color #005BAB

Small Link

• Background: rgba(28, 25, 23, 0)
• Text Color: #C2410C
• Font Size: 12px
• Font Weight: 500
• Line Height: 16px
• Hover State: Text color #097FE8, slight underline

5. Layout Principles

Spacing System

Base Unit: 4px

Scale:

• 4px: Micro-spacing, gap between inline elements
• 8px: Tight spacing, compact component gaps
• 12px: Small spacing, form field gaps
• 16px: Standard padding, component internal spacing
• 20px: Medium gap, section separators
• 24px: Card and container padding
• 28px: Comfortable spacing, section headers
• 32px: Large spacing, content section margins
• 36px: Extra spacing, between major sections
• 64px: Large gap, between distinct content areas
• 80px: Extra-large margin, hero section spacing
• 124px: Massive padding, hero container spacing

Usage Context:

• Tight UI (forms, inputs): 4px–12px gaps and padding
• Standard components (buttons, cards): 16px padding
• Content sections: 24px–32px spacing
• Hero and marketing: 64px–124px spacing

Grid & Container

Max Width: 1440px for full-width content

Column Strategy: 12-column grid for larger layouts; fluid for smaller. Cards and content blocks use 3–4 column layouts on desktop, collapsing to single column on mobile.

Section Patterns:

• Hero sections: Full-width with 124px top/bottom padding, centered content
• Content rows: Max-width container with 32px left/right margin on desktop
• Card grids: 3–4 cards per row on desktop, 20px gap between cards

Whitespace Philosophy

Generous whitespace is intentional and functional. The system embraces negative space to reduce cognitive load and prioritize content. Large breathing room around heroes and CTAs guides user attention. Interior component spacing (padding) is consistent at 16px, creating visual rhythm. Margins between sections scale with content hierarchy, with larger gaps signaling distinct topic shifts.

Border Radius Scale

• 0px: Structural elements, navigation bars
• 4px: Compact buttons, icon buttons, tight UI
• 5px: Form inputs, search fields
• 6px: Alternative input variant
• 8px: Standard cards, most components, primary buttons
• 8px 8px 0px 0px: Cards with squared bottoms
• 9999px: Pill-shaped buttons, rounded badges
• 100%: Circular avatars and iconography

Border Widths

• Thin (1px): Default border stroke for cards, inputs, and buttons
• Medium (2px): Emphasis borders for highlighted cards and active states

6. Depth & Elevation

Level	Treatment	Use
Base (1)	No shadow	Flat backgrounds, neutral surfaces
Level 2 (2)	rgba(28, 25, 23, 0) 0px 1px 0px 0px	Navigation bars, subtle borders
Level 3 (3)	rgba(28, 25, 23, 0.01) 0px 0.175px 1.041px 0px, rgba(28, 25, 23, 0.02) 0px 0.8px 2.925px 0px, rgba(28, 25, 23, 0.027) 0px 2.025px 7.847px 0px, rgba(28, 25, 23, 0.04) 0px 4px 18px 0px	Dropdowns, floating panels, subtle lift
Level 4 (4)	rgba(28, 25, 23, 0.2) 0px 2px 7px 0px	Modals, overlays, high prominence
Level 5 (5)	rgba(28, 25, 23, 0.04) 0px 4px 18px 0px, rgba(28, 25, 23, 0.027) 0px 2.025px 7.84688px 0px, rgba(28, 25, 23, 0.02) 0px 0.8px 2.925px 0px, rgba(28, 25, 23, 0.01) 0px 0.175px 1.04062px 0px, rgba(255, 252, 247, 0.6) 0px 0px 1px 0px	Custom elevated surfaces, layered UI, soft glow

Shadow Philosophy: Notion employs a subtle, multi-layer shadow system that creates depth without visual harshness. Shadows use low opacity black with layered blur values to mimic natural light diffusion. A white inner highlight (seen in Level 5) adds luminosity and prevents cards from appearing sunken. Shadows scale with component hierarchy: navigation is nearly flat, dropdowns have gentle lift, and modals cast pronounced shadows.

Opacity Levels

• 5% (0.05): Very subtle hover states, light background tints
• 10% (0.10): Disabled button backgrounds, very faint overlays
• 20% (0.20): Modal overlays, semi-transparent backgrounds
• 40% (0.40): Disabled text, secondary placeholder color
• 50% (0.50): Medium-emphasis overlays, secondary icon color
• 80% (0.80): Near-opaque text, high-contrast secondary elements
• 100% (1.0): Primary text and foreground elements

Z-index / Layering

• Base Layer (z-index: 1): Content, cards, default elements
• Elevated Content (z-index: 2): Overlays above base content
• Floating Elements (z-index: 3): Tooltips, small floating UI
• High Floating (z-index: 4): Popovers, expanded menus
• Dropdown / Floating (z-index: 10): Dropdown menus, select popups
• Sticky Elements (z-index: 100): Sticky headers, fixed navigation
• High Sticky (z-index: 500): High-priority sticky elements, persistent overlays
• Modal / Dialog (z-index: 1000): Modals, dialogs, highest priority UI

7. Do's and Don'ts

Do

• Use primary blue (#C2410C) for all primary CTAs to maintain action recognition and consistency across the product.
• Maintain 16px padding inside cards and containers as the system standard; this creates visual rhythm and breathing room.
• Layer shadows intentionally: Base elements have no shadow; elevated components use multi-layer shadows with transparent black layers.
• Pair heading and body text logically: Use Display XL/LG for heroes, Heading SM/MD for feature titles, Body for paragraphs.
• Respect whitespace: Use generous spacing (32px–64px) between major sections to reduce cognitive load.
• Apply consistent 8px border radius to most interactive components (buttons, cards, inputs) unless a specific design calls for alternatives.
• Test text contrast: Ensure all text meets WCAG AA standards (4.5:1 for normal text, 3:1 for large text).
• Use semantic color mapping: Status colors (error red, warning yellow, success teal) must align with their semantic meaning.

Don't

• Don't use pure black text on colored backgrounds without checking contrast; use rgba(28, 25, 23, 0.898) or white as appropriate.
• Don't overuse accent colors (purple, orange, teal); reserve them for badges, status indicators, or secondary features.
• Don't apply drop shadows to flat UI elements unless they float or overlay; most cards and containers should be shadow-free.
• Don't mix font families outside the Inter system; consistency is key to visual cohesion.
• Don't compress whitespace in hero sections; the large 64px–124px spacing is intentional and supports content hierarchy.
• Don't create custom button sizes; stick to the 38px (primary) and 36px (secondary) standard heights.
• Don't apply border radius smaller than 4px except in rare cases; micro-radii appear unfinished.
• Don't nest more than 3 levels of z-index in typical layouts; excessive layering signals poor hierarchy.

8. Responsive Behavior

Breakpoints

Name	Width	Key Changes
Mobile	< 640px	Single column, reduced padding (12px), smaller headings (−20%), stacked navigation
Tablet	640px–1024px	Two-column grid for cards, 16px padding, adjusted spacing (20px–24px), hamburger menu
Desktop	1024px–1440px	Three-column card grids, standard 16px padding, full spacing scale, full navigation
Wide	> 1440px	Four-column grids possible, max-width container enforced at 1440px, standard spacing maintained

Touch Targets

• Minimum touch target size: 44px × 44px (equivalent to ~11mm at standard 96 DPI)
• Button height on mobile: Ensure primary buttons are at least 44px tall for comfortable touch
• Link/icon hit area: Aim for 48px × 48px on mobile; 36px × 36px acceptable on desktop
• Form input minimum height: 44px on mobile, 38px on desktop
• Spacing between clickable elements: Minimum 8px gap to prevent accidental adjacent taps

Collapsing Strategy

• Hero sections: Reduce heading sizes by 15–20% on tablet, 25–30% on mobile; maintain Display XL for true heroes, collapse to Heading LG on mobile.
• Multi-column grids: Collapse from 4 columns (desktop) → 2 columns (tablet) → 1 column (mobile); maintain 20px gap on all sizes.
• Navigation: Full horizontal nav on desktop → hamburger menu icon on tablet/mobile; preserve primary actions (CTA buttons) in mobile header.
• Padding: Reduce from 16px (desktop) to 12px (tablet) to 8px (mobile) for card interiors on constrained screens.
• Spacing: Large gaps (64px, 80px) reduce to 36px–48px on tablet, 24px–32px on mobile while preserving visual hierarchy.
• Typography: Body text remains 16px for legibility; headings scale proportionally; line-height increases slightly on mobile for readability.

9. Agent Prompt Guide

Quick Color Reference

• Primary CTA Background: Primary Blue (#C2410C)
• Primary CTA Text: White (#FFFCF7)
• Secondary CTA Background: Light Blue Surface (#E6F3FE)
• Secondary CTA Text: Dark Blue (#005BAB)
• Main Text: Black (#1C1917)
• Secondary Text: Medium Gray (#A39E98)
• Heading Text: Black (#1C1917)
• Card Background (Accent): Light Blue Surface (#F2F9FF)
• Card Background (Neutral): White (#FFFCF7)
• Card Border: Border Stroke (rgba(28, 25, 23, 0.05))
• Input Border: Input Border (rgba(28, 25, 23, 0.08))
• Error State: Error Red (#F64932)
• Warning State: Warning Yellow (#FFB110)
• Success State: Teal (#27918D)
• Disabled Element: rgba(28, 25, 23, 0.1) background, rgba(28, 25, 23, 0.4) text
• Hover Overlay (Light): rgba(28, 25, 23, 0.05) background
• Modal Overlay: rgba(28, 25, 23, 0.2) with z-index: 1000

Iteration Guide

1. Primary buttons are always #C2410C with white text, 16px font, 500 weight, 6px 15px padding, 8px radius, 38px height. No exceptions; this is the system's action anchor.

2. All card padding defaults to 16px 16px with #F2F9FF background and 1px solid rgba(28, 25, 23, 0.05) border. Use 8px border radius unless specified otherwise (e.g., rounded-top cards use 8px 8px 0px 0px).

3. Section spacing scales from 32px (comfortable) to 64px (emphatic) to 80px–124px (hero). Hero sections reserve the largest spacing; maintain proportional scale across breakpoints by multiplying by 0.5–0.75 on mobile.

4. Typography hierarchy uses Inter exclusively: Display XL (96px, 600) → Heading LG (64px, 700) → Heading SM (32px, 700) → Body (16px, 400). Always match weight to size; heavier weights signal higher priority.

5. Forms use 44px input height with 11px 46px 11px 12px padding, 6px radius, 1px solid rgba(28, 25, 23, 0.08) border. Focus state adds blue glow; disabled state becomes rgba(28, 25, 23, 0.05) background.

6. Shadows follow a 5-level elevation system: Base (none) → Navigation (1px line) → Dropdowns (multi-layer subtle) → Modals (0px 2px 7px with rgba(28, 25, 23, 0.2)) → Custom elevated surfaces (Level 5 with white inner glow).

7. Z-index reserves: 1 (base) → 10 (dropdowns) → 100 (sticky) → 500 (high sticky) → 1000 (modals). Never exceed 1000; if nesting requires higher values, restructure HTML hierarchy.

8. Responsive breakpoints collapse as: Desktop (3–4 col grid, 16px padding) → Tablet (2 col, 16px padding) → Mobile (1 col, 12px padding). Headings reduce by 20–30% on mobile; spacing contracts by 50% (e.g., 64px → 32px).

9. Ghost buttons are transparent with rgba(28, 25, 23, 0.898) text; hover adds rgba(28, 25, 23, 0.05) background. Never add borders to ghost buttons; let the hover state provide visual feedback.

10. Link colors default to #C2410C (primary blue); visited links become #005BAB (dark blue). Underlines appear on hover; maintain minimum 12px line-height for accessibility.