Perplexity — Design System
Perplexity's web front IS the answer box: custom PPLX Sans at interface sizes (16px), the ask-anything input as the entire hero, and teal-on-offwhite calm around it. The stored marketing sections show the brand at editorial scale, but the live product page has collapsed to pure app — search reimagined as a text field with nothing left to say around it.
This is a static, crawlable rendering for search & AI engines. The interactive version — filters, live decode console, copy & export — is at https://mozaika.design/ds/perplexity.
Tokens
Perplexity's decoded design system: background #FCFCF9, text #000000, accent #8EBEC3, link #8EBEC3, primary #1A73E8; type scale h1 16px / h2 16px / body 16px; 4px spacing base; 8px base radius. The single interactive/action color is #F5F4F0 — used only on interactive or must-notice elements (buttons, links, key highlights), never on large fills.
Color roles
| Role | Value |
|---|---|
| bg | #FCFCF9 |
| surface | #ECECEA |
| border | #D6D6D3 |
| text | #000000 |
| text_muted | #5F5F5E |
| primary | #1A73E8 |
| accent | #8EBEC3 |
| link | #8EBEC3 |
| secondary | #1FB8CD |
| button_bg | #F5F4F0 |
| button_text | #000000 |
Using these colors
- Action color
#F5F4F0— the single interactive color; only on things you click or must notice, never large fills. accent,linkare all#8EBEC3— one role, not several (the action color).- accent
#8EBEC3— accent for emphasis — keep it rare on the page. - primary
#1A73E8— a brand color — but the call-to-action uses #F5F4F0, not this. - secondary
#1FB8CD— optional secondary accent — LOW decode confidence; use rarely (a status color or a single decorative moment) or omit it entirely. Prefer one accent unless the reference clearly shows two.
Typography
- Heading: PPLX Sans
- Body: PPLX Sans
- h1: 16px
- h2: 16px
- body: 16px
Spacing
- base unit: 4px
- scale: 2px, 4px, 6px, 8px, 12px, 16px, 24px, 32px
Radii
- base: 8px
- button: 11px
Per-section tokens (2)
Export: DESIGN.md
# Perplexity — Design System > light, modern, medium, tailwind Perplexity's web front IS the answer box: custom PPLX Sans at interface sizes (16px), the ask-anything input as the entire hero, and teal-on-offwhite calm around it. The stored marketing sections show the brand at editorial scale, but the live product page has collapsed to pure app — search reimagined as a text field with nothing left to say around it. ## Colors | Role | Value | |------|-------| | bg | `#FCFCF9` | | surface | `#ECECEA` | | border | `#D6D6D3` | | text | `#000000` | | text_muted | `#5F5F5E` | | primary | `#1A73E8` | | accent | `#8EBEC3` | | link | `#8EBEC3` | | secondary | `#1FB8CD` | | button_bg | `#F5F4F0` | | button_text | `#000000` | **Using these colors** - **Action color** `#F5F4F0` — the single interactive color; it appears only on things you click or must notice (buttons, key highlights), never on large fills or backgrounds. - `accent`, `link` are all `#8EBEC3` — one role, not several. - **accent** `#8EBEC3` — accent for emphasis — keep it rare on the page. - **primary** `#1A73E8` — a brand color — but the call-to-action uses #F5F4F0, not this. - **secondary** `#1FB8CD` — optional secondary accent — LOW decode confidence; use rarely (a status color or a single decorative moment) or omit it entirely. Prefer one accent unless the reference clearly shows two. ## Typography - Heading: **PPLX Sans** _(free fallback: Newsreader)_ - Body: **PPLX Sans** _(free fallback: Newsreader)_ - h1: 16px - h2: 16px - body: 16px > **Fonts —** PPLX Sans may be proprietary — safe free fallback: Newsreader (Google Fonts). ## Spacing - base unit: 4px - scale: 2px, 4px, 6px, 8px, 12px, 16px, 24px, 32px ## Radius - base: 8px - button: 11px ## Primary button - bg `#F5F4F0` · text `#000000` · radius 11px ## How to apply Paste the Tailwind `@theme` (or CSS variables) as your base, then build each section to its spec — verify every color, radius, and font against these tokens.
Export: Tailwind v4 (@theme)
@theme {
/* action color #F5F4F0 — the one interactive color; buttons/links/emphasis only, never large fills. */
--color-bg: #FCFCF9;
--color-surface: #ECECEA;
--color-border: #D6D6D3;
--color-text: #000000;
--color-text-muted: #5F5F5E;
--color-primary: #1A73E8; /* a brand color — but the call-to-action uses #F5F4F0, not this. */
--color-accent: #8EBEC3; /* accent for emphasis — keep it rare on the page. */
--color-link: #8EBEC3; /* fails contrast on the background (~2.0:1) — this is a dark UI color, NOT a readable link; use the text or action color for links (verify against the reference). */
--color-secondary: #1FB8CD; /* optional secondary accent — LOW decode confidence; use rarely (a status color or a single decorative moment) or omit it entirely. Prefer one accent unless the reference clearly shows two. */
--color-button-bg: #F5F4F0; /* primary-button fill — the main call-to-action color. */
--color-button-text: #000000;
/* fonts: PPLX Sans may be proprietary — safe free fallback: Newsreader (Google Fonts). */
--font-heading: "PPLX Sans", "Newsreader", system-ui, -apple-system, 'Segoe UI', sans-serif;
--font-body: "PPLX Sans", "Newsreader", system-ui, -apple-system, 'Segoe UI', sans-serif;
--text-h1: 16px;
--text-h2: 16px;
--text-body: 16px;
--radius-base: 8px;
--radius-button: 11px;
--spacing-1: 2px;
--spacing-2: 4px;
--spacing-3: 6px;
--spacing-4: 8px;
--spacing-5: 12px;
--spacing-6: 16px;
--spacing-7: 24px;
--spacing-8: 32px;
}Export: CSS variables
:root {
/* action color #F5F4F0 — the one interactive color; buttons/links/emphasis only, never large fills. */
--bg: #FCFCF9;
--surface: #ECECEA;
--border: #D6D6D3;
--text: #000000;
--text-muted: #5F5F5E;
--primary: #1A73E8; /* a brand color — but the call-to-action uses #F5F4F0, not this. */
--accent: #8EBEC3; /* accent for emphasis — keep it rare on the page. */
--link: #8EBEC3; /* fails contrast on the background (~2.0:1) — this is a dark UI color, NOT a readable link; use the text or action color for links (verify against the reference). */
--secondary: #1FB8CD; /* optional secondary accent — LOW decode confidence; use rarely (a status color or a single decorative moment) or omit it entirely. Prefer one accent unless the reference clearly shows two. */
--button-bg: #F5F4F0; /* primary-button fill — the main call-to-action color. */
--button-text: #000000;
--font-heading: "PPLX Sans", "Newsreader", system-ui, -apple-system, 'Segoe UI', sans-serif;
--font-body: "PPLX Sans", "Newsreader", system-ui, -apple-system, 'Segoe UI', sans-serif;
--radius: 8px;
--radius-button: 11px;
}
/* fonts: PPLX Sans may be proprietary — safe free fallback: Newsreader (Google Fonts). */