MozaikaDesign system

PostHog — Design System

light · modern · medium · tailwind · confidence 90%

PostHog turns its whole site into a bit: a fake desktop OS on warm paper #EEEFE9 where every page opens as a draggable document window, so the marketing reads like files on a founder's computer. Open Runde headlines stay document-small (24px/800) while IBM Plex Sans carries 15px body — README typography, not billboard type. Hand-drawn hedgehogs do the brand work, amber #CD8407 buttons and the signal orange #F54E00 do the pointing, and the conversion moments are jokes played straight: a shrink-wrapped 'PostHog 3000' CD-ROM box, a fake cart toast, a pricing letter from the co-founder. It is the rare developer brand where humor is the design system — and the transparency reads as credibility.

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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/posthog.

Tokens

PostHog's decoded design system: background #E1D7C2, text #4D4F46, accent #CD8407, link #E3DFD1, primary #E1D7C2; type scale h1 16px / h2 16px / body 12px; 4px spacing base; 4px base radius. The single interactive/action color is #CD8407 — used only on interactive or must-notice elements (buttons, links, key highlights), never on large fills.

Color roles

RoleValue
bg#E1D7C2
surface#D8CEBA
border#CAC2AF
text#4D4F46
text_muted#858275
primary#E1D7C2
accent#CD8407
link#E3DFD1
secondary#DDD6C5
button_bg#CD8407
button_text#23251D

Using these colors

Typography

Spacing

Radii

Per-section tokens (28)

Export: DESIGN.md

# PostHog — Design System

> light, modern, medium, tailwind

PostHog turns its whole site into a bit: a fake desktop OS on warm paper #EEEFE9 where every page opens as a draggable document window, so the marketing reads like files on a founder's computer. Open Runde headlines stay document-small (24px/800) while IBM Plex Sans carries 15px body — README typography, not billboard type. Hand-drawn hedgehogs do the brand work, amber #CD8407 buttons and the signal orange #F54E00 do the pointing, and the conversion moments are jokes played straight: a shrink-wrapped 'PostHog 3000' CD-ROM box, a fake cart toast, a pricing letter from the co-founder. It is the rare developer brand where humor is the design system — and the transparency reads as credibility.

## Colors

| Role | Value |
|------|-------|
| bg | `#E1D7C2` |
| surface | `#D8CEBA` |
| border | `#CAC2AF` |
| text | `#4D4F46` |
| text_muted | `#858275` |
| primary | `#E1D7C2` |
| accent | `#CD8407` |
| link | `#E3DFD1` |
| secondary | `#DDD6C5` |
| button_bg | `#CD8407` |
| button_text | `#23251D` |

**Using these colors**

- **Action color** `#CD8407` — the single interactive color; it appears only on things you click or must notice (buttons, key highlights), never on large fills or backgrounds.
- `primary` `#E1D7C2`, `secondary` `#DDD6C5` are visually the same color (Δ8) — treat as one role.
- `accent`, `button_bg` are all `#CD8407` — one role, not several (your action color).
- **accent** `#CD8407` — THE accent / action color — interactive & must-notice only (buttons, links, focus, one key highlight); never large fills or backgrounds. Scarcity is what makes it read as designed.
- **link** `#E3DFD1` — fails contrast on the background (~1.1:1) — this is a dark UI color, NOT a readable link; use the text or action color for links (verify against the reference).

## Typography

- Heading: **Open Runde** _(free fallback: Newsreader)_
- Body: **IBM Plex Sans**
- h1: 16px
- h2: 16px
- body: 12px

> **Fonts —** Open Runde may be proprietary — safe free fallback: Newsreader (Google Fonts). IBM Plex Sans — free, on Google.

## Spacing
- base unit: 4px
- scale: 2px, 4px, 6px, 8px, 12px, 16px, 24px, 32px

## Radius
- base: 4px
- button: 6px

## Primary button
- bg `#CD8407` · text `#23251D` · radius 6px

## 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 #CD8407 — the one interactive color; buttons/links/emphasis only, never large fills. */
  --color-bg: #E1D7C2;
  --color-surface: #D8CEBA;
  --color-border: #CAC2AF;
  --color-text: #4D4F46;
  --color-text-muted: #858275;
  --color-primary: #E1D7C2;  /* a neutral UI color (chips, tags, icon fills, chrome), not the action color (action = #CD8407). */
  --color-accent: #CD8407;  /* THE accent / action color — interactive & must-notice only (buttons, links, focus, one key highlight); never large fills or backgrounds. Scarcity is what makes it read as designed. */
  --color-link: #E3DFD1;  /* fails contrast on the background (~1.1:1) — this is a dark UI color, NOT a readable link; use the text or action color for links (verify against the reference). */
  --color-secondary: #DDD6C5;  /* 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: #CD8407;  /* primary-button fill — the main call-to-action color. */
  --color-button-text: #23251D;
  /* fonts: Open Runde may be proprietary — safe free fallback: Newsreader (Google Fonts). IBM Plex Sans — free, on Google. */
  --font-heading: "Open Runde", "Newsreader", system-ui, -apple-system, 'Segoe UI', sans-serif;
  --font-body: "IBM Plex Sans", system-ui, -apple-system, 'Segoe UI', sans-serif;
  --text-h1: 16px;
  --text-h2: 16px;
  --text-body: 12px;
  --radius-base: 4px;
  --radius-button: 6px;
  --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 #CD8407 — the one interactive color; buttons/links/emphasis only, never large fills. */
  --bg: #E1D7C2;
  --surface: #D8CEBA;
  --border: #CAC2AF;
  --text: #4D4F46;
  --text-muted: #858275;
  --primary: #E1D7C2;  /* a neutral UI color (chips, tags, icon fills, chrome), not the action color (action = #CD8407). */
  --accent: #CD8407;  /* THE accent / action color — interactive & must-notice only (buttons, links, focus, one key highlight); never large fills or backgrounds. Scarcity is what makes it read as designed. */
  --link: #E3DFD1;  /* fails contrast on the background (~1.1:1) — this is a dark UI color, NOT a readable link; use the text or action color for links (verify against the reference). */
  --secondary: #DDD6C5;  /* 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: #CD8407;  /* primary-button fill — the main call-to-action color. */
  --button-text: #23251D;
  --font-heading: "Open Runde", "Newsreader", system-ui, -apple-system, 'Segoe UI', sans-serif;
  --font-body: "IBM Plex Sans", system-ui, -apple-system, 'Segoe UI', sans-serif;
  --radius: 4px;
  --radius-button: 6px;
}
/* fonts: Open Runde may be proprietary — safe free fallback: Newsreader (Google Fonts). IBM Plex Sans — free, on Google. */