Notion
Notion
notion
Design System
Notion logo

Notion

Notion's website embodies the philosophy of the tool itself: a blank canvas that gets out of your way. The design system is built on warm neutrals rather than cold grays, creating a distinctly approachable minimalism that feels like quality paper rather than sterile glass. The page canvas is pure white (#ffffff) but the text isn't pure black -- it's a warm

01

Color Palette

Brand

Accent

Neutrals

Semantic

02

Typography

Type Scale

Rendered in system-ui to clearly show scale & weight.

display48px · 700 · 1.25
Design at scale
32px32px · 700 · 1.25
Section heading
heading-lg24px · 700 · 1.4
Subheading
body16px · 400 · 1.5
Body text. The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. Designed for readable line-height in long-form content.
small12px · 400 · 1.5
Supporting text
caption12px · 400 · 1.5
Caption · timestamp · 2026
label10px · 500 · 1.5
BADGE / LABEL

Fonts

Primary
Notion Inter (modified)
Open · OFL
Notion uses a slightly customized Inter — install standard Inter as a near-perfect match.
Install via Use Inter (Google Fonts)
03

Spacing & Shape

Spacing

PurposeValuePreview
Densitycomfortable
Base unit8px
Section gap16px
Card padding12px
Element gap8px

Border Radius

ElementValuePreview
buttonsMicro4px
inputsMicro4px
functionalMicro4px
linksSubtle5px
listSubtle5px
menuSubtle5px
smallStandard8px
containersStandard8px
inlineStandard8px
standardComfortable12px
featureComfortable12px
imageComfortable12px

Borders

ElementValuePreview
Border1px solid #dddddd

Elevation

Subtle
Default
Elevated
Floating
Modal
04

Guidelines

Do and Don't guidelines parsed from DESIGN.md.

Do

  • Use warm near-black for text via rgba(0,0,0,0.95) — pure #000000 reads as cold and clinical against Notion's warm canvas.
  • apply aggressive negative tracking (-2.125px at 64px) on display headlines using NotionInter (or standard Inter).
  • Use ultra-thin 1px solid rgba(0,0,0,0.1) borders as the dominant separation pattern — they exist as whispers.
  • stack multi-layer shadows with each layer below 0.05 opacity for cumulative depth.
  • reserve Notion Blue #0075de for CTAs and interactive elements only — it's the singular accent.
  • enable OpenType "lnum" and "locl" features on larger text — they reward close reading.
  • ensure visible focus indicators on every interactive element — 2px solid outline in Focus Blue (#097fe8) plus shadow level 200 reinforcement. Tab navigation must work everywhere.
  • maintain WCAG AA-or-better contrast ratios:

Don't

  • Use cold grays (#9ca3af, #6b7280) — they break the warm yellow-brown undertone that defines Notion's analog feel.
  • Use default tracking on display sizes — Notion's typography is precisely engineered, not casual.
  • Use heavy borders, opaque colors, or visible shadows — Notion's depth is felt, not seen.
  • Use single-layer drop shadows over 0.1 opacity — they read as heavy and break the analog warmth.
  • scatter blue across borders, dividers, or decorative elements — the brand uses blue surgically.
  • disable these features for Latin-only contexts — they're part of Notion's typographic refinement.
  • drop focus rings to "look cleaner" — they are mandatory across the system, not decoration.
  • Use Notion Blue at less than ~4.5:1 against any background — the brand color carries an accessibility floor.
05

Components

Buttons

button-primary
Background#0075de
Text#ffffff
Radius4
Padding8px 16px
Use: Primary CTA (Get Notion free)
button-secondary
Backgroundrgba(0,0,0,0.05)
Text#000000
Radius4
Padding8px 16px
Use: Secondary actions, form submit
button-ghost
Backgroundtransparent
Text#000000
Use: Tertiary actions, inline links

Badges

badge
badge
Background#f2f9ff
Text#097fe8
Radius9999
Padding4px 8px
Font12px/600
Use: Status badges, feature labels, New tags

Cards

card
card
Background#ffffff
Radius12
Use: Standard content card, whisper border

Inputs

input
Background#ffffff
Text#000000
Radius4
Padding6px
Use: Forms, fields

Related design systems