Design System Inspired by Supabase

Supabase's website is a dark-mode-native developer platform that channels the aesthetic of a premium code editor — deep black backgrounds (#0f0f0f, #171717) with emerald green accents (#3ecf8e, #00c573) that reference the brand's open-source, PostgreSQL-green identity. The design system feels like it was born in a terminal window and evolved into a sophisticated marketing surface without losing its developer soul.

The typography is built on "Circular" — a geometric sans-serif with rounded terminals that softens the technical edge. At 72px with a 1.00 line-height, the hero text is compressed to its absolute minimum vertical space, creating dense, impactful statements that waste nothing. The monospace companion (Source Code Pro) appears sparingly for uppercase technical labels with 1.2px letter-spacing, creating the "developer console" markers that connect the marketing site to the product experience.

What makes Supabase distinctive is its sophisticated HSL-based color token system. Rather than flat hex values, Supabase uses HSL with alpha channels for nearly every color (--colors-crimson4, --colors-purple5, --colors-slateA12), enabling a nuanced layering system where colors interact through transparency. This creates depth through translucency — borders at rgba(46, 46, 46), surfaces at rgba(41, 41, 41, 0.84), and accents at partial opacity all blend with the dark background to create a rich, dimensional palette from minimal color ingredients.

The green accent (#3ecf8e) appears selectively — in the Supabase logo, in link colors (#00c573), and in border highlights (rgba(62, 207, 142, 0.3)) — always as a signal of "this is Supabase" rather than as a decorative element. Pill-shaped buttons (9999px radius) for primary CTAs contrast with standard 6px radius for secondary elements, creating a clear visual hierarchy of importance.

Key Characteristics:

• Dark-mode-native: near-black backgrounds (#0f0f0f, #171717) — never pure black

• Emerald green brand accent (#3ecf8e, #00c573) used sparingly as identity marker

• Circular font — geometric sans-serif with rounded terminals

• Source Code Pro for uppercase technical labels (1.2px letter-spacing)

• HSL-based color token system with alpha channels for translucent layering

• Pill buttons (9999px) for primary CTAs, 6px radius for secondary

• Neutral gray scale from #171717 through #898989 to #fafafa

• Border system using dark grays (#2e2e2e, #363636, #393939)

• Minimal shadows — depth through border contrast and transparency

• Radix color primitives (crimson, purple, violet, indigo, yellow, tomato, orange, slate)

### Buttons

Primary Pill (Dark)

• Background: #0f0f0f

• Text: #fafafa

• Padding: 8px 32px

• Radius: 9999px (full pill)

• Border: 1px solid #fafafa (white border on dark)

• Focus shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1) 0px 4px 12px

• Use: Primary CTA ("Start your project")

Secondary Pill (Dark, Muted)

• Background: #0f0f0f

• Text: #fafafa

• Padding: 8px 32px

• Radius: 9999px

• Border: 1px solid #2e2e2e (dark border)

• Opacity: 0.8

• Use: Secondary CTA alongside primary

Ghost Button

• Background: transparent

• Text: #fafafa

• Padding: 8px

• Radius: 6px

• Border: 1px solid transparent

• Use: Tertiary actions, icon buttons

### Cards & Containers

• Background: dark surfaces (#171717 or slightly lighter)

• Border: 1px solid #2e2e2e or #363636

• Radius: 8px–16px

• No visible shadows — borders define edges

• Internal padding: 16px–24px

### Tabs

• Border: 1px solid #2e2e2e

• Radius: 9999px (pill tabs)

• Active: green accent or lighter surface

• Inactive: dark, muted

### Links

• Green: #00c573 — Supabase-branded links

• Primary Light: #fafafa — standard links on dark

• Secondary: #b4b4b4 — muted links

• Muted: #898989 — tertiary links, footer

### Navigation

• Dark background matching page (#171717)

• Supabase logo with green icon

• Circular 14px weight 500 for nav links

• Clean horizontal layout with product dropdown

• Green "Start your project" CTA pill button

• Sticky header behavior

### Spacing System

• Base unit: 8px

• Scale: 1px, 4px, 6px, 8px, 12px, 16px, 20px, 24px, 32px, 40px, 48px, 90px, 96px, 128px

• Notable large jumps: 48px → 90px → 96px → 128px for major section spacing

### Grid & Container

• Centered content with generous max-width

• Full-width dark sections with constrained inner content

• Feature grids: icon-based grids with consistent card sizes

• Logo grids for "Trusted by" sections

• Footer: multi-column on dark background

### Breakpoints

| Name | Width | Key Changes |

|------|-------|-------------|

| Mobile | <600px | Single column, stacked layout |

| Desktop | >600px | Multi-column grids, expanded layout |

Note: Supabase uses a notably minimal breakpoint system — primarily a single 600px breakpoint, suggesting a mobile-first approach with progressive enhancement.

### Whitespace Philosophy

• Dramatic section spacing: 90px–128px between major sections creates a cinematic pacing — each section is its own scene in the dark void.

• Dense content blocks: Within sections, spacing is tight (16px–24px), creating concentrated information clusters.

• Border-defined space: Instead of whitespace + shadows for separation, Supabase uses thin borders on dark backgrounds — separation through line, not gap.

### Border Radius Scale

• Standard (6px): Ghost buttons, small elements

• Comfortable (8px): Cards, containers

• Medium (11px–12px): Mid-size panels

• Large (16px): Feature cards, major containers

• Pill (9999px): Primary buttons, tab indicators

### Breakpoints

| Name | Width | Key Changes |

|------|-------|-------------|

| Mobile | <600px | Single column, stacked features, condensed nav |

| Desktop | >600px | Multi-column grids, full nav, expanded sections |

### Collapsing Strategy

• Hero: 72px → scales down proportionally

• Feature grids: multi-column → single column stacked

• Logo row: horizontal → wrapped grid

• Navigation: full → hamburger

• Section spacing: 90–128px → 48–64px

• Buttons: inline → full-width stacked

### Quick Color Reference

• Background: #0f0f0f (button), #171717 (page)

• Text: #fafafa (primary), #b4b4b4 (secondary), #898989 (muted)

• Brand green: #3ecf8e (brand), #00c573 (links)

• Borders: #242424 (subtle), #2e2e2e (standard), #363636 (prominent)

• Green border: rgba(62, 207, 142, 0.3) (accent)

### Example Component Prompts

• "Create a hero section on #171717 background. Headline at 72px Circular weight 400, line-height 1.00, #fafafa text. Sub-text at 16px Circular weight 400, line-height 1.50, #b4b4b4. Pill CTA button (#0f0f0f bg, #fafafa text, 9999px radius, 8px 32px padding, 1px solid #fafafa border)."

• "Design a feature card: #171717 background, 1px solid #2e2e2e border, 16px radius. Title at 24px Circular weight 400, letter-spacing -0.16px. Body at 14px weight 400, #898989 text."

• "Build navigation bar: #171717 background. Circular 14px weight 500 for links, #fafafa text. Supabase logo with green icon left-aligned. Green pill CTA 'Start your project' right-aligned."

• "Create a technical label: Source Code Pro 12px, uppercase, letter-spacing 1.2px, #898989 text."

• "Design a framework logo grid: 6-column layout on dark, grayscale logos at 60% opacity, 1px solid #2e2e2e border between sections."

### Iteration Guide

1. Start with #171717 background — everything is dark-mode-native

2. Green is the brand identity marker — use it for links, logo, and accent borders only

3. Depth comes from borders (#242424 → #2e2e2e → #363636), not shadows

4. Weight 400 is the default for everything — 500 only for interactive elements

5. Hero line-height of 1.00 is the signature typographic move

6. Pill (9999px) for primary actions, 6px for secondary, 8-16px for cards

7. HSL with alpha channels creates the sophisticated translucent layering