Cardboard design system

---
version: alpha
name: Cardboard
description: "Dark monochrome interface measured from cardboard.ai: Denton type with Delight, tonal surfaces and 12px corners."
colors:
  background: "#000000"
  surface: "#000000"
  on-surface: "#FFFFFF"
  on-background: "#FFFFFF"
  on-surface-variant: "#F0F0F0"
  on-surface-muted: "#CCCCCC"
  on-surface-subtle: "#848484"
  surface-container-low: "#111214"
  surface-container: "#191919"
  surface-container-high: "#212121"
  overlay: "#2A2A2A26"
  overlay-strong: "#FFFFFF12"
  outline: "#6E9BFF29"
  primary: "#212121"
  on-primary: "#FFFFFF"
  secondary: "#D97757"
typography:
  headline-display:
    fontFamily: Denton
    fontSize: 54px
    fontWeight: 300
    lineHeight: 1.02
  headline-lg:
    fontFamily: Denton
    fontSize: 40px
    fontWeight: 300
    lineHeight: 1.1
  headline-md:
    fontFamily: Delight
    fontSize: 28px
    fontWeight: 400
    lineHeight: 1
  headline-sm:
    fontFamily: Denton
    fontSize: 24px
    fontWeight: 300
    lineHeight: 0.94
  title-lg:
    fontFamily: Delight
    fontSize: 20px
    fontWeight: 500
    lineHeight: 1.4
  body-md:
    fontFamily: Delight
    fontSize: 14px
    fontWeight: 400
    lineHeight: 1.5
  body-lg:
    fontFamily: Delight
    fontSize: 15px
    fontWeight: 400
    lineHeight: 1.5
    letterSpacing: 0.033em
  body-sm:
    fontFamily: Delight
    fontSize: 13px
    fontWeight: 400
    lineHeight: 1.4
  caption:
    fontFamily: Geist
    fontSize: 11px
    fontWeight: 400
    lineHeight: 1.5
  label-lg:
    fontFamily: Delight
    fontSize: 16px
    fontWeight: 500
    lineHeight: 1.5
  label-md:
    fontFamily: Delight
    fontSize: 15px
    fontWeight: 500
    lineHeight: 1.5
  label-sm:
    fontFamily: Delight
    fontSize: 14px
    fontWeight: 500
    lineHeight: 1.2
  headline-display-mobile:
    fontFamily: Denton
    fontSize: 40px
    fontWeight: 300
    lineHeight: 1.02
  headline-lg-mobile:
    fontFamily: Denton
    fontSize: 32px
    fontWeight: 300
    lineHeight: 1.1
  title-lg-mobile:
    fontFamily: Geist
    fontSize: 11px
    fontWeight: 400
    lineHeight: 1.5
  headline-md-mobile:
    fontFamily: Delight
    fontSize: 14px
    fontWeight: 400
    lineHeight: 1.5
rounded:
  sm: 5px
  md: 7.5px
  lg: 12px
  xl: 20px
spacing:
  xs: 2px
  sm: 8px
  md: 16px
  lg: 20px
  xl: 48px
  gutter: 16px
  section: 96px
  margin: 80px
  container: 1440px
components:
  button-primary:
    backgroundColor: "{colors.primary}"
    typography: "{typography.body-md}"
    rounded: "{rounded.lg}"
    padding: 8px 14px
    height: 33px
  button-secondary:
    backgroundColor: "{colors.surface-container-high}"
    textColor: "{colors.on-surface}"
    typography: "{typography.label-sm}"
    rounded: "{rounded.lg}"
    padding: 8.75px 14px
    height: 34px
  button-tertiary:
    backgroundColor: "{colors.on-surface}"
    textColor: "{colors.background}"
    typography: "{typography.label-sm}"
    rounded: "{rounded.lg}"
    padding: 8.75px 14px
    height: 34px
  button-ghost:
    textColor: "{colors.on-surface}"
    typography: "{typography.label-sm}"
    rounded: 6px
    padding: 0px
  input-field:
    textColor: "{colors.on-surface}"
    typography: "{typography.label-lg}"
    rounded: 0px
    padding: 0px
  card:
    backgroundColor: "{colors.surface-container-low}"
    textColor: "#D9D9D9"
    typography: "{typography.body-md}"
    rounded: "{rounded.xl}"
    padding: 28px
  link:
    textColor: "#FFFFFF99"
---

# Cardboard Design System

## Overview

Cardboard describes itself as: “An agentic AI video editor in your browser and on your Mac. Describe your edit and Cardboard cuts, captions, reframes, and composes it.” The interface is dark, built on **Near Black (#000000)** with **White (#FFFFFF)** text and almost no color: actions are carried by contrast, not hue.

Type is set in **Denton** and **Delight**. Headlines run large; body text is 14px. The surface language is flat. Corners are mostly 12px.

Measured from [cardboard.ai](https://www.cardboard.ai/) on November 6, 2026 at 1440×900 and 390×844 from 453 rendered elements. Values are computed styles from the live page, not the original source files.

## Colors

The palette has 14 roles, plus gradient stops #D1E6FF, #0A1B2E, #0A2C4B, #0A3C67.

- **Near Black (#000000):** Page background, seen 2 times. Token `background`.
- **White (#FFFFFF):** Primary text and headings, seen 46 times. Token `on-surface`, CSS `--color-white`.
- **Mist (#F0F0F0):** Secondary text, seen 3 times. Token `on-surface-variant`.
- **Silver (#CCCCCC):** Muted text and metadata, seen 2 times. Token `on-surface-muted`.
- **Gray (#848484):** Subtle text and placeholders, seen 6 times. Token `on-surface-subtle`.
- **Charcoal (#111214):** Raised areas one step from the page, seen 3 times. Token `surface-container-low`.
- **Charcoal (#191919):** Cards and panels, seen 63 times. Token `surface-container`.
- **Charcoal (#212121):** Hover and pressed fills, seen 7 times. Token `surface-container-high`.
- **Graphite 15% (#2A2A2A26):** Translucent fill for cards and controls, seen 6 times. Token `overlay`.
- **White 7% (#FFFFFF12):** Stronger translucent fill, seen 1 time. Token `overlay-strong`.
- **Light Blue 16% (#6E9BFF29):** Borders and dividers, seen 1 time. Token `outline`.
- **Charcoal (#212121):** Primary buttons and calls to action, seen 8 times. Token `primary`.
- **White (#FFFFFF):** Text and icons on primary. Token `on-primary`.
- **Red (#D97757):** Accent, seen 1 time. Token `secondary`.

## Typography

**Denton**, **Delight** and **Geist** share the interface. Fallback stack: `Denton, Raveo Variable Variable, serif`. Other loaded fonts: Inter, Raveo Variable Variable.

- **headline-display:** Denton 54px at weight 300, line height 1.02 (40px on mobile). Page title (h1).
- **headline-lg:** Denton 40px at weight 300, line height 1.1 (32px on mobile). Section headings (h2).
- **headline-md:** Delight 28px at weight 400, line height 1 (14px on mobile). Sub-section headings.
- **headline-sm:** Denton 24px at weight 300, line height 0.94. Card and feature titles.
- **title-lg:** Delight 20px at weight 500, line height 1.4 (11px on mobile). Small titles.
- **body-md:** Delight 14px at weight 400, line height 1.5. Body text.
- **body-lg:** Delight 15px at weight 400, line height 1.5, tracking 0.033em. Lead paragraphs.
- **body-sm:** Delight 13px at weight 400, line height 1.4. Secondary and small text.
- **caption:** Geist 11px at weight 400, line height 1.5. Captions and fine print.
- **label-lg:** Delight 16px at weight 500, line height 1.5. Large buttons and tabs.
- **label-md:** Delight 15px at weight 500, line height 1.5. Buttons, navigation and labels.
- **label-sm:** Delight 14px at weight 500, line height 1.2. Small labels and badges.

## Layout

Spacing is mostly on a 4px grid (72% of measured values), with some off-grid steps. Match the measured scale rather than rounding everything.

- **Scale:** xs 2px, sm 8px, md 16px, lg 20px, xl 48px.
- **Sections:** 96px vertical padding between major sections.
- **Gaps:** 16px is the most common gap in flex and grid layouts.
- **Container:** content is capped at 1440px.
- **Page margin:** 80px on each side of full-width sections.
- **Breakpoints:** 840px, 1400px, 1440px, 1600px.

## Elevation & Depth

The design is flat: no shadows were measured. Hierarchy comes from tonal surface steps (#111214 → #191919 → #212121) and #6E9BFF29 borders.

## Shapes

Most elements use 12px corners. Measured radii, most used first:

- **lg (12px):** 304 elements.
- **sm (5px):** 36 elements.
- **md (7.5px):** 36 elements.
- **xl (20px):** 16 elements.

## Components

Measured from the rendered page. Token values reference the tokens above.

- **button-primary (“Launch Video”):** #212121 fill, #00000000 text, 14px/400, 12px radius, padding 8px 14px.
- **button-secondary (“Login”):** #212121 fill, #FFFFFF text, 14px/500, 12px radius, padding 8.75px 14px.
- **button-tertiary (“Get started”):** #FFFFFF fill, #000000 text, 14px/500, 12px radius, padding 8.75px 14px.
- **button-ghost (“Auto”):** transparent fill, #FFFFFF text, 14px/500, 6px radius, padding 0px.
- **input-field (“Describe your video, or drop foo”):** transparent fill, #FFFFFF text, 16px/500, padding 0px.
- **card:** #111214 fill, #D9D9D9 text, 14px/400, 20px radius, padding 28px.
- **link:** transparent fill, #FFFFFF99 text, padding 0px.

## Do's and Don'ts

- Do use #000000 for the page and lift surfaces in small steps: #111214, #191919, #212121.
- Do keep text in 4 levels: #FFFFFF, #F0F0F0, #CCCCCC, #848484.
- Do let contrast carry emphasis; primary actions use #212121 on #000000.
- Do reuse the measured spacing steps (8px, 16px, 20px).
- Do use 12px corners on most elements; larger surfaces also use 5px, 7.5px and 20px.
- Don't add drop shadows for depth; use tonal surfaces.
- Don't introduce new font families beyond Denton, Delight and Geist.
- Don't add saturated accent colors; the measured palette is almost entirely neutral.
- Don't make interface transitions slower than 0.4s.

## Motion

Interface transitions are quick: 0.4s, 0.2s, 0.15s, 0.3s.

- **Easing:** `cubic-bezier(0.16, 1, 0.3, 1)`, `cubic-bezier(0, 0, 0.2, 1)`, `cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1)`.
- **Reduced motion:** the page responds to `prefers-reduced-motion`.

Generated by [Sitepeel](https://sitepeel.dev/design-md/cardboard.ai/), the free DESIGN.md generator (engine 2026.10.29+b828a475ee10).