# Pexels design system

> Pexels design system measured from pexels.com: Canva Sans font, #000000 primary on #FFFFFF, 11 color hex codes, type scale, spacing and a free DESIGN.md.

Canonical page: https://sitepeel.dev/design-md/pexels.com/

Pexels’s website (pexels.com) uses the Canva Sans font and #000000 as its main color on a white background. Measured by Sitepeel on November 4, 2026.

## What font does Pexels use?

Pexels uses Canva Sans (weights 400 and 700) on pexels.com. Page titles are 48px at weight 700 (40px on phones) and body text is 14px. Measured on November 4, 2026.

- Canva Sans (weights 400, 700)

## Pexels colors: palette and hex codes

Pexels’s main colors are #FFFFFF (white) for the background, #191919 (charcoal) for text and #000000 (near black) as the main accent, with #0000EE (vivid indigo) as another accent. Measured on November 4, 2026.

- #FFFFFF: white
- #191919: charcoal
- #000000: near black
- #393939: graphite
- #A8A8A8: gray
- #CDCDCD: silver
- #B2C0C3: cool silver
- #EDEDED: mist

## What is Pexels built with?

Pexels’s website (pexels.com) is built with Next.js, React, CSS Modules and Cloudflare. Measured on November 4, 2026.

- JavaScript framework: Next.js 16.4.4, React 18.2.0
- Analytics: Meta Pixel 2.9.435, Sentry 8.34.0, Datadog RUM, Google Analytics
- Hosting & CDN: Cloudflare
- UI & CSS: CSS Modules
- Marketing & support: OneTrust 202301.1.0

## Questions and answers

### What font does Pexels use?

Pexels’s website uses Canva Sans (weights 400 and 700). Page titles are 48px at weight 700 (40px on phones) and body text is 14px. Measured on November 4, 2026.

### What are the Pexels colors and hex codes?

On pexels.com: #FFFFFF (white) for the background, #191919 (charcoal) for text and #000000 (near black) as the main accent, with #0000EE (vivid indigo) as another accent. The color palette above lists all 11 colors with their hex codes and where each one is used.

### What is the Pexels design system?

The design system on this page is pexels.com’s, as measured on November 4, 2026: Canva Sans type, #000000 as the main color and 12px corners, written down as a DESIGN.md. It is not Pexels’s own documentation.

### What is Pexels built with?

Pexels’s website (pexels.com) is built with Next.js, React, CSS Modules and Cloudflare. The full tech stack Sitepeel found: Next.js, React, Meta Pixel, Sentry, Cloudflare, CSS Modules, Datadog RUM, Google Analytics, Google Tag Manager and Hotjar. Measured on November 4, 2026.

### What is the Pexels DESIGN.md?

A plain-text file with Pexels’s measured colors, type, spacing, corners and components as tokens, plus short rules, in the DESIGN.md format Google published with Stitch. Your AI coding agent reads it and builds in this style. More about DESIGN.md.

### How do I use it with Claude Code or Cursor?

Download the file and put it in your project’s root folder, then ask your agent to follow DESIGN.md. Step-by-step guides: Claude Code, Cursor, Codex, GitHub Copilot.

### Is this Pexels’s official design system?

No. Sitepeel measured it from pexels.com’s public page on November 4, 2026. It is an independent analysis, not made or approved by Pexels.

### Can I use Pexels’s style in my own product?

Use it to learn, prototype and compare. For a real product, make the style your own, and never copy Pexels’s logo, name, pictures or text.

### How accurate are the values?

Each value was measured on the rendered page after it fully loaded, on desktop and mobile: colors where they appear, type with tracking, spacing, corners, shadows and hover states. Sites change, so check the date at the top.

## Files

- [DESIGN.md](https://sitepeel.dev/design-md/pexels.com/DESIGN.md): the plain file to put in your project.
- [All brand DESIGN.md files](https://sitepeel.dev/design-md/examples/index.md)

Independent analysis by Sitepeel (sitepeel.dev), not affiliated with Pexels.

## The DESIGN.md file

```markdown
---
version: alpha
name: Pexels
description: "Light monochrome interface measured from pexels.com: Canva Sans type, tonal surfaces and 12px corners."
colors:
  background: "#FFFFFF"
  surface: "#FFFFFF"
  on-surface: "#191919"
  on-background: "#191919"
  on-surface-strong: "#000000"
  on-surface-variant: "#393939"
  on-surface-muted: "#A8A8A8"
  surface-container-low: "#CDCDCD"
  surface-container: "#B2C0C3"
  outline: "#EDEDED"
  primary: "#000000"
  on-primary: "#FFFFFF"
  secondary: "#0000EE"
typography:
  headline-display:
    fontFamily: Canva Sans
    fontSize: 48px
    fontWeight: 700
    lineHeight: 1.1
    letterSpacing: -0.042em
  headline-lg:
    fontFamily: Canva Sans
    fontSize: 24px
    fontWeight: 700
    lineHeight: 1.3
    letterSpacing: -0.063em
  body-md:
    fontFamily: Canva Sans
    fontSize: 14px
    fontWeight: 400
    lineHeight: 1.4
  body-lg:
    fontFamily: Canva Sans
    fontSize: 16px
    fontWeight: 400
    lineHeight: 1.5
    letterSpacing: -0.031em
  label-md:
    fontFamily: Canva Sans
    fontSize: 17px
    fontWeight: 400
    lineHeight: 1
    letterSpacing: -0.029em
  headline-display-mobile:
    fontFamily: Canva Sans
    fontSize: 40px
    fontWeight: 700
    lineHeight: 1.1
    letterSpacing: -0.04em
rounded:
  sm: 12px
  md: 30px
  lg: 100px
  xl: 180px
spacing:
  xs: 2px
  sm: 8px
  md: 15px
  lg: 20px
  xl: 40px
  gutter: 8px
  section: 452px
  margin: 30px
  container: 1600px
components:
  button-primary:
    backgroundColor: "{colors.primary}"
    textColor: "{colors.on-primary}"
    typography: "{typography.label-md}"
    rounded: "{rounded.md}"
    padding: 0px 20px
    height: 48px
  button-primary-hover:
    backgroundColor: "{colors.on-surface}"
  button-outline:
    backgroundColor: "{colors.background}"
    textColor: "{colors.on-surface-strong}"
    typography: "{typography.label-md}"
    rounded: "{rounded.sm}"
    padding: 12px 11px 12px 16px
    height: 48px
  button-outline-hover:
    backgroundColor: "{colors.outline}"
  button-secondary:
    backgroundColor: "{colors.on-surface}"
    textColor: "{colors.on-primary}"
    typography: "{typography.label-md}"
    rounded: "{rounded.sm}"
    padding: 1px 20px
    height: 48px
  button-ghost:
    textColor: "{colors.on-primary}"
    typography: "{typography.body-lg}"
    rounded: 0px
    padding: 0px
  input-field:
    textColor: "{colors.on-surface-strong}"
    typography: "{typography.label-md}"
    rounded: 0px
    padding: 1px 2px
  card:
    backgroundColor: "{colors.background}"
    textColor: "{colors.on-surface-strong}"
    typography: "{typography.body-md}"
    rounded: 24px
    padding: 16px 20px
  link:
    textColor: "{colors.secondary}"
---

# Pexels Design System

## Overview

Pexels describes itself as: “Free stock photos & videos you can use everywhere. Browse millions of high-quality royalty free stock images & copyright free pictures. No attribution required.” The interface is light, built on **White (#FFFFFF)** with **Charcoal (#191919)** text and almost no color: actions are carried by contrast, not hue.

Type is set in **Canva Sans**. Headlines run large with tight negative tracking; body text is 14px. The surface language is flat. Corners are mostly 12px.

Measured from [pexels.com](https://www.pexels.com/) on November 4, 2026 at 1440×900 and 390×844 from 367 rendered elements. Values are computed styles from the live page, not the original source files.

## Colors

The palette has 11 roles.

- **White (#FFFFFF):** Page background, seen 5 times. Token `background`.
- **Charcoal (#191919):** Primary text and headings, seen 39 times. Token `on-surface`.
- **Near Black (#000000):** Headings and emphasis, seen 4 times. Token `on-surface-strong`.
- **Graphite (#393939):** Secondary text, seen 8 times. Token `on-surface-variant`.
- **Gray (#A8A8A8):** Muted text and metadata, seen 39 times. Token `on-surface-muted`.
- **Silver (#CDCDCD):** Raised areas one step from the page, seen 8 times. Token `surface-container-low`.
- **Cool Silver (#B2C0C3):** Cards and panels, seen 1 time. Token `surface-container`.
- **Mist (#EDEDED):** Borders and dividers, seen 56 times. Token `outline`.
- **Near Black (#000000):** Primary buttons and calls to action, seen 6 times. Token `primary`.
- **White (#FFFFFF):** Text and icons on primary. Token `on-primary`.
- **Vivid Indigo (#0000EE):** Links and interactive text. Token `secondary`.

## Typography

**Canva Sans** carries the whole interface. Fallback stack: `Canva Sans, Helvetica Neue, Roboto, -apple-system`.

- **headline-display:** Canva Sans 48px at weight 700, line height 1.1, tracking -0.042em (40px on mobile). Page title (h1).
- **headline-lg:** Canva Sans 24px at weight 700, line height 1.3, tracking -0.063em. Section headings (h2).
- **body-md:** Canva Sans 14px at weight 400, line height 1.4. Body text.
- **body-lg:** Canva Sans 16px at weight 400, line height 1.5, tracking -0.031em, capitalize. Lead paragraphs.
- **label-md:** Canva Sans 17px at weight 400, line height 1, tracking -0.029em. Buttons, navigation and labels.

## Layout

Spacing does not follow a strict grid: 66% of measured values are multiples of 4px, so match the measured steps rather than rounding to a grid.

- **Scale:** xs 2px, sm 8px, md 15px, lg 20px, xl 40px.
- **Sections:** 452px vertical padding between major sections.
- **Gaps:** 8px is the most common gap in flex and grid layouts.
- **Container:** content is capped at 1600px.
- **Page margin:** 30px on each side of full-width sections.
- **Breakpoints:** 379px, 439px, 450px, 650px, 651px, 900px, 901px, 960px, 1249px, 1250px, 1440px, 1441px.

## Elevation & Depth

The design is flat: no shadows were measured. Hierarchy comes from tonal surface steps (#CDCDCD → #B2C0C3) and #EDEDED borders.

## Shapes

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

- **sm (12px):** 188 elements.
- **xl (180px):** 144 elements.
- **lg (100px):** 64 elements.
- **md (30px):** 24 elements.

## Components

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

- **button-primary (“Home”):** #000000 fill, #FFFFFF text, 17px/400, 30px radius, padding 0px 20px.
- **button-primary-hover:** background #191919, text #FFFFFF on hover.
- **button-outline (“Photos”):** #FFFFFF fill, #000000 text, 17px/400, 12px radius, padding 12px 11px 12px 16px.
- **button-outline-hover:** background #EDEDED, text #000000 on hover.
- **button-secondary (“Join”):** #191919 fill, #FFFFFF text, 17px/400, 12px radius, padding 1px 20px, border 1px solid #191919.
- **button-ghost (“Join”):** transparent fill, #FFFFFF text, 16px/400, padding 0px.
- **input-field (“Search for free photos”):** transparent fill, #000000 text, 17px/400, padding 1px 2px.
- **card:** #FFFFFF fill, #000000 text, 14px/400, 24px radius, padding 16px 20px, border 1px solid #EDEDED.
- **link:** transparent fill, #0000EE text, padding 0px.

## Do's and Don'ts

- Do use #FFFFFF for the page and lift surfaces in small steps: #CDCDCD, #B2C0C3.
- Do keep text in 4 levels: #191919, #000000, #393939, #A8A8A8.
- Do let contrast carry emphasis; primary actions use #000000 on #FFFFFF.
- Do set headlines in Canva Sans with tight tracking (-0.042em).
- Do reuse the measured spacing steps (8px, 15px, 20px).
- Do use 12px corners on most elements; larger surfaces also use 180px, 100px and 30px.
- Don't use #A8A8A8 for body text; it reaches 2.38:1 on #FFFFFF. Keep it for large text or metadata.
- Don't add drop shadows for depth; use tonal surfaces.
- Don't introduce new font families beyond Canva Sans.
- Don't add saturated accent colors; the measured palette is almost entirely neutral.
- Don't make interface transitions slower than 0.3s.

## Motion

Interface transitions are quick: 0.1s, 0.2s, 0.25s, 0.005s.

- **Easing:** `ease`, `ease-in-out`.
- **Reduced motion:** the page responds to `prefers-reduced-motion`.

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

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