DESIGN.md · explainx registry
Ferrari
### Ferrari - Luxury automotive. - Chiaroscuro black-white editorial, Ferrari Red with extreme sparseness - description: A luxury-automotive brand whose marketing surfaces read as cinematic editorial. The base canvas is **near-black** (`#181818`) h
Overview
Ferrari's marketing site reads as cinematic editorial — closer to a luxury-magazine spread than a typical car-OEM site. The base canvas is near-black ({colors.canvas} — #181818) holding pure white display type; white-canvas bands appear only inside specific editorial contexts (preowned listings, pricing tables, dealer surfaces). The single brand voltage is Rosso Corsa ({colors.primary} — #da291c), the iconic Ferrari racing red, used scarcely on primary CTAs, the Cavallino mark, and Formula 1 race-position highlights.
Type runs FerrariSans as the single sans family at modest weights — display 500, body 400. CTA labels render in uppercase with generous tracking (1.1-1.4px). The brand never uses bold display copy.
The brand's strongest visual signature is the full-bleed cinematic hero photograph — top-of-page imagery shows car photography, model details, or trackside livery without any chrome competing with it. Headlines float over the bottom of the photo or sit in a tight band beneath. Spacing follows the explicit 8px token ladder: xxxs 4 / xxs 8 / xs 16 / sm 24 / md 32 / lg 48 / xl 64 / xxl 96 / super 128.
Key Characteristics:
- Single accent:
{colors.primary}(Rosso Corsa #da291c) for primary CTAs, the Cavallino, F1 race-position highlights. Used scarcely. - Near-black canvas (#181818) — never pure black. White-canvas bands only inside editorial contexts.
- Single sans family: FerrariSans across every text role.
- Display weight stays at 500 — never bold.
- CTA labels render uppercase with 1.4px tracking.
- Sharp
{rounded.none}(0px) corners on every CTA, card, and band — luxury-automotive precision. - Full-bleed cinematic hero photography is the page chrome.
- Explicit 8px spacing token ladder with named scale (xxxs through super).
- Hairlines + photographic depth — no drop shadow tiers.
Colors
Brand & Accent
- Rosso Corsa (
{colors.primary}— #da291c): The iconic Ferrari racing red. Primary CTA fill, Cavallino mark, F1 driver-position highlights. Used scarcely. - Rosso Corsa Active (
{colors.primary-active}— #b01e0a): Press state. - Rosso Corsa Hover-darker (
{colors.primary-hover}— #9d2211): Documented for completeness; per the no-hover policy this is not used in preview HTML. - Hypersail Yellow (
{colors.accent-yellow-hypersail}— #fff200) + Yellow ({colors.accent-yellow}— #f6e500): Sub-brand accents reserved for the Hypersail sailing program and the global focus-ring color. Not part of the main automotive palette.
Surface
- Canvas (
{colors.canvas}— #181818): Near-black page floor — never pure black, slight warmth. - Canvas Elevated (
{colors.canvas-elevated}— #303030): Cards and panels on dark canvas. - Canvas Light (
{colors.canvas-light}— #ffffff): White editorial bands (preowned listings, pricing). - Surface Card (
{colors.surface-card}— #303030): Same as canvas-elevated — driver cards, livery photo plates. - Surface Soft Light (
{colors.surface-soft-light}— #f7f7f7): Light editorial alternating band. - Surface Strong Light (
{colors.surface-strong-light}— #ebebeb): Light-canvas dividers, badges.
Hairlines
- Hairline (
{colors.hairline}— #303030): 1px divider on dark — same hex as{colors.canvas-elevated}. - Hairline On Light (
{colors.hairline-on-light}— #d2d2d2): 1px divider on light bands. - Hairline Soft (
{colors.hairline-soft}— #ebebeb): Lighter divider.
Text
- Ink (
{colors.ink}— #ffffff): Display, body emphasis on dark. - Body (
{colors.body}— #969696): Default running-text on dark. - Body Strong (
{colors.body-strong}— #ffffff): Same as ink. - Body On Light (
{colors.body-on-light}— #181818): Default text on light bands. - Muted (
{colors.muted}— #666666): Sub-titles, captions on dark. - Muted Soft (
{colors.muted-soft}— #8f8f8f): Disabled link text. - On Primary (
{colors.on-primary}— #ffffff): White text on Rosso Corsa.
Semantic
- Info (
{colors.semantic-info}— #4c98b9): Info badges, callout backgrounds. - Success (
{colors.semantic-success}— #03904a): Confirmation. - Warning (
{colors.semantic-warning}— #f13a2c): Validation warnings.
Typography
Font Family
FerrariSans is the licensed single sans family across every text role. Fallback: -apple-system, system-ui, sans-serif. No display/body family split.
Hierarchy
| Token | Size | Weight | Line Height | Letter Spacing | Use |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
{typography.display-mega} | 80px | 500 | 1.05 | -1.6px | Homepage hero h1 |
{typography.display-xl} | 56px | 500 | 1.1 | -1.12px | Subsidiary heroes |
{typography.display-lg} | 36px | 500 | 1.2 | -0.36px | Section heads, livery band |
{typography.display-md} | 26px | 500 | 1.5 | 0.195px | Sub-section heads |
{typography.title-md} | 18px | 700 | 1.2 | 0 | Component titles |
{typography.title-sm} | 16px | 500 | 1.4 | 0.08px | List labels |
{typography.body-md} | 14px | 400 | 1.5 | 0 | Default body |
{typography.body-sm} | 13px | 400 | 1.5 | 0 | Footer body |
{typography.caption} | 12px | 400 | 1.4 | 0 | Photo captions |
{typography.caption-uppercase} | 11px | 600 | 1.4 | 1.1px | Section labels, badges |
{typography.button} | 14px | 700 | 1.0 | 1.4px (uppercase) | CTA pill labels |
{typography.nav-link} | 13px | 600 | 1.4 | 0.65px (uppercase) | Top-nav menu items |
{typography.number-display} | 80px | 700 | 1.0 | -1.6px | Race position highlights, spec values |
Principles
- Display weight stays at 500. Editorial confidence, not bombastic. The cinematic photography is doing the visual heavy-lifting — type doesn't need to compete.
- CTA labels are uppercase with 1.4px tracking. Luxury-precision feel.
- Nav labels are uppercase with 0.65px tracking. Consistent with CTA voice.
- Negative letter-spacing on display only. -0.36px to -1.6px on display sizes; body stays at 0.
Note on Font Substitutes
FerrariSans is licensed. Open-source substitute: Inter at weight 500 with letter-spacing -1%, or Söhne for closer humanist proportions.
Layout
Spacing System
- Base unit: 4px.
- Tokens:
{spacing.xxxs}4px ·{spacing.xxs}8px ·{spacing.xs}16px ·{spacing.sm}24px ·{spacing.md}32px ·{spacing.lg}48px ·{spacing.xl}64px ·{spacing.xxl}96px ·{spacing.super}128px. - Section padding:
{spacing.xxl}(96px) for major bands;{spacing.super}(128px) reserved for hero band depth.
Grid & Container
- Max content width: ~1280px on editorial bands. Hero photography goes full-bleed.
- Editorial body: 12-column grid.
- Feature card grids: 2-up at desktop for hero splits, 3-up for benefit grids, 4-up for preowned listing tiles.
- Footer: 5-column at desktop.
Whitespace Philosophy
Generous editorial pacing. Cinematic hero photography occupies generous viewport real-estate; body sections sit in tighter editorial layouts beneath. The canvas-light editorial bands (preowned, pricing) carry tighter density than the dark cinema bands.
Elevation & Depth
The system uses photographic depth + brightness-step elevation. No drop shadows except a single soft-small {shadow.small} documented in extracted tokens.
| Level | Treatment | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Flat (canvas) | {colors.canvas} (#181818) | Body bands, footer |
| Card | {colors.canvas-elevated} (#303030) | Driver cards, livery plates |
| Light band | {colors.canvas-light} (#ffffff) | Preowned listings, pricing |
| Hairline border | 1px {colors.hairline} or {colors.hairline-on-light} | Card outlines, dividers |
| Soft drop | 0 4px 8px rgba(0,0,0,0.1) | Hovered cards (single shadow tier) |
| Photographic | Full-bleed cinema imagery | Hero band, livery photographs |
Decorative Depth
- Full-bleed cinema photography is the brand's primary depth treatment.
- Brand red gradient (
linear-gradient(180deg, #a00c01, #da291c 64%)): The Rosso Corsa gradient used inside accent bands and CTA hover states. - Dark grey gradient (
linear-gradient(180deg, #3c3c3c, #030303 64%)): Atmospheric darken used at section transitions.
Shapes
Border Radius Scale
| Token | Value | Use |
|---|---|---|
{rounded.none} | 0px | Every CTA, card, band — dominant radius |
{rounded.xs} | 2px | Tight badges (rare) |
{rounded.sm} | 4px | Form inputs |
{rounded.md} | 6px | Compact cards (rare) |
{rounded.lg} | 8px | Mobile-only collapse cards |
{rounded.xl} | 12px | Modal/dialog corners (rare) |
{rounded.full} | 9999px | Avatar plates, badge pills |
The radius vocabulary is sharp by default. Sharp 0px corners are the brand button shape — never rounded pills. Pill geometry is reserved for badge labels only.
Components
Top Navigation
top-nav-on-dark — Default top nav on dark hero pages. Background {colors.canvas}, text {colors.ink}, height 64px. Layout: Cavallino mark left, primary horizontal menu (Models / F1 / Lifestyle / Owners / Preowned), language picker + utilities right. Menu items render uppercase with 0.65px tracking.
top-nav-on-light — White-canvas variant for editorial light bands.
Buttons
button-primary — The signature Rosso Corsa CTA. Background {colors.primary}, text {colors.on-primary}, type {typography.button} (14px / 700 / 1.4px tracking, uppercase), padding 14px × 32px, height 48px, rounded {rounded.none} (0px — sharp corners).
button-primary-active — Press state. Background {colors.primary-active}.
button-outline-on-dark — Transparent with 1px white border. Background transparent, text {colors.ink}, 1px white border, same sharp 0px corners.
button-outline-on-light — Transparent with 1px ink border on light bands.
button-tertiary-text — Inline text link, uppercase tracking.
Hero Bands
hero-band-cinema — Full-bleed cinematic photograph. Background {colors.canvas} underneath, but the photo fills the viewport. Display headline floats over the bottom of the photo or sits in a tight band beneath, in {typography.display-mega} (80px / 500 / -1.6px). One primary CTA + one outline CTA. Zero padding — the photo fills edge-to-edge.
hero-band-light — White-canvas variant for editorial bands. Background {colors.canvas-light}, text {colors.body-on-light}, padding 96px.
Cards
feature-card-photo — Image-first card. Background {colors.canvas}, text {colors.ink}, rounded {rounded.none}. Image fills the top edge-to-edge; title + body sit beneath in tight typography.
feature-card-light — White-canvas variant. Background {colors.canvas-light}, text {colors.body-on-light}, rounded {rounded.none}, padding 32px.
driver-card — F1 driver portrait card. Background {colors.canvas-elevated}, text {colors.ink}, rounded {rounded.none}, padding 24px. Layout: driver portrait + name + race number + team badge.
Editorial Surfaces
livery-band — A full-width Rosso Corsa accent band. Background {colors.primary}, text {colors.ink}, type {typography.display-lg}, 96px padding. Used as a standout livery callout between dark editorial bands.
preowned-listing-card — Used in the preowned Ferrari listing grid. Background {colors.canvas-light}, text {colors.body-on-light}, rounded {rounded.none}, padding 24px. Layout: car photo top + model name + year/mileage + price.
Spec & Race Surfaces
spec-cell — Technical spec callout. Transparent background, value in {typography.number-display} (80px / 700 / -1.6px white), label below in {typography.caption-uppercase}.
race-position-cell — F1 driver finishing position. Same number-display geometry but text in {colors.primary} Rosso Corsa for the brand's racing identity.
race-calendar-row — Hairline-divided row in the F1 race calendar. Layout: date column left, race name + circuit middle, results column right.
Forms & Tags
text-input-on-dark — Background {colors.canvas}, text {colors.ink}, rounded {rounded.sm} (4px), padding 14px × 16px, height 48px, 1px {colors.hairline} border.
text-input-on-light — White-canvas variant.
badge-pill — Small uppercase pill. Background {colors.canvas-elevated}, text {colors.ink}, type {typography.caption-uppercase} (11px / 600 / 1.1px tracking, uppercase), rounded {rounded.full} (9999px), padding 4px × 12px. The only place pill geometry is used.
Newsletter / CTA / Footer
newsletter-input-band — Newsletter signup band. Background {colors.canvas-elevated}, padding 32px, rounded {rounded.sm}. Holds an inline email input + primary CTA.
cta-band-dark — Pre-footer band. Background {colors.canvas}, centered display headline in {typography.display-lg}, single Rosso Corsa CTA. 96px padding.
footer-dark — Closing dark footer. Background {colors.canvas}, text {colors.body}. 5-column link list. 64×48px padding.
footer-link — Background transparent, text {colors.body}, type {typography.body-sm}.
Do's and Don'ts
Do
- Reserve
{colors.primary}(Rosso Corsa) for primary CTAs, the Cavallino mark, and F1 race-position highlights. - Set every CTA at
{rounded.none}(0px sharp corners) — the brand's signature precision. - Render CTA labels in uppercase with 1.4px tracking via
{typography.button}. - Pair every hero with a full-bleed cinematic photograph — the photograph IS the depth.
- Use the explicit 8px spacing ladder (
xxxsthroughsuper) rather than ad-hoc px values. - Keep display weight at 500 — never bold.
Don't
- Don't introduce a saturated brand color other than Rosso Corsa.
- Don't use rounded or pill CTAs — sharp 0px corners are the brand button.
- Don't bold display copy. The cinematic photography does the visual heavy-lifting.
- Don't use Hypersail yellow outside the Hypersail sailing program context.
- Don't use pure black canvas. The brand canvas is
{colors.canvas}(#181818) — slightly warm. - Don't add drop shadow tiers. Photography + brightness-step elevation carry the depth.
- Don't extract a CTA color from a third-party widget (cookie consent, OneTrust). The brand's CTA color is what appears on actual product CTAs, not on injected modals.
Responsive Behavior
Breakpoints
| Name | Width | Key Changes |
|---|---|---|
| Mobile | < 640px | Hero photograph crops vertically; hero h1 80→32px; feature card grid 1-up; nav hamburger; preowned listing 1-up. |
| Tablet | 640–1024px | Hero h1 56px; feature card grid 2-up; preowned listing 2-up. |
| Desktop | 1024–1280px | Full hero h1 80px; feature card grid 3-up; preowned listing 4-up. |
| Wide | > 1280px | Editorial body content caps at 1280px; hero photography continues full-bleed. |
Touch Targets
- Primary CTA at 48px height — at WCAG AAA (44 × 44).
- Nav items render uppercase with 0.65px tracking, padded for an effective 48px tap area.
Collapsing Strategy
- Top nav switches to hamburger below 768px.
- Hero photograph reframes per breakpoint via art direction — desktop carries wide cinematic; mobile crops tighter or shifts to vertical.
- Feature card grid: 4-up → 3-up → 2-up → 1-up.
- F1 driver cards: 2-up at desktop, 1-up at mobile.
Iteration Guide
- Focus on a single component at a time.
- CTAs default to
{rounded.none}(0px sharp). Cards use{rounded.none}too. Pill is reserved for badges. - Variants live as separate entries inside
components:. - Use
{token.refs}everywhere — never inline hex. - Hover state never documented.
- FerrariSans 500 for display, 400/700 for body. Uppercase + tracking on CTAs and nav.
- Rosso Corsa stays scarce — primary CTAs, Cavallino, race-position highlights only.
- Use the explicit 8px named spacing ladder.
Known Gaps
- FerrariSans is a licensed typeface; Inter at weight 500 is the documented substitute.
- Animation timings (hero parallax, livery band entrance, race position counter) out of scope.
- In-product surfaces (preowned configurator, F1 telemetry overlays) only partially captured via marketing surfaces.
- Form validation states beyond focus not visible on captured surfaces.
- Hypersail yellow tokens are extracted but only appear in the Hypersail sailing program context — documented as scoped accents.
Usage
- Copy DESIGN.md into your project or paste it into your IDE agent chat.
- Ask your assistant to follow the tokens for color, typography, spacing, and component styling.
- When collaborating, share the file directly—or tap “Copy page link” below so teammates open the same snapshot.
Common questions
- What is Ferrari on explainx.ai?
- ### Ferrari - Luxury automotive. - Chiaroscuro black-white editorial, Ferrari Red with extreme sparseness - description: A luxury-automotive brand whose marketing surfaces read as cinematic editorial. The base canvas is **near-black** (`#181818`) h Listed under category “Automotive”. Explainx.ai mirrors the full DESIGN.md document so assistants can cite stable tokens and prose in one place.
- What is DESIGN.md?
- DESIGN.md blends YAML design tokens—colors, typography, spacing, radii—with markdown that explains intent. Google documents this pattern for agent-driven UI work under Stitch (stitch.withgoogle.com).
- How do I use this with ChatGPT, Cursor, Claude Code, or another IDE agent?
- Paste the DESIGN.md into your repo root or attach it to the agent conversation, then ask explicitly for layouts, spacing, palette, type scale, and component tone that follow the document. Refresh from this listing when upstream authors publish changes.
- Where is the source repo?
- Maintainers link to github.com/VoltAgent/awesome-design-md. Community listings on explainx.ai may reference popular aesthetic names for inspiration; that does not imply official endorsement by any trademark holder.
- How current is this DESIGN.md?
- Explainx snapshots the file at import time. Recorded last update on this listing: May 4, 2026.
- Need a fresh DESIGN.md from scratch?
- Use the ExplainX DESIGN.md generator to describe your product and audience; it returns Stitch-style YAML plus narrative guidance you can publish or submit to the registry afterward.
Still exploring the format? Browse the full DESIGN.md registry or draft a new system with our DESIGN.md generator.
Community listing for AI design workflows—not necessarily affiliated with any brand referenced in the name or summary. For context on the format, see Google Stitch.