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Mintlify

Mintlify presents documentation infrastructure with a dual-mode aesthetic — atmospheric sky-gradient marketing heroes (cloud illustration backdrops, soft cream-to-blue washes) paired with dense developer-grade documentation surfaces. The system uses Inter for UI prose, Geist Mono for code, and a signature Mintlify green ({colors.brand-green}) reserved for accent CTAs and active states. Black-pill

Homepage Example

Welcome to Mintlify

A modern, elegant design system built for the digital age. Clean lines, thoughtful spacing, and purposeful color choices define every interaction.

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Pixel Perfect

Every element is carefully crafted to ensure consistency across all platforms and devices.

Design Tokens

A comprehensive token system that makes scaling and maintaining your design effortless.

Built for Teams

Collaborate seamlessly with designers and developers using a shared design language.

Color Palette (32)

primary#0a0a0a
on-primary#ffffff
brand-green#00d4a4
brand-green-deep#00b48a
brand-green-soft#7cebcb
brand-tag#3772cf
brand-warn#c37d0d
brand-annotate#1ba673
brand-error#d45656
brand-cursor#888888
hero-sky-from#87a8c8
hero-sky-to#f5e9d8
hero-dark-from#1a3d4a
hero-dark-to#2d5a4f
testimonial-orange#f55a3c
testimonial-orange-deep#cc3a1f
canvas#ffffff
canvas-dark#0a0a0a
surface#f7f7f7
surface-soft#fafafa
surface-code#1c1c1e
hairline#e5e5e5
hairline-soft#ededed
hairline-dark#1f1f1f
ink#0a0a0a
charcoal#1c1c1e
slate#3a3a3c
steel#5a5a5c
stone#888888
muted#a8a8aa
on-dark#ffffff
on-dark-muted#b3b3b3

Typography (20)

Mintlify
hero-display72px · weight 600
Mintlify
display-lg56px · weight 600
Mintlify
heading-148px · weight 600
Mintlify
heading-236px · weight 600
Mintlify
heading-328px · weight 600
Mintlify
heading-422px · weight 600
Mintlify
heading-518px · weight 600
Mintlify
subtitle18px · weight 400
Mintlify
body-md16px · weight 400
Mintlify
body-md-medium16px · weight 500
Mintlify
body-sm14px · weight 400
Mintlify
body-sm-medium14px · weight 500
Mintlify
caption13px · weight 400
Mintlify
caption-bold13px · weight 600
Mintlify
micro12px · weight 500
Mintlify
micro-uppercase11px · weight 600
Mintlify
button-md14px · weight 500
Mintlify
code-md14px · weight 400
Mintlify
code-sm13px · weight 400
Mintlify
code-inline13px · weight 500

Components (51)

button-primary
button-primary
button-primary-pressed
button-primary-pressed
button-primary-disabled
button-primary-disabled
button-accent-green
button-accent-green
button-on-dark
button-on-dark
button-secondary
button-secondary
button-ghost
button-ghost
button-link
button-link
button-icon-circular
button-icon-circular
card-base
card-base
card-feature
card-feature
card-help
card-help
card-startup-perk
card-startup-perk
pricing-card
pricing-card
pricing-card-featured
pricing-card-featured
testimonial-card-feature
testimonial-card-feature
testimonial-card-quote
testimonial-card-quote
text-input
text-input
text-input-focused
text-input-focused
search-pill
search-pill
segmented-tab
segmented-tab
segmented-tab-active
segmented-tab-active
pill-tab
pill-tab
pill-tab-active
pill-tab-active
toggle-monthly-yearly
toggle-monthly-yearly
badge-discount
badge-discount
badge-required
badge-required
badge-type
badge-type
badge-tag
badge-tag
promo-banner
promo-banner
code-block
code-block
code-block-header
code-block-header
code-inline
code-inline
property-row
property-row
feature-comparison-table
feature-comparison-table
feature-comparison-row
feature-comparison-row
sidebar-nav-item
sidebar-nav-item
sidebar-nav-item-active
sidebar-nav-item-active
sidebar-section-header
sidebar-section-header
doc-toc-item
doc-toc-item
doc-toc-item-active
doc-toc-item-active
copy-code-button
copy-code-button
hero-band-sky
hero-band-sky
hero-band-dark
hero-band-dark
hero-product-mockup
hero-product-mockup
logo-wall-item
logo-wall-item
faq-accordion-item
faq-accordion-item
footer-region
footer-region
footer-link
footer-link
startup-program-card
startup-program-card
founder-quote-card
founder-quote-card

Border Radius

xs (4px)
sm (6px)
md (8px)
lg (12px)
xl (16px)
xxl (24px)
full (9999px)

Design Philosophy

Overview

Mintlify positions itself at the intersection of polished marketing presentation and developer-grade documentation density. The home and startups pages open with cinematic atmospheric heroes — soft sky-gradient backdrops with cloud illustrations on the homepage, dark teal-to-mint gradients with a rocket launch on the startups page — that feel more like a SaaS landing aesthetic than a developer tool. Then the deeper surfaces (pricing comparison, live documentation pages) collapse into dense, high-information layouts where Inter body type carries 14–16px copy across long-form prose, syntax-highlighted code blocks, and 3-column documentation grids.

The brand's signature mint green ({colors.brand-green}) appears sparingly but decisively — on the hero "Get started" pill button, the green checkmark icons inside feature lists, the "Featured" pricing tier border, and active state indicators inside docs UI. Black-pill primary buttons dominate the marketing flow; white-on-dark inversions appear on dark hero bands. The signature pairing of Inter (body, headings) with Geist Mono (code blocks, inline references, type signatures) reinforces the developer-tool DNA without requiring a third typeface.

**Key Characteristics:**

Colors

> Source pages: mintlify.com/ (homepage), /startups (program page), /pricing (comparison), /docs/components/tabs (live documentation). Token coverage was identical across all four pages.

Brand & Accent

Surface

Hero Atmospheric

Text

Semantic

Typography

Font Family

**Inter** (primary): Variable typeface optimized for UI legibility. Used across every UI surface — body, headings, navigation, button labels, captions. Fallbacks: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', sans-serif.

**Geist Mono** (code): Monospace typeface used inside code blocks, inline code references, type signatures (e.g. `string`, `number`, `boolean`), and property names in API documentation. Fallbacks: 'SF Mono', Menlo, Consolas, 'Geist Mono Fallback', monospace.

The brand uses no italic variants of either face — emphasis comes from weight (500/600), color shift, or background highlighting (in code references).

Hierarchy

| Token | Size | Weight | Line Height | Letter Spacing | Use |

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

| `{typography.hero-display}` | 72px | 600 | 1.05 | -2px | Marketing hero display ("The intelligent Knowledge Platform") |

| `{typography.display-lg}` | 56px | 600 | 1.10 | -1.5px | Major section opener ("Built for the intelligence age") |

| `{typography.heading-1}` | 48px | 600 | 1.10 | -1px | Page-level headlines ("Pricing on your terms") |

| `{typography.heading-2}` | 36px | 600 | 1.20 | -0.5px | Section headlines ("Apply to the Mintlify startup program") |

| `{typography.heading-3}` | 28px | 600 | 1.25 | 0 | Subsection headers, "Tabs" docs page title |

| `{typography.heading-4}` | 22px | 600 | 1.30 | 0 | Card titles, larger feature headers |

| `{typography.heading-5}` | 18px | 600 | 1.40 | 0 | Smaller feature headers, FAQ question titles |

| `{typography.subtitle}` | 18px | 400 | 1.50 | 0 | Hero subtitle, lead body |

| `{typography.body-md}` | 16px | 400 | 1.50 | 0 | Primary body text |

| `{typography.body-md-medium}` | 16px | 500 | 1.50 | 0 | Body emphasis |

| `{typography.body-sm}` | 14px | 400 | 1.50 | 0 | Secondary body, table cells, navigation |

| `{typography.body-sm-medium}` | 14px | 500 | 1.50 | 0 | Active sidebar nav, button labels, tab labels |

| `{typography.caption}` | 13px | 400 | 1.40 | 0 | Helper text, fine print, code-block headers |

| `{typography.caption-bold}` | 13px | 600 | 1.40 | 0 | Badge labels |

| `{typography.micro}` | 12px | 500 | 1.40 | 0 | Footer microcopy, label chips |

| `{typography.micro-uppercase}` | 11px | 600 | 1.40 | 0.5px | Sidebar section headers, "REQUIRED" labels |

| `{typography.button-md}` | 14px | 500 | 1.30 | 0 | Pill button labels |

| `{typography.code-md}` | 14px | 400 | 1.50 | 0 | Code block content |

| `{typography.code-sm}` | 13px | 400 | 1.40 | 0 | Smaller code, type signatures |

| `{typography.code-inline}` | 13px | 500 | 1.30 | 0 | Inline `<Tabs>` references in body |

Principles

Layout

Spacing System

Grid & Container

Whitespace Philosophy

Marketing surfaces give content generous breathing room — `{spacing.hero}` (120px) above-the-fold creates space for atmospheric gradient backdrops to read clearly. Documentation tightens dramatically: section gaps drop to `{spacing.xxl}` (32px), table rows pack to `{spacing.md}` (16px), sidebar nav compresses to `{spacing.xs}` (8px) vertical rhythm.

Elevation & Depth

The system runs predominantly flat with strategic atmospheric depth.

| Level | Treatment | Use |

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

| 0 (flat) | No shadow; `{colors.hairline}` border | Default cards, table rows, form inputs |

| 1 (subtle) | `rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.04) 0px 1px 2px 0px` | Hover-elevated tiles, subtle highlights |

| 2 (card) | `rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.08) 0px 4px 12px 0px` | Standard feature cards |

| 3 (mockup) | `rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.12) 0px 24px 48px -8px` | Hero product mockup framing — the deep diffuse drop on the homepage hero docs preview |

| 4 (brand-tinted) | `rgba(0, 212, 164, 0.08) 0px 8px 24px` | Featured pricing tier glow |

Decorative Depth

Shapes

Border Radius Scale

| Token | Value | Use |

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

| `{rounded.xs}` | 4px | Inline code chips, micro tags |

| `{rounded.sm}` | 6px | Sidebar nav items, type badges |

| `{rounded.md}` | 8px | Inputs, search pill, code blocks, secondary cards |

| `{rounded.lg}` | 12px | Standard cards, pricing tiers, hero mockup, FAQ items |

| `{rounded.xl}` | 16px | Larger feature panels |

| `{rounded.xxl}` | 24px | Featured product showcase tiles |

| `{rounded.full}` | 9999px | All buttons, pill tabs, badges |

The radius scale is tightly disciplined — the brand never uses a corner softening between `{rounded.md}` (8px) and `{rounded.lg}` (12px) for the same component family. Pill buttons (`{rounded.full}`) are used universally; rectangular cards use `{rounded.lg}` (12px) consistently.

Photography Geometry

Components

> Per the no-hover policy, hover states are NOT documented. Default and pressed/active states only.

Buttons

**`button-primary`** — Black pill primary CTA, the dominant action across all surfaces.

**`button-accent-green`** — Mint green pill for brand-emphasis CTAs (hero "Get started", featured pricing CTA).

**`button-on-dark`** — White pill for use on dark hero bands (startups page "Get started").

**`button-secondary`** — Outlined pill for secondary actions.

**`button-ghost`** — Quieter rectangular ghost button (sidebar action, tertiary nav).

**`button-link`** — Inline text link styled as a subtle button.

**`button-icon-circular`** — 32×32px circular utility button (close, copy, arrow).

Cards & Containers

**`card-base`** — Standard documentation/feature card.

**`card-feature`** — Feature panel on light gray surface.

**`card-help`** — "Need help?" CTA cards below the pricing comparison ("Quickstart guide", "Guide to technical writing", "Founder", "Sales").

**`card-startup-perk`** — Startup-program perk grid item ("Discounts and credits", "Priority support", "Startup pack", "Founder community").

**`pricing-card`** — Standard pricing tier card.

**`pricing-card-featured`** — Highlighted pricing tier (Lift Off / featured plan).

**`testimonial-card-feature`** — Bright orange large testimonial card with photo + quote ("Cursor — Every YC batch we consistently see the top performing startups use Mintlify to build their docs.").

**`testimonial-card-quote`** — Smaller white testimonial card on the startups page.

**`founder-quote-card`** — Cursor founder testimonial card variant on the orange surface.

**`startup-program-card`** — Larger application/program card containing perks grid + apply CTA.

Inputs & Forms

**`text-input`** — Standard text field.

**`text-input-focused`** — Activated state.

**`search-pill`** — Documentation top-bar search.

Tabs

**`segmented-tab`** + **`segmented-tab-active`** — Underline-style tab navigation (used inside docs Tabs component for "First tab / Second tab / Third tab").

**`pill-tab`** + **`pill-tab-active`** — Pill-style tab nav (top of pricing page: "Pricing / Roadmap").

**`toggle-monthly-yearly`** — Two-state pill toggle (Monthly / Annual on pricing page).

Badges & Status

**`badge-discount`** — Small green "Save 20%" badge attached to annual toggle.

**`badge-required`** — Red "REQUIRED" label on documentation property rows.

**`badge-type`** — Type signature chip in documentation (e.g. `string`, `number`, `boolean`).

**`badge-tag`** — Documentation tag chip (e.g. `<Tabs>` reference highlighted in body text).

**`promo-banner`** — Sticky black promo strip ABOVE the top nav (when present).

Code

**`code-block`** — Syntax-highlighted code container.

**`code-block-header`** — Header bar above the code with language label + copy button.

**`code-inline`** — Inline `<Tabs>` reference in body prose.

**`copy-code-button`** — "Copy code" button in code-block header.

Documentation Components

**`property-row`** — API property documentation row (e.g. `defaultIndex` on the Tabs page).

**`feature-comparison-table`** — Detailed pricing-page feature comparison table.

**`feature-comparison-row`** — Individual row inside the comparison table.

**`sidebar-nav-item`** + **`sidebar-nav-item-active`** — Documentation left rail link entries.

**`sidebar-section-header`** — Uppercase section header inside sidebar (e.g. "COMPONENTS", "PRIMITIVES").

**`doc-toc-item`** + **`doc-toc-item-active`** — Right-rail table-of-contents links.

Navigation

**Top Navigation (Marketing)** — Sticky white bar with logo, link list, and right-side CTAs.

**Top Navigation (Documentation)** — Compressed nav with center search-pill and right-side account/upgrade CTAs.

Signature Components

**`hero-band-sky`** — Homepage hero with atmospheric sky-blue to cream gradient and cloud illustrations.

**`hero-band-dark`** — Startups hero with dark teal-to-mint gradient and rocket launch illustration.

**`hero-product-mockup`** — Code-editor mockup framed inside the homepage hero.

**`logo-wall-item`** — Customer logo cell in 6-up trust-row grids ("Anthropic / Cognition / Mintlify / Vercel / react / Lovable", "Stripe / Block / PayPal / Compound / Auth").

**`faq-accordion-item`** — Frequently-asked-questions panel item (visible on pricing page).

**`footer-region`** — Multi-column site footer.

**`footer-link`** — Individual link entry in the footer.

Do's and Don'ts

Do

Don't

Responsive Behavior

Breakpoints

| Name | Width | Key Changes |

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

| Mobile (small) | < 480px | Single column. Hero scales to 36px. Pill nav collapses to hamburger. Pricing tiers stack 1-up. Footer 1-column accordion. |

| Mobile (large) | 480 – 767px | Same as small but feature tiles render 2-up. Hero scales to 44px. |

| Tablet | 768 – 1023px | 2-column feature grids. Pill-tab nav returns. Documentation sidebar collapses to drawer. Hero scales to 56px. |

| Desktop | 1024 – 1279px | Full 3-column docs grid (sidebar / body / TOC). 3-tier pricing card row. Hero at 72px. |

| Wide Desktop | ≥ 1280px | Wider hero gutters, larger product mockup, fixed 240px sidebar. |

Touch Targets

Collapsing Strategy

Image Behavior

Iteration Guide

1. Focus on ONE component at a time. The system has high internal consistency.

2. Reference component names and tokens directly (`{colors.primary}`, `{component-name}-pressed`, `{rounded.full}`) — do not paraphrase.

3. Run `npx @google/design.md lint DESIGN.md` after edits to catch broken refs and contrast issues.

4. Add new variants as separate `components:` entries (`-pressed`, `-disabled`, `-focused`, `-active`).

5. Default to `{typography.body-md}` for body and `{typography.subtitle}` for emphasis. Headlines step down `hero-display → display-lg → heading-1 → heading-2 → heading-3 → heading-4 → heading-5`.

6. Keep `{colors.brand-green}` confined to accent moments. If it appears on a generic surface, ask whether it earned that role.

7. Pill-shaped buttons (`{rounded.full}`) always; squared buttons signal "third-party widget" in this language.

8. Documentation prose belongs in `{typography.body-md}` 16px with 1.50 line-height — anything denser breaks the reading experience.

Known Gaps