AcademyAIDesign systemFuture · Light

Colour & tokens

Full Tailwind 50–950 ramps. Surfaces stay neutral; colour carries meaning. The brand violet is an accent and data colour, not chrome.

One light, dispersed into the six measurements. The same spectrum runs through the mark, the data and the system, and it fades into the surface: to white in light mode, to black in dark.

Linear — bars, timers, progress, dividers
Radial — the mark, rings, glows
Fades to white · light surfaces
Fades to black · dark surfaces
Neutral (Ink)
50FBFAFE
100F4F1F9
200ECE7F1
300DDD6E8
400B6AEC6
5009089A6
6006B6580
7004A4458
8002C2838
9001C1826
95015131C
Brand · Violet
50F4EFFF
100EBE2FF
200D9C8FF
300BFA3FB
400A37CF5
5008654EE
6006A3FF0
7005A31CF
8004A2AA6
9003D2682
950261552
Success
50EAFAF1
100CDEEDB
2009FDCBB
3005FC78F
4002BB073
50016A866
6000F8A52
7000F6F44
800115A39
9000F4A30
95007291B
Warning
50FFF7E8
100FDECC4
200F8D488
300F0B84A
400E3A01F
500D98A09
600B86F06
70092560A
80078460F
900653C12
9503A2106
Error
50FDECEC
100FBD5D6
200F6ABAD
300EF7D80
400EF5A5F
500E5484D
600CC3A40
700A82D33
8008A262B
900722327
9503F0F12
Info
50EAF2FE
100D2E4FD
200A9C9FA
30076A8F3
4004886EA
5002F6FE0
6002559C0
70021489B
8001F3D7E
9001E3568
95014213F
Data palette · the six measurements
Literacy
6A3FF0
Responsible use
2F6FE0
Specification
0C9AA8
Problem definition
1AA863
Application
D98A09
Evaluation & analysis
E0552F
Usage. Monochrome by default, in the spirit of Vercel. Colour appears in exactly one role: representing the six measurements (category dots, the radar, capability bars). Semantic ramps are used minimally, for state. Gradients are reserved for backgrounds and impact moments only (the brand-gradient block, empty-state illustration), never on routine components. Backgrounds use Neutral 50 / white, never 300+ as a fill. Body text on Neutral 900–950, never below 500 on white (AA). Primary actions are ink.

Typography

Space Grotesk for display, headings, numerics and UI. Inter for body and long-form. Numerics are tabular for alignment in data views.

DisplaySpace Grotesk · 44 / 1.05
Closing the gap
H1Space Grotesk · 32 / 1.1
Capability radar
H2Space Grotesk · 22 / 1.15
Finish setting up
Body LInter · 17 / 1.6
Inter keeps the product legible and calm.
BodyInter · 15 / 1.55
Default reading size for long-form content.
LabelInter · 13 / 1.4
BUTTON · FIELD · NAV
CaptionInter · 12 / 1.4
Helper and secondary text
NumericSpace Grotesk · 15 tabular
1234.56 · L4.0

Iconography

Phosphor (regular weight) across the product. Stroke-based, ~1.5px optical weight. Sized 16 / 20 / 24; paired at roughly 1.2× the adjacent text, aligned to the text centre. No custom icons — the library moves as fast as the roadmap.

house
chats-circle
book-open
exam
users
buildings
gauge
chart-donut
seal-check
magnifying-glass
bell
gear-six
plus
arrow-right
caret-right
check

Brand mark

The mark in monochrome, for places the full spectrum cannot go. Ink on light, white on dark; keep clear space equal to one spoke and never recolour it outside these two.

Motion

The point of view in one line: surfaces breathe, components don’t.

Expressive motion is confined to generative surfaces. On Discuss, the prismatic background drifts on a slow 26–34s loop and the spectral streaks reveal under the pointer, so the AI surface feels alive. Everywhere data lives, motion is restrained and functional, because a cockpit shouldn’t shimmer.

Hover / press — 150ms ease, opacity and border only.
Elevation / dialogs — 200ms spring, scale 0.97 → 1 with a fade.
Numbers — brief count-up on first paint; never on update.
Ambient surfaces — 20s+ loops, pointer-driven, decorative only.

All motion honours prefers-reduced-motion: ambient loops freeze, transitions collapse to instant.

Ambient backgrounds, loaders and confirmations. Colour appears only where it carries meaning (the mark, the radar, atmospheric flares); everything functional stays monochrome. Each loops and every specimen respects reduced motion.

Backgrounds

Slow, low-contrast atmosphere. Spectral options are for impact surfaces (hero, header, the Discuss canvas); the monochrome grid is safe behind dense app screens.

Spectral
Prism driftTwo flares breathing and drifting. Hero and header atmosphere.
Spectral
Living surfaceWandering blurred blobs. The Discuss generative canvas.
Spectral
Aurora washSoft horizontal bands. Section breaks and marketing.
Monochrome
Quiet gridDrifting dot grid with a faint sheen. Safe behind app screens.

Loading

Reach for the smallest one that fits: dots for a short inline wait, the bar for a page action, skeletons when the shape is known, the mark for a full screen, and the radar while a result is computed.

Signature
AcademyAI
Brand markThe mark resolving, over a soft prism glow. Full-screen and first load.
Monochrome
Working…
Indeterminate barFor an action with no known duration. Top of a view or a card.
Monochrome
Skeleton shimmerHold the layout while lists, cards and tables load.
Signature
Radar draw-inFor the moment a capability result is being computed.
Monochrome
Processing dotsInline, short waits. The Discuss reply forming.

Feedback

A finished assessment earns the full spectral burst, because completing the six is the whole point. Routine confirmations get the quiet monochrome check.

Signature
Completion burstAssessment finished, course completed, milestone reached.
Monochrome
Saved
Saved checkAutosave, settings applied, routine confirmations.

Buttons

Monochrome by default. Primary is ink, the rest neutral. Per the system rule, colour only ever marks the six measurements, so even the generative action stays neutral. Destructive is the one functional exception.

Primary CTA — the fluid prism button. It is the one sanctioned use of the brand prism on an interactive element, reserved for the single most important action on a surface. The gradient flows with cursor parallax on hover, behind a soft aura and an animated border, with a click ripple. Everything else stays in the monochrome set above.

App components

Patterns shared across the product surfaces. All monochrome; the live indicator uses the sanctioned violet accent rather than a status green, so colour stays reserved for the six measurements. The integration action (e.g. Connect Slack) is just a full-width primary button.

Suggest courses This week Live now Draft

Inputs & forms

We’ll never share it.
Please choose a role.
Controls

Cards

Users
128
in your organisation
Live courses
14
published and assignable
Avg capability
4.0
+0.3 this quarter

Tabs

Underline
OverviewMembersActivitySettings
Segmented

Tables

CourseCategoryStatusLessonsEnrolled
Evaluating AI OutputEvaluationLive542
AI Security and Safe UseResponsible useLive538
Prompt EngineeringSpecificationDraft50

Badges & status

Live Draft Archived Success Warning Error Info

Dialog

Archive this course?

Learners currently enrolled will keep access until they finish. You can restore it any time.

Toasts

Clean monochrome cards with a small semantic icon and a neutral auto-dismiss timer. No gradients on components, colour stays reserved for the six measurements.

3 course ideas ready
AcademyAI drafted them from your capability gaps. Review in Courses.
Course published
Prompt Engineering is now live.
Assessment scheduled
Invites go out Monday at 9:00.
Couldn’t save changes
Check your connection and retry.

Progress & charts

Scores, progress and charts use the spectral palette; everything else stays neutral. Numerics are tabular.

4.0 of 6
Q1
Q2
Q3
Q4
Overall capability4.0
Literacy4.6
Application4.9
Evaluation3.1
L4 · Fluent +0.3

Empty states

Illustration is abstract and prismatic — a soft refraction, never a character or a robot. Each state names the one action that fills it: the icon floats over a slow breathing glow, the first-assessment radar waits as a dashed outline, and no-results runs a quiet scan line.

Signature

No assessments yet

Measure your team across the six. About five minutes.

First assessmentThe capability radar as a dashed, waiting outline.

No courses yet

Build your first from a topic, a template, or a blank page.

Empty catalogueFloating icon, breathing glow, single clear action.

Just you so far

Invite your team so their capability shows up here.

No team yetSame pattern, different verb. Consistency teaches the product.

No matches

Nothing matched that search. Try a broader term.

No resultsA quiet scan line. States the problem, suggests the fix.