elevenlabs-design-analysis

name

ElevenLabs-design-analysis

description

A voice-AI brand whose marketing surfaces read like a quietly editorial print magazine. The base canvas is off-white (`#f5f5f5`) holding warm near-black ink (`#292524`); the brand voltage is photographic, not chromatic — soft pastel atmospheric gradient orbs (mint → peach → lavender → sky) drift through the page as the only "color" moments. Display runs Waldenburg Light at weight 300 — the editorial signature. Inter carries body, navigation, captions. CTAs are subtle: a near-black ink pill is the primary, a transparent outline is the secondary. The brand trusts atmospheric photography and modest type weights to do all of the brand work; there is no neon accent, no saturated CTA color, no developer-tools dark canvas.

Overview

ElevenLabs reads like a quietly editorial print magazine that happens to be a voice-AI product. The base canvas is off-white {colors.canvas} (#f5f5f5) holding warm near-black ink {colors.ink} (#0c0a09). The brand voltage is photographic, not chromatic: soft pastel atmospheric gradient orbs (mint, peach, lavender, sky, rose) drift through the page as the only "color" moments. There is no neon accent, no saturated CTA color, no dark-canvas dev-tools atmosphere.

Type pairs Waldenburg Light (custom serif at weight 300) for display with Inter for body, navigation, captions. The display weight at 300 is the editorial signature — never bold, never heavy.

CTAs are subtle: a near-black ink pill ({component.button-primary}) is the primary, a transparent outline ({component.button-outline}) is the secondary. The brand trusts atmospheric photography and modest type weights to carry brand work.

Key Characteristics:

• Off-white canvas, warm near-black ink. No saturated CTA color.
• Single primary action: ink pill at {rounded.pill}. Atmospheric gradients carry visual brand voltage.
• Display runs Waldenburg Light at weight 300 — editorial magazine voice.
• Body runs Inter at 400 with subtle letter-spacing (+0.15-0.18px).
• Pastel gradient orbs (5 tokens: mint, peach, lavender, sky, rose) used as atmospheric brand decoration only.
• Soft pill geometry ({rounded.pill} for CTAs, {rounded.xl} for cards).
• 96px section rhythm.

Colors

Brand & Accent

• Ink Primary ({colors.primary} — #292524): The primary action color — warm near-black pill. Used scarcely.
• Ink Primary Active ({colors.primary-active} — #0c0a09): Press state.

Surface

• Canvas ({colors.canvas} — #f5f5f5): Off-white page floor.
• Canvas Soft ({colors.canvas-soft} — #fafafa): Lighter band for subtle alternating sections.
• Canvas Deep ({colors.canvas-deep} — #0c0a09): Same as ink — used for the rare dark-mode hero (Agents page).
• Surface Card ({colors.surface-card} — #ffffff): Pure white card.
• Surface Strong ({colors.surface-strong} — #f0efed): Badges, voice-icon plates.
• Surface Dark ({colors.surface-dark} — #0c0a09): Dark hero/CTA band canvas.
• Surface Dark Elevated ({colors.surface-dark-elevated} — #1c1917): Cards on dark canvas.

Hairlines

• Hairline ({colors.hairline} — #e7e5e4): Default 1px divider.
• Hairline Soft ({colors.hairline-soft} — #f0efed): Lighter divider.
• Hairline Strong ({colors.hairline-strong} — #d6d3d1): Stronger panel outline.

Text

• Ink ({colors.ink} — #0c0a09): Display, primary text.
• Body ({colors.body} — #4e4e4e): Default running-text.
• Body Strong ({colors.body-strong} — #292524): Same as primary — emphasis.
• Muted ({colors.muted} — #777169): Sub-titles.
• Muted Soft ({colors.muted-soft} — #a8a29e): Disabled text.
• On Primary ({colors.on-primary} — #ffffff): White text on ink pill.
• On Dark ({colors.on-dark} — #ffffff): White text on dark hero.
• On Dark Soft ({colors.on-dark-soft} — #a8a29e): Muted off-white on dark.

Atmospheric Gradient Stops (signature)

• Gradient Mint ({colors.gradient-mint} — #a7e5d3): Mint green orb.
• Gradient Peach ({colors.gradient-peach} — #f4c5a8): Peach orb.
• Gradient Lavender ({colors.gradient-lavender} — #c8b8e0): Lavender orb.
• Gradient Sky ({colors.gradient-sky} — #a8c8e8): Sky-blue orb.
• Gradient Rose ({colors.gradient-rose} — #e8b8c4): Rose orb.

These appear ONLY as soft radial-gradient atmospheric orbs inside {component.gradient-orb-card} and as background atmospheric blooms behind hero copy. Never as button fills, never as text colors.

Semantic

• Success ({colors.semantic-success} — #16a34a): Confirmation.
• Error ({colors.semantic-error} — #dc2626): Validation errors.

Typography

Font Family

Waldenburg Light is the licensed display serif at weight 300. Inter carries body, navigation, captions, and buttons. Fallback: 'Times New Roman', serif for Waldenburg, sans-serif for Inter.

Hierarchy

Token	Size	Weight	Line Height	Letter Spacing	Use
{typography.display-mega}	64px	300	1.05	-1.92px	Homepage hero h1
{typography.display-xl}	48px	300	1.08	-0.96px	Subsidiary heroes
{typography.display-lg}	36px	300	1.17	-0.36px	Section heads
{typography.display-md}	32px	300	1.13	-0.32px	Sub-section heads
{typography.display-sm}	24px	300	1.2	0	Card group titles
{typography.title-md}	20px	500	1.35	0	Component titles — Inter
{typography.title-sm}	18px	500	1.44	0.18px	List labels
{typography.body-md}	16px	400	1.5	0.16px	Default body — Inter
{typography.body-strong}	16px	500	1.5	0.16px	Emphasized body
{typography.body-sm}	15px	400	1.47	0.15px	Footer body
{typography.caption}	14px	400	1.5	0	Photo captions
{typography.caption-uppercase}	12px	600	1.4	0.96px	Section labels, badges
{typography.button}	15px	500	1.0	0	CTA pill
{typography.nav-link}	15px	500

Principles

• Display weight stays at 300. Waldenburg Light is the editorial signature. Never bold display copy.
• Subtle letter-spacing on body. Inter at +0.15-0.18px tracking — slightly looser than default Inter for a more editorial feel.
• Negative letter-spacing on display. Waldenburg pulls -0.32px to -1.92px tighter on display sizes.

Note on Font Substitutes

Waldenburg is licensed. Open-source substitute: EB Garamond at weight 300 (slightly more humanist) or GT Sectra (closer to Waldenburg's modernity). Use Inter directly for body — it's the same family ElevenLabs uses.

Layout

Spacing System

• Base unit: 4px.
• Tokens: {spacing.xxs} 4px · {spacing.xs} 8px · {spacing.sm} 12px · {spacing.base} 16px · {spacing.md} 20px · {spacing.lg} 24px · {spacing.xl} 32px · {spacing.xxl} 48px · {spacing.section} 96px.
• Section padding: 96px.

Grid & Container

• Max content width: ~1200px.
• Editorial body: 12-column grid.
• Feature card grids: 2-up at desktop for hero splits, 3-up for benefit grids.
• Footer: 5-column at desktop.

Whitespace Philosophy

Generous editorial pacing — print-magazine feel. 96px between bands; cards inside bands sit close (16-24px gap). The atmospheric gradient orbs occupy generous breathing space without competing with copy.

Elevation & Depth

The system uses hairline + soft drop. Cards float above the off-white canvas via 1px hairlines and a single subtle shadow tier. Atmospheric depth comes from gradient orbs.

Level	Treatment	Use
Flat (canvas)	{colors.canvas} (#f5f5f5)	Body bands, footer
Card	{colors.surface-card} (#ffffff)	Content cards
Hairline border	1px {colors.hairline}	Card outlines
Soft drop	0 4px 16px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.04)	Hovered cards (single shadow tier)
Gradient orb	Radial gradient with one of {colors.gradient-*}	Atmospheric depth — never a card surface

Decorative Depth

• Pastel gradient orbs are the brand's strongest atmospheric pattern. Soft radial blooms in mint, peach, lavender, sky, or rose drift through hero bands and feature sections without containing any content — they are pure atmosphere.

Shapes

Border Radius Scale

Token	Value	Use
{rounded.none}	0px	Reserved
{rounded.xs}	4px	Inline tags
{rounded.sm}	6px	Compact rows
{rounded.md}	8px	Form inputs
{rounded.lg}	12px	Compact cards
{rounded.xl}	16px	Feature cards, pricing tiers
{rounded.xxl}	24px	Gradient orb cards (extra-soft)
{rounded.pill}	9999px	All CTA buttons, badges
{rounded.full}	9999px	Voice icon circles, avatars

Components

Top Navigation

top-nav — Background {colors.canvas}, text {colors.ink}, height 64px. Layout: ElevenLabs wordmark left, primary horizontal menu (Creative / Agents / Video / Pricing / Enterprise / Docs), Sign In + "Try free" primary CTA right.

Buttons

button-primary — Near-black ink pill. Background {colors.primary}, text {colors.on-primary}, type {typography.button} (15px / 500), padding 10px × 20px, height 40px, rounded {rounded.pill}.

button-primary-active — Press state. Background {colors.primary-active}.

button-outline — Transparent pill with 1px ink border. Background transparent, text {colors.ink}, 1px {colors.hairline-strong} border.

button-tertiary-text — Inline ink text link.

Hero & Atmospheric

hero-band — Background {colors.canvas}, full-width display headline in {typography.display-mega} (64px / 300 / -1.92px), subhead in {typography.body-md}, two CTAs, and an atmospheric gradient orb behind the centered headline.

gradient-orb-card — A large card with a soft radial-gradient orb behind centered display copy. Background {colors.canvas-soft}, rounded {rounded.xxl} (24px), padding 32px. Each variant uses one of the five gradient tokens (gradient-mint, gradient-peach, gradient-lavender, gradient-sky, gradient-rose).

audio-waveform-card — A waveform visualization card. Background {colors.surface-card}, rounded {rounded.xl}, padding 24px. Holds a play button + waveform glyph + voice metadata.

Cards

feature-card — 2-up or 3-up grids. Background {colors.surface-card}, text {colors.ink}, rounded {rounded.xl}, padding 24px, 1px hairline border.

product-card-stack — Stacked product preview cards. Background {colors.surface-card}, rounded {rounded.xl}, no padding (children fill the card edge-to-edge).

testimonial-card — Quote card. Background {colors.surface-card}, text {colors.body}, rounded {rounded.xl}, padding 32px.

Voice Library

voice-row — Horizontal row in voice list. Background transparent, 1px hairline divider. Layout: 32px circular voice icon ({component.voice-icon-circular}) left, voice name + accent stack, optional preview button right.

voice-icon-circular — Background {colors.surface-strong}, rounded {rounded.full}, 32px diameter. Holds initials or voice glyph.

Pricing

pricing-tier-card — Background {colors.surface-card}, rounded {rounded.xl}, padding 32px, 1px hairline border.

pricing-tier-featured — Featured tier inverts. Background {colors.surface-dark}, text {colors.on-dark}. Same shape, dark inversion.

Forms & Tags

text-input — Background {colors.surface-card}, text {colors.ink}, rounded {rounded.md} (8px), padding 12px × 16px, height 44px, 1px {colors.hairline-strong} border. On focus, border thickens to 2px ink.

badge-pill — Background {colors.surface-strong}, text {colors.ink}, type {typography.caption-uppercase}, rounded {rounded.pill}, padding 4px × 10px.

CTA / Footer

cta-band — Pre-footer. Background {colors.canvas}, centered display headline in {typography.display-lg}, single ink pill CTA. 96px padding.

footer — Closing 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} (ink pill) for primary CTAs.
• Use Waldenburg Light at weight 300 for every display headline. Never bold.
• Use Inter at +0.15-0.18px tracking for body — the editorial dialect.
• Use atmospheric gradient orbs (mint/peach/lavender/sky/rose) as decoration only.
• Use the pill shape for every CTA and badge.

Don't

• Don't introduce a saturated brand action color. Ink pill is the only CTA color.
• Don't bold display copy. Display sits at weight 300 — bolding shifts the brand voice from editorial to consumer-marketing.
• Don't use gradient orbs as button fills, text colors, or component backgrounds. They are pure atmosphere.
• Don't use sharp {rounded.none} (0px) on CTAs. Pill geometry is the brand button.
• Don't drop body Inter to weight 300 to match Waldenburg — body stays at 400/500 for legibility.
• 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.

Responsive Behavior

Breakpoints

Name	Width	Key Changes
Mobile	< 640px	Hero h1 64→32px; feature cards 1-up; nav hamburger; gradient orbs shrink.
Tablet	640–1024px	Hero h1 48px; feature cards 2-up.
Desktop	1024–1280px	Full hero h1 64px; feature cards 3-up.
Wide	> 1280px	Content caps at 1200px.

Touch Targets

• Primary pill at 40px height — at WCAG AA, padded for AAA.
• Voice icon circles 32px — padded row creates effective 48px tap zone.

Collapsing Strategy

• Top nav switches to hamburger below 768px.
• Feature grid: 3-up → 2-up → 1-up.
• Gradient orbs reduce diameter at every breakpoint but never disappear.

Iteration Guide

1. Focus on a single component at a time.
2. CTAs default to {rounded.pill}. Cards use {rounded.xl} (16px).
3. Variants live as separate entries.
4. Use {token.refs} everywhere — never inline hex.
5. Hover state never documented.
6. Waldenburg 300 for display, Inter 400/500 for body.
7. Gradient orbs scoped to atmospheric decoration.

Known Gaps

• Waldenburg is a licensed typeface; EB Garamond / GT Sectra are documented substitutes.
• Animation timings (orb drift, waveform pulse, hero entrance) out of scope.
• In-product surfaces (voice library editor, agent playground) only partially captured via marketing mockups.
• Form validation states beyond focus not visible on captured surfaces.