Appsflyersdk Design System Deep Dive

1. Brand Overview

Appsflyersdk’s website is stripped down to the essentials — almost aggressively so. No big, flashy gradients. No over-designed UI elements. The whole thing feels like it was built to deliver technical information with zero distraction. If you’re coming here, you’re probably a developer or someone integrating the SDK, not a casual browser. That intent shows in the design choices.

The typography is minimal: a “Times” family for headings (unusual for a tech brand) and monospace for captions. This immediately frames the brand as developer-centric. Monospace screams “code,” while Times hints at a utilitarian, legacy feel — almost academic. There’s no playful sans-serif or tech-brand geometric font. It’s functional, maybe even austere.

Colors? The extracted data shows no defined palette beyond a single border color (rgb(0, 0, 0)). That’s telling. Either the site leans entirely on black and white, or color is applied inline and not part of a formal design token set. This is rare — most brands have at least a primary hex defined. Here, it’s monochrome, bordering on brutalist.

Spacing is tight: base values at 5px, 10px, and 13px. That’s a very small set of spacing tokens, and it’s custom (not your typical 4px or 8px grid). This suggests they’re not following a modern design system grid but rather a pragmatic, minimal spacing approach.

No shadows. No border-radius. No buttons styles extracted. The components section is basically empty. That reinforces the vibe: this is a flat, no-frills interface, probably text and links with minimal interactive decoration.

If I had to summarize the philosophy: developer-first, flat, monochrome, functional. They’re not trying to win design awards. They’re trying to make sure you can read the docs and get back to your IDE.

2. Color System

2.1 Primary Colors

There isn’t a defined “primary” brand color in the extracted data. The only color token comes from a border: solid black (rgb(0, 0, 0)). That’s it. This is unusual but consistent with a design that’s either entirely grayscale or using inline styles without a central token system.

From a psychological perspective, black communicates authority, seriousness, and clarity. In a developer context, it’s also high contrast and works well with code formatting. Competitors often use blues (trust, stability) or greens (growth, success). Appsflyersdk’s lack of chromatic primary feels intentional — it removes visual noise.

2.2 Complete Palette

That’s the entire palette, as extracted.

2.3 Color Relationships

With only black defined, contrast is straightforward: black text or borders on a white (default browser) background is WCAG AAA compliant for all text sizes. Accessibility isn’t an issue here — unless they introduce low-contrast greys elsewhere.

Dark mode? Not indicated. This is likely a static light scheme.

2.4 Usage Guide

• Works well: Black borders with white backgrounds keep things clear.
• Avoid: Introducing arbitrary colors — will break the site’s stark visual language.
• Tip: If you add a primary accent, it should be applied sparingly (links, call-to-actions).

3. Typography

3.1 Font Families

Two families are in play:

• Heading-1: Times — system serif font. No fallbacks defined in the data.
• Caption: monospace — system-fixed width font, again no fallbacks.

No Google Fonts, no Adobe Fonts, no variable fonts. This is pure system fonts, which load instantly and require no external resources.

This choice screams “fast load, no dependencies.” But it also limits visual distinction — it will look slightly different across OS/browser defaults.

3.2 Type Scale

No other type levels defined. That means the site may rely on browser defaults for other headings and body text.

3.3 Hierarchy

Here’s the odd thing: Heading-1 at 16px is the same size as typical body text. This kills the visual hierarchy — headings don’t “pop” visually. The only differentiation is font family. This is a deliberate choice if the brand wants a flat reading experience, but from a UX perspective, it can slow scanning.

Captions at 13px are slightly smaller and in monospace. Likely used for code snippets, labels, or metadata.

4. Spacing & Layout

4.1 Spacing Scale

Custom scale (not even multiples of 4px or 8px):

This micro scale reinforces the minimalist approach — fewer tokens, tighter layouts.

4.2 Layout

No breakpoints extracted. Likely uses default responsive behavior without a formal grid system. This suggests single-column or simple flex layouts without complex container rules.

5. Visual Elements

• Border Radius: None defined. Likely square corners everywhere.
• Shadow System: None. Totally flat.
• Borders: One style: 0px 0px 2px solid black applied to divs. Odd combination — zero width on top/left, 2px solid bottom border. This feels like section dividers rather than full borders.

6. Components

Data shows no buttons, no inputs, no links styles extracted. That means either:

• They’re using browser defaults for interactive elements.
• Or components are styled inline without tokens.

Given the extracted result, the component system is essentially non-existent in a design token sense. That’s consistent with a documentation-heavy site.

7. Design Tokens

Only actual extracted values:

:root {
  /* Colors */
  --color-border-black: #000000;

  /* Typography */
  --font-heading-1: Times;
  --font-caption: monospace;
  --font-size-heading-1: 16px;
  --font-size-caption: 13px;
  --font-weight-normal: 400;

  /* Spacing */
  --space-5: 5px;
  --space-10: 10px;
  --space-13: 13px;

  /* Borders */
  --border-bottom-width: 2px;
  --border-bottom-style: solid;
  --border-bottom-color: var(--color-border-black);
}

8. AI Coding Assistant Prompt

# Appsflyersdk Design System Specification

You are an Appsflyersdk design expert. Build UIs matching their visual language exactly.

## Brand Context
Appsflyersdk’s visual language is flat, monochrome, and developer-first. It uses system fonts, minimal spacing, and no decorative elements. The focus is clarity and speed, not visual flourish.

## Color Palette
- Black Border: #000000 — Used for bottom borders on dividers

### Color Rules
- Use ONLY black for borders
- Backgrounds default to white
- Avoid introducing arbitrary colors

## Typography
- Headings: "Times"
- Captions: "monospace"

| Level     | Size  | Weight | Line Height | Use For             |
|-----------|-------|--------|-------------|---------------------|
| Heading-1 | 16px  | 400    | normal      | Section headings    |
| Caption   | 13px  | 400    | normal      | Code labels, metadata|

## Spacing & Grid
Base spacing units:
- 5px — Tight gaps
- 10px — Moderate padding/margins
- 13px — Specific element spacing

## Border Radius
- none: 0 — All components

## Shadows & Depth
Flat design — use borders, not shadows.

## Component Specifications

### Divider
```css
.divider {
  border-top: none;
  border-left: none;
  border-right: none;
  border-bottom: 2px solid #000000;
}
```

### Text Styles
```css
.h1 {
  font-family: Times;
  font-size: 16px;
  font-weight: 400;
}
.caption {
  font-family: monospace;
  font-size: 13px;
  font-weight: 400;
}
```

## Layout & Responsive Rules
- No fixed breakpoints — use fluid layouts
- Maintain spacing units in multiples of 5px, 10px, or 13px

## Interaction Rules
- Minimal transitions (or none)
- Focus indicators can use native browser outlines

## DO List
- Use system fonts only
- Keep all elements flat — no shadows
- Maintain tight spacing
- Use black borders for dividers
- Keep typography weights at 400

## DON'T List
- Add extra border-radius
- Use any colors outside black/white
- Introduce non-system fonts
- Apply shadows

## Code Examples

### Divider Example
```css
.section {
  border-bottom: 2px solid #000000;
  padding-bottom: 10px;
  margin-bottom: 10px;
}
```

### Caption Example
```css
.caption {
  font-family: monospace;
  font-size: 13px;
  font-weight: 400;
}
```

### Heading Example
```css
.h1 {
  font-family: Times;
  font-size: 16px;
  font-weight: 400;
}
```

9. Summary

TL;DR — Appsflyersdk’s design is barebones: system fonts, black borders, tiny spacing scale. It’s functional and developer-oriented, sacrificing visual hierarchy for speed and clarity.

Brand Keywords:

• developer-minimalist
• flat-monochrome
• utilitarian-interface
• no-frills-docs
• speed-over-style