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eBay Design System: Functional Marketplace UI Patterns

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Explore eBay's design system - colors, typography, and component specs. Build scalable marketplace UIs with eBay's trusted visual language.

6 min read1,023 words

Brand Identity

Color Palette

Primary
Secondary

Typography

Primary Font
Market Sans
Secondary Font
Arial

Design Style

Style
functional and utilitarian with controlled bursts of brand color
Visual Density
dense information architecture with compact grid-based spacing
Border Style
generous mixed: 8px buttons, 16-20px cards, 44px pill inputs

Full Analysis

eBay Brand Design System Deep Dive

1. Brand Overview

eBay’s design language is exactly what you’d expect from a marketplace that’s been alive since the dial-up era — functional, recognisable, and unapologetically utilitarian. This isn’t a brand chasing minimalism for the sake of it. They’ve got decades of visual baggage to carry, and they lean into it.

The vibe? A hybrid of corporate reliability and everyday accessibility. You see colour in the logo and marketing banners, but the core UI leans on neutrals and system clarity. Primary actions are blue (#0968f6) — a safe, accessible hue that’s been battle-tested for CTAs. Secondary actions and text are deep charcoal (#191919). The palette stretches far into functional territory: greens for success states, reds for error, yellows and marigolds for warnings, plus a library of marketing colours like avocado, lilac, and coral — each with multiple tints.

Typography is consistent: Market Sans everywhere, backed by system fonts (Arial, Helvetica). It’s a custom eBay typeface — geometric, friendly, and direct — but they don’t rely solely on it; fallbacks ensure no rendering surprises. The type scale is broad, from big 36px headings down to micro 10px labels.

Spacing follows an 8px rhythm — not surprising for a modern web app — but with some oddball values like 5.75px and 13px peppered in. This suggests legacy components or pixel-perfect tweaks to align icons and text.

Borders and radii are generous where it matters: search inputs with 44px pill ends, cards at 16–24px corners, true pills with 15984px radius. Shadows are present but subtle, giving depth without breaking accessibility.

Components are built for high-traffic, high-interaction environments. Buttons have strong state definitions — hover, focus, active all tuned with colour and box-shadow changes. Links are varied: some underlined, some not, depending on context. Inputs get clear focus outlines, often with the primary blue.

eBay’s design philosophy: keep the transactional core clean, inject brand personality in controlled bursts, and never break the grid. It’s about trust, clarity, and speed — the kind of system you can scale to millions of listings without visual chaos.


2. Color System

2.1 Primary Colours

Primary: rgb(25,25,25) / #191919 — used for headings, body text, and key UI chrome. It’s almost black but softer, reducing harshness against white backgrounds. This works because it balances readability and visual comfort. Competitors like Amazon use pure black (#000) for maximum contrast; eBay opts for a slightly muted tone.

Accent/CTA: #0968f6 — the blue you see on primary buttons and focus rings. Psychologically, blue signals trust, stability, and clickable intent. It’s safer than green/red for actions that could affect transactions.

Secondary/UI neutrals: multiple greys (#555555, #333333, #707070) for secondary text, dividers, and subtle UI elements.

2.2 Complete Palette

Color NameHexRoleUsage
Primary Text#191919Semantic primaryHeadings, main text
Secondary Text#555555Neutral darkSubtext, less prominent labels
White#ffffffBackground/surfacePage background, buttons
Dark Grey#333333NeutralDividers, secondary UI
Medium Grey#707070NeutralFooter links, muted labels
Black#000000NeutralIcons, playback controls
Navy#01193dAccent darkRare, deep backgrounds
Focus Blue#005fccInteractionFocus outlines
Dark Neutral#2e2e2eHover/focusButton hover background
Near White#fdfdfdSurfaceHover states, card backgrounds
Dark Neutral 2#2f2f2fHover/focusAlternate hover states
Pink 500#de458eMarketingCampaign accents
Orange 600#c15100MarketingPromotions
Teal 400#44ccd5AccentCharts, highlights
Avocado 200#f8fcdeMarketingBackground fills
Neutral 300#e5e5e5UI neutralBorders, dividers
Background Accent#0968f6Primary blueCTAs, focus
Coral 600#d03706MarketingSales banners
Background Confirmation#288034SuccessConfirmation states
Green 500#92c821SuccessIcons, status
Avocado 400#e3f13cMarketingBackground fills
Blue 400#4d93fcSecondary blueLinks
Dijon 600#766f28MarketingCampaign accents
Violet 500#583aeeMarketingHighlights
Jade 600#0f805eSuccessCharts, accents
Coral 700#5e1d08Marketing darkText over coral bg
Kiwi 400#4ce160SuccessLive labels
Jade 400#1ed49eSuccessBadges
Pink 600#a51359MarketingCampaign accents
Green 400#aaed56SuccessBackground fills
Indigo 500#0099f0AccentLinks
Lilac 500#8935cbMarketingHighlights
Indigo 700#003c66Accent darkDeep backgrounds
State Accent Active#254fd2InteractionActive link/button
Marigold 600#a36302WarningAlerts
Orange 200#ffead3MarketingBackground fills
Yellow 600#855f00WarningIcons/text
Neutral 500#8f8f8fNeutral midPlaceholder text
Yellow 800#312102Warning darkText over yellow bg
Dijon 400#f6e016MarketingBackground fills
Teal 800#04252fAccent darkCharts
Jade 800#002b20Success darkDeep backgrounds
Coral 400#ff6a38MarketingButtons
Red 800#2a0303Error darkText over red bg
Red 500#f02d2dErrorAlerts
Lilac 800#2f041eMarketing darkBackground
Dijon 200#fcf9deMarketingBackground fills
Jade 300#8feaceSuccessCharts
Violet 700#271a68Marketing darkDeep background
Dijon 300#faef8aMarketingBackground fills
Jade 700#055743Success darkText
Orange 700#562501Marketing darkText
Lilac 600#631f99MarketingHighlights
Coral 500#f3511bMarketingButtons
Yellow 700#553b06WarningText
Coral 200#ffe1d7MarketingBackground fills
Green 800#1c2d06Success darkText
Lilac 400#b56bf0MarketingHighlights
Red 700#570303Error darkText
Kiwi 500#3cc14eSuccessBadges
Teal 300#8edfe5AccentCharts
Kiwi 300#a6f0a5SuccessBackground fills
Green 300#d5f6aaSuccessBackground fills
Marigold 800#2f1b04Warning darkText
Teal 500#1bbfcaAccentCharts
Yellow 500#eebb04WarningIcons
Violet 600#3b1fc6MarketingHighlights
Blue 300#84b4fbSecondary blueLinks
Marigold 200#fff0d3WarningBackground fills
Yellow 300#ffe58aWarningBackground fills
Kiwi 200#e0fae0SuccessBackground fills
Violet 800#20092bMarketing darkBackground
Coral 300#ffa78aMarketingBackground fills
Blue 800#19133aAccent darkBackground
Dijon 800#2e2400Marketing darkText
Jade 500#17c28fSuccessBadges
Marigold 300#ffd480WarningBackground fills
Green 600#507d17SuccessIcons
Marigold 500#e99a02WarningIcons
Lilac 200#efddfdMarketingBackground fills
Red 300#ffa0a0ErrorBackground fills
Orange 500#ec7303MarketingButtons
Dijon 700#524500Marketing darkText
Pink 200#fcdcecMarketingBackground fills
Violet 200#e2ddfdMarketingBackground fills
Yellow 200#fff8d5WarningBackground fills
Blue 600#0049b8Secondary blueLinks
Green 200#f0fce1SuccessBackground fills
Marigold 700#562f01Warning darkText
Kiwi 800#0c310dSuccess darkText
Jade 200#d8f8eeSuccessBackground fills
Dijon 500#e8d20cMarketingIcons
Indigo 300#80d0fdAccentLinks
Indigo 400#0aa7ffAccentLinks
Pink 300#f79cc8MarketingBackground fills
Red 200#ffdedeErrorBackground fills
Lilac 700#3e135fMarketing darkBackground
Pink 800#360606Marketing darkText
Avocado 700#4e4e0cMarketing darkText
Violet 400#836bffMarketingHighlights
Red 400#ff5c5cErrorButtons
Coral 800#2f0e04Marketing darkText
Indigo 600#0364abAccentLinks
Orange 300#ffc382MarketingBackground fills
Marigold 400#ffa800WarningIcons
Teal 700#07465aAccent darkBackground
Avocado 600#68770dMarketing darkText
Orange 400#ff8806MarketingButtons
Avocado 300#e9f5a0MarketingBackground fills
Pink 700#4b112dMarketing darkText
Avocado 800#282306Marketing darkBackground
Blue 200#d4e5feSecondary blueBackground fills
Lilac 300#cc9ef0MarketingHighlights
AI Solid Green Subtle#f1fdf1Success subtleBackground fills

2.3 Color Relationships

They pair high-contrast text (#191919) with white (#ffffff) for maximum WCAG compliance. Blue (#0968f6) on white easily passes AAA for large text. Greens and reds are saturated enough for icons but might struggle with small text on coloured backgrounds — they mitigate with dark variants (#1c2d06, #570303) for text over tinted backgrounds.

2.4 Usage Guide

  • Use #0968f6 only for interactive states (buttons, focus outlines).
  • Keep #191919 for primary text; don’t drop to pure black unless it’s an icon.
  • Marketing colours live in banners and campaign-specific UI — don’t mix them into transactional flows.
  • Dark variants are for text over light tints, not standalone backgrounds.

3. Typography

3.1 Font Families

Market Sans — custom eBay typeface. Fallbacks: Arial, Helvetica. No Google or Adobe Fonts loaded. This is consistent across headings, links, captions, and buttons.

3.2 Type Scale

ElementFontSizeWeightLine Height
Heading-1Market Sans36px7001.28
Heading-1Market Sans30px7001.33
LinkMarket Sans30px7001.33
Heading-1Market Sans24px7001.33
LinkMarket Sans24px7001.33
LinkMarket Sans20px7001.40
Heading-1Market Sans20px7001.40
LinkMarket Sans20px4001.43
Heading-1Market Sans20px4001.43
ButtonMarket Sans18px400
Heading-1Market Sans16px4001.50
LinkMarket Sans16px4001.50
LinkMarket Sans16px7001.25
Heading-1Market Sans16px7001.50
LinkMarket Sans14px4001.50
CaptionMarket Sans14px7001.50
LinkMarket Sans14px7001.50
CaptionMarket Sans14px4001.50
ButtonMarket Sans14px700
ButtonMarket Sans13.33px400
CaptionMarket Sans13.33px400
CaptionMarket Sans12px4001.50
LinkMarket Sans12px4001.50
ButtonMarket Sans12px400
CaptionMarket Sans12px7001.33
LinkMarket Sans12px7001.43
LinkMarket Sans11px4001.50
ButtonMarket Sans11px400
ButtonMarket Sans10px400

3.3 Hierarchy

Bold weights (700) signal clickable or primary content. Smaller sizes (12–14px) are used for captions, labels, and less important links. The scale is tight — no giant jumps between levels — which keeps UI dense and information-rich, perfect for a marketplace.


4. Spacing & Layout

4.1 Spacing Scale

Base: 8px grid. Common values:

pxremCount
1px0.06rem23
4px0.25rem55
5.75px0.36rem50
7px0.44rem22
8px0.50rem156
10px0.63rem37
12px0.75rem95
13px0.81rem190
16px1rem84
20px1.25rem4
24px1.5rem2
28px1.75rem6
30px1.88rem10
32px2rem3
40px2.5rem1
52px3.25rem1
72px4.5rem2

4.2 Layout

Breakpoints range from mobile (320px) to desktop (1920px). Lots of intermediate widths suggest component-specific responsiveness. Likely container max widths around 1280–1440px for desktop.


5. Visual Elements

Border Radius

ValueCountElements
0px 40px 40px 0px1Select category input
0px 16px 16px 0px2Images
8px21Buttons, links
16px127Divs, groups, navigation
20px26Cards
24px26Live event buttons
44px2Div, button
44px 0px 0px 44px1Combobox
50px29Icon buttons
15984px34Pills, watchlist toggles
50%26Circular elements

Shadows

  • rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.15) 0px 2px 7px, rgba(0,0,0,0.2) 0px 5px 17px
  • rgba(0,0,0,0.28) 0px 0px 3px
  • rgba(0,0,0,0.24) 0px 2px 2px, rgba(0,0,0,0.12) 0px 0px 2px
  • Subtle, functional — never decorative.

6. Components

6.1 Buttons

Example: .gh-search-button

Default: bg #0968f6, text white, padding 0 20px, radius 44px, border 1px solid #0968f6.
Hover: transparent bg, opacity 0.85, border 1px solid transparent.
Active: transform translate(-4px).
Focus: box-shadow 0 0 0 2px primary bg, 0 0 0 4px accent.

Other variants include icon buttons with 50px radius, live buttons with kiwi green (#4ce160), and pills with giant radii.

Varied styles — some underlined (#0968f6), some plain black. Hover generally changes color to var(--color-foreground-secondary) and removes underline.

6.3 Forms

Search input: white bg, black text, pill radius on left (44px), focus with blue outline (#005fcc). Select dropdowns have matching radii and subtle grey text.

6.4 Cards

Cards use 16–20px radius, subtle shadows, and consistent padding multiples of 8px. No hover lift — static surfaces.


7. Design Tokens

:root {
  /* Colors */
  --color-primary-text: #191919;
  --color-secondary-text: #555555;
  --color-white: #ffffff;
  --color-dark-grey: #333333;
  --color-medium-grey: #707070;
  --color-black: #000000;
  --color-focus-blue: #005fcc;
  --color-primary-blue: #0968f6;
  --color-neutral-300: #e5e5e5;
  --color-green-500: #92c821;
  /* (Add all other extracted colors here) */

  /* Typography */
  --font-family-primary: "Market Sans", Arial, Helvetica;
  --font-size-h1: 36px;
  --font-size-h2: 30px;
  --font-size-h3: 24px;
  --font-size-body-lg-bold: 20px;
  --font-size-body-lg: 20px;
  --font-size-body-md: 16px;
  --font-size-body-sm: 14px;
  --font-size-caption: 12px;
  --font-weight-bold: 700;
  --font-weight-regular: 400;

  /* Spacing */
  --spacing-1: 1px;
  --spacing-4: 4px;
  --spacing-5-75: 5.75px;
  --spacing-8: 8px;
  --spacing-10: 10px;
  --spacing-12: 12px;
  --spacing-13: 13px;
  --spacing-16: 16px;
  --spacing-20: 20px;
  --spacing-24: 24px;
  --spacing-28: 28px;
  --spacing-30: 30px;
  --spacing-32: 32px;
  --spacing-40: 40px;
  --spacing-52: 52px;
  --spacing-72: 72px;

  /* Radius */
  --radius-sm: 8px;
  --radius-md: 16px;
  --radius-lg: 20px;
  --radius-xl: 24px;
  --radius-pill: 44px;
  --radius-full: 50%;
  --radius-extreme: 15984px;

  /* Shadows */
  --shadow-lg: rgba(0,0,0,0.15) 0px 2px 7px, rgba(0,0,0,0.2) 0px 5px 17px;
  --shadow-md: rgba(0,0,0,0.28) 0px 0px 3px;
  --shadow-sm: rgba(0,0,0,0.24) 0px 2px 2px, rgba(0,0,0,0.12) 0px 0px 2px;
}

8. AI Coding Assistant Prompt

# eBay Design System Specification

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

## Brand Context
eBay’s design is transactional-first: clarity over decoration, trust through colour discipline, personality in marketing bursts. Components are dense, efficient, and consistent.

## Color Palette
- Primary Text: #191919 — Headings, body text
- Secondary Text: #555555 — Subtext
- White: #ffffff — Backgrounds
- Primary Blue: #0968f6 — CTAs, focus outlines
- Focus Blue: #005fcc — Input focus borders
- Neutral 300: #e5e5e5 — Dividers
- Green 500: #92c821 — Success icons
- Kiwi 400: #4ce160 — Live state buttons
- Red 500: #f02d2d — Error
- Coral 500: #f3511b — Marketing buttons
- (Include all extracted colors similarly)

## Typography
Font family: "Market Sans", Arial, Helvetica

| Level | Size | Weight | Line Height | Use |
|-------|------|--------|-------------|-----|
| H1 | 36px | 700 | 1.28 | Page titles |
| H2 | 30px | 700 | 1.33 | Section headings |
| Body LG Bold | 20px | 700 | 1.40 | Emphasised text |
| Body LG | 20px | 400 | 1.43 | Paragraphs |
| Body MD Bold | 16px | 700 | 1.50 | Labels |
| Body MD | 16px | 400 | 1.50 | Paragraphs |
| Caption | 12px | 400 | 1.50 | Meta info |

## Spacing & Grid
Base: 8px. Scale: 1px, 4px, 5.75px, 8px, 10px, 12px, 13px, 16px, 20px, 24px, 28px, 30px, 32px, 40px, 52px, 72px.

## Border Radius
- sm: 8px — Buttons
- md: 16px — Cards
- lg: 20px — Large cards
- xl: 24px — Live buttons
- pill: 44px — Inputs
- full: 50% — Avatars
- extreme: 15984px — Pills/watchlist toggle

## Shadows & Depth
- Large: rgba(0,0,0,0.15) 0px 2px 7px, rgba(0,0,0,0.2) 0px 5px 17px
- Medium: rgba(0,0,0,0.28) 0px 0px 3px
- Small: rgba(0,0,0,0.24) 0px 2px 2px, rgba(0,0,0,0.12) 0px 0px 2px

## Components

### Primary Button
Default: bg #0968f6, color #ffffff, padding 0 20px, radius 44px, border 1px solid #0968f6.  
Hover: bg transparent, opacity 0.85, border transparent.  
Active: translate(-4px).  
Focus: box-shadow 0 0 0 2px #ffffff, 0 0 0 4px #0968f6.

### Secondary Button
Default: bg white, text #191919, radius 8px, no border. Hover/focus similar to primary but with subtle color changes.

### Navigation Links
Default: color #191919, underline or none depending on context. Hover: color var(--color-foreground-secondary), no underline.

### Input Fields
Default: bg white, text black, radius 44px left, padding-left 44px. Focus: outline 2px solid #005fcc, bg var(--color-blue-1).

### Cards
bg white, radius 16–20px, subtle shadow, padding multiples of 8px.

## Layout & Responsive Rules
Max content: ~1440px desktop. Page padding: ~16px mobile, ~32px desktop. Grid gaps follow 8px multiples. Breakpoints: 320px, 768px, 1024px, 1440px, 1920px.

## Interaction Rules
Transitions ~150ms ease for hover/focus. Focus indicators are double-ring box-shadows with primary blue outer ring.

## DO
- Use only palette colors.
- Maintain 8px grid.
- Use Market Sans everywhere.
- Match border radii to component type.
- Keep shadows subtle.

## DON'T
- Invent new colors.
- Mix sharp and rounded corners.
- Overuse marketing colors in transactional UI.
- Remove focus states.

## Code Examples

```css
.btn-primary {
  background: #0968f6;
  color: #fff;
  padding: 0 20px;
  border-radius: 44px;
  font-weight: 700;
  font-size: 14px;
  border: 1px solid #0968f6;
  transition: all 150ms ease;
}
.btn-primary:hover { background: transparent; opacity: 0.85; }
.btn-primary:focus { box-shadow: 0 0 0 2px #fff, 0 0 0 4px #0968f6; }

.input-search {
  background: #fff;
  color: #000;
  border-radius: 44px 0 0 44px;
  padding-left: 44px;
}
.input-search:focus {
  outline: 2px solid #005fcc;
  box-shadow: 0 0 0 2px #fff, 0 0 0 4px #0968f6;
}

---

## 9. Summary

**TL;DR** — eBay’s design system is built for speed and clarity. Neutral core, blue for actions, Market Sans everywhere, 8px grid discipline. Shadows are functional, radii are generous. Keep transactional flows clean; inject personality only in marketing zones.

**Brand Keywords**  
- transaction-first  
- trust-through-colour  
- grid-disciplined  
- marketing-bursts  
- neutral-core