No-IP Brand Design System Deep Dive

1. Brand Overview

No-IP sits at the intersection of utility and trust. This is a DNS and networking service brand — their design language is functional first, but it’s not bare-bones. The vibe is “professional tech with a hint of friendliness.” You get the sense they want to be approachable without losing credibility in a technical space.

The site’s visual system leans heavily on clarity. Colors are chosen for recognizability, not fashion. Primary green (#8fbe00) pops against muted neutrals — it’s the “go” signal, the action color. Secondary blue (#215669) is deep, stable, and feels secure. These aren’t accidental picks; they’re tuned for non-glamorous reliability.

Typography is a big part of the personality here. They’ve anchored on Open Sans and Source Sans Pro, both Google Fonts staples known for legibility and neutrality. This isn’t about typographic art — it’s about making sure every label, every heading, every button reads instantly. Narrow line heights in headings keep blocks tight; 1.5 line height in body makes it breathable.

The layout is structured on an 8px grid. That’s a modern choice, and it’s enforced pretty strictly — you can see multiples of 8 in paddings, margins, and component sizing. It keeps the site feeling organized even when there’s a lot of information.

Shadows are present but subtle. No-IP isn’t flat-flat, but it’s not skeuomorphic either. They use low-opacity, small-radius shadows to give slight elevation without distracting. Borders do a lot of the separation work instead.

The overall philosophy: Make it work first, make it easy to scan second, and make it feel trustworthy third. No-IP’s audience is technical users — sysadmins, IT pros, hobbyists — who care more about uptime than fancy visuals. The design reflects that. But the green and blue accents, rounded corners, and clean typography keep it from feeling like a raw CLI.

2. Color System

2.1 Primary Colors

Primary (#8fbe00) — This is the brand-defining green. It’s bright enough to grab attention but still sits in a natural range. Psychologically, green signals “go,” “safe,” and “success.” In a technical product space, it’s often used for confirmation and primary actions. No-IP uses it for buttons, links, and headings.

Secondary (#215669) — A dark blue-green that grounds the palette. It’s deep enough for text on light backgrounds and works well in combination with the green. Feels stable, which is exactly what you want in a DNS service.

Compared to competitors (e.g., DynDNS, Cloudflare), No-IP’s primary green is more vibrant. Cloudflare leans orange, DynDNS stays neutral. No-IP’s green is more “positive action” oriented.

2.2 Complete Palette

2.3 Color Relationships

The palette is built around high-contrast pairs. Primary green on white hits WCAG AA for normal text. Accent blue (#48c2d6) is also strong against white, but less so against darker backgrounds — you have to check contrast.

Dark neutrals (#22262a, #000000) give plenty of depth for text. Light greys (#f6f7f9, #f7f8fa) keep surfaces from being pure white, which helps avoid glare.

Dark mode isn’t explicitly implemented here — but the palette could support it by inverting surfaces to #22262a and using the green and blue for accents.

2.4 Usage Guide

Works well:

• Green (#8fbe00) buttons on white backgrounds — high visibility.
• Accent blue (#48c2d6) links in body copy — distinct without overpowering.
• Dark neutral text (#22262a) on off-white surfaces — easy reading.

Avoid:

• Accent blue on dark backgrounds — contrast drops.
• Green text on light grey surfaces — not enough separation.
• Mixing hover greens (#80aa00, #7ba400) with accent blue in the same component — feels noisy.

3. Typography

3.1 Font Families

Primary: Open Sans — Fallbacks: Source Sans Pro, Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial.
Secondary: Source Sans Pro — used in some headings.
Iconography via Font Awesome Kit and Font Awesome 6 Pro.

All fonts are Google Fonts except Font Awesome, which is icon font-based.

3.2 Type Scale

3.3 Hierarchy

Headings jump from 48px down to 36px, then 28px — a three-step hierarchy for major, medium, and minor headings. Body and buttons stick to 16px, links can go down to 14px or 12px for captions.

Weights vary widely — 300 for light headings, 700 for strong emphasis. This lets them reuse sizes in different contexts without losing hierarchy.

4. Spacing & Layout

4.1 Spacing Scale

Base unit: 8px grid. Common multiples:

4.2 Layout

Bootstrap grid plus Vuetify components. No-IP uses responsive container widths via Bootstrap defaults. Breakpoints weren’t extracted explicitly, but Bootstrap implies standard: 576px, 768px, 992px, 1200px, 1400px.

5. Visual Elements

Border Radius

Rounded corners are consistent — 4px for small elements, 8px for standard buttons, 16px for larger surfaces.

Shadows

Subtle shadows dominate:

• rgba(255,255,255,0.15) 0px 1px 0px inset, rgba(0,0,0,0.075) 0px 1px 1px — common on buttons.
• rgba(0,0,0,0.15) 0px 8px 16px — elevation for modals/cards.
• Minimal, low-opacity shadows, no heavy drop shadows.

Borders

Primary green used in borders for emphasis. Light greys for inputs. Border widths mostly 1px, solid.

6. Components

6.1 Buttons

Variants:

• Neutral link button — Transparent bg, #454d54 text, 4px radius, 8px padding.
• Cart button — White bg, #454d54 text, 4px radius, 8px padding.
• Primary button — Green bg (#8fbe00), white text, 8px radius, 8px 16px padding, border 1px solid green.
• Tertiary button — Light grey bg (#f6f7f9), dark neutral text, 16px radius, 24px padding.
• Info button — Accent blue (#48c2d6) bg, white text, 4px radius, ~14px vertical padding.
• Blue button — Dark blue-green (#003139) bg, white text, 4px radius, 8px 16px padding.

States aren’t fully extracted — hover/focus variants exist in palette (hover greens, hover blues).

6.2 Links

Styles vary by context:

• Green (#8fbe00) underline — primary link.
• Dark neutral underline — body text links.
• Accent blue underline — alt link.
• No underline for nav links, bold weight.

6.3 Forms

Inputs: White bg, #212529 text, 1px solid #dee2e6 border, 8px radius, padding 6px 12px. Subtle inset shadow.

Selects similar but with right padding for arrow.

6.4 Cards

Not explicitly extracted, but likely use off-white bg (#f7f8fa), 16px radius, subtle shadow.

7. Design Tokens

:root {
  /* Colors */
  --color-primary: #8fbe00;
  --color-secondary: #215669;
  --color-dark-neutral: #22262a;
  --color-white: #ffffff;
  --color-accent-blue: #48c2d6;
  --color-black: #000000;
  --color-near-black: #1a1a1a;
  --color-olive: #42521d;
  --color-sage: #5d7239;
  --color-light-grey-transparent: #f6f7f9;
  --color-charcoal: #272b30;
  --color-off-white: #f7f8fa;
  --color-moss: #5b6f3b;
  --color-mid-grey: #cacbcc;
  --color-dark-neutral-transparent: #22262a;
  --color-medium-green: #80aa00;
  --color-yellow-green: #7ba400;

  /* Typography */
  --font-primary: 'Open Sans', 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial;
  --font-secondary: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif;

  /* Spacing */
  --space-1: 1px;
  --space-4: 4px;
  --space-6: 6px;
  --space-8: 8px;
  --space-12: 12px;
  --space-14: 14.08px;
  --space-16: 16px;
  --space-20: 20px;
  --space-24: 24px;
  --space-25: 25px;
  --space-28: 28px;
  --space-30: 30px;
  --space-32: 32px;
  --space-48: 48px;
  --space-50: 50px;
  --space-64: 64px;
  --space-80: 80px;
  --space-100: 100px;
  --space-122: 122px;
  --space-160: 160px;

  /* Radius */
  --radius-none: 0px;
  --radius-sm: 4px;
  --radius-md: 8px;
  --radius-lg: 16px;
  --radius-xl: 32px;
  --radius-round: 50px;

  /* Shadows */
  --shadow-inset-light: rgba(255,255,255,0.15) 0px 1px 0px inset, rgba(0,0,0,0.075) 0px 1px 1px;
  --shadow-md: rgba(0,0,0,0.15) 0px 8px 16px;
}

8. AI Coding Assistant Prompt

# No-IP Design System Specification

You are a No-IP design expert. Build UIs matching their visual language exactly.

## Brand Context
No-IP is a DNS and networking service brand. The design language is functional, clear, and trustworthy, with bright green actions and deep blue support colors. Everything sits on an 8px grid with clean typography and subtle shadows.

## Color Palette
- Primary Green: #8fbe00 — Primary buttons, links, key actions
- Secondary Blue-Green: #215669 — Secondary actions, borders
- Dark Neutral: #22262a — Text, icons, dark backgrounds
- White: #ffffff — Backgrounds, text on dark surfaces
- Accent Blue: #48c2d6 — Info buttons, highlighted links
- Black: #000000 — Icons, headings
- Near Black: #1a1a1a — Background overlays
- Olive: #42521d — Hover states
- Sage: #5d7239 — Hover states
- Light Grey Transparent: #f6f7f9 — Hover overlays
- Charcoal: #272b30 — Hover backgrounds
- Off White: #f7f8fa — Card backgrounds
- Moss: #5b6f3b — Hover states
- Mid Grey: #cacbcc — Dividers, muted text
- Medium Green: #80aa00 — Hover primary buttons
- Yellow-Green: #7ba400 — Hover primary buttons

## Typography
- Font Primary: "Open Sans", "Source Sans Pro", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial
- Font Secondary: "Source Sans Pro", sans-serif

| Level | Size | Weight | Line Height | Use For |
|-------|------|--------|-------------|---------|
| H1 | 48px | 300 | 1.20 | Page titles |
| H1 | 48px | 500 | 1.50 | Page titles strong |
| H2 | 36px | 700 | 1.20 | Section headings |
| H3 | 28px | 500 | 1.20 | Subsection headings |
| Body | 16px | 400 | 1.50 | Paragraphs |
| Button | 16px | 600 | 1.50 | Action buttons |
| Caption | 12px | 400 | 1.50 | Labels |
| Link | 14.08px | 400 | 1.50 | Inline links |

## Spacing & Grid
Base: 8px
Scale: 1px, 4px, 6px, 8px, 12px, 14.08px, 16px, 20px, 24px, 25px, 28px, 30px, 32px, 48px, 50px, 64px, 80px, 100px, 122px, 160px
Use multiples for all margins/paddings.

## Border Radius
- none: 0px — Tables
- sm: 4px — Small buttons, inputs
- md: 8px — Standard buttons, badges
- lg: 16px — Cards, panels
- xl: 32px — Large containers
- round: 50px — Pills, avatars

## Shadows & Depth
- Inset light: rgba(255,255,255,0.15) 0px 1px 0px inset, rgba(0,0,0,0.075) 0px 1px 1px — buttons
- Medium: rgba(0,0,0,0.15) 0px 8px 16px — modals, elevated cards

## Component Specifications

### Primary Button
Default:
```css
background: #8fbe00;
color: #ffffff;
padding: 8px 16px;
border-radius: 8px;
border: 1px solid #8fbe00;
font-weight: 600;
font-size: 16px;
box-shadow: rgba(255,255,255,0.15) 0px 1px 0px inset, rgba(0,0,0,0.075) 0px 1px 1px;
```
Hover: background: #80aa00;  
Focus: outline: 2px solid #8fbe00; outline-offset: 2px;  
Disabled: opacity: 0.5;

### Secondary Button
Default:
```css
background: #ffffff;
color: #454d54;
padding: 8px;
border-radius: 4px;
border: 1px solid transparent;
font-size: 16px;
```

### Navigation Links
Default: color: #22262a; text-decoration: none; font-weight: 600;  
Hover: underline;

### Input Fields
Default:
```css
background: #ffffff;
color: #212529;
border: 1px solid #dee2e6;
border-radius: 8px;
padding: 6px 12px;
box-shadow: rgba(0,0,0,0.075) 0px 1px 2px inset;
```
Focus: border-color: #8fbe00;

### Card
```css
background: #f7f8fa;
border-radius: 16px;
padding: 24px;
box-shadow: rgba(0,0,0,0.15) 0px 8px 16px;
```

## Layout & Responsive Rules
Max content width: Bootstrap defaults (~1140px desktop)  
Page padding: 16px mobile / 32px desktop  
Grid gap: multiples of 8px

## Interaction Rules
- Transition: 150ms ease for state changes
- Focus indicators: 2px solid primary color
- Loading states: opacity 0.5 + spinner

## DO List
- Use only colors from the palette
- Maintain 8px grid
- Use Open Sans for body, headings
- Keep shadows subtle
- Use proper hover colors for buttons
- Keep border radius consistent per component

## DON'T List
- Don’t introduce new colors
- Don’t mix sharp and rounded corners
- Don’t use heavy shadows
- Don’t stretch icons
- Don’t break the spacing scale

## Code Examples

### Primary Button
```css
.btn-primary {
  background: #8fbe00;
  color: #fff;
  padding: 8px 16px;
  border-radius: 8px;
  border: 1px solid #8fbe00;
  font-weight: 600;
  font-size: 16px;
  transition: background 150ms ease;
}
.btn-primary:hover { background: #80aa00; }
.btn-primary:focus { outline: 2px solid #8fbe00; outline-offset: 2px; }
.btn-primary:disabled { opacity: 0.5; cursor: not-allowed; }
```

### Card
```css
.card {
  background: #f7f8fa;
  border-radius: 16px;
  padding: 24px;
  box-shadow: rgba(0,0,0,0.15) 0px 8px 16px;
}
```

### Input
```css
.input {
  background: #fff;
  border: 1px solid #dee2e6;
  border-radius: 8px;
  padding: 6px 12px;
  font-size: 16px;
}
.input:focus { border-color: #8fbe00; outline: none; }
```

9. Summary

TL;DR — No-IP’s design system is built for clarity in a technical context: bright green actions, deep blue support tones, strict 8px grid, clean sans-serif typography, and subtle shadows. It’s functional but warm enough to avoid CLI coldness.

Brand Keywords:

• tech-trustworthy
• grid-disciplined
• action-green
• no-nonsense
• approachable-pro