What is a DESIGN.md?
A DESIGN.md is a portable, human-readable guide to a product's visual language. It gives designers, developers, and AI tools enough context to create new work that feels consistent with the design being studied.
A design system your tools can read.
The file turns observed design decisions into structured guidance. It is context for making interfaces, not a copy of the product or its source code.
- 01
Foundations
Color, typography, spacing, grids, shape, and visual hierarchy.
- 02
Components
Reusable interface patterns, states, composition, and behavior.
- 03
Direction
The principles and decisions that make a product feel coherent.
Use it as context, not a rigid template.
Keep the file beside your codebase, share it with your team, or give it to an AI builder before you start designing.
- 1
Add the context
Upload the file when your tool supports project files, or paste the relevant sections into your prompt.
- 2
Name the task
Ask the tool to create or restyle an interface using the documented visual language.
- 3
Review the result
Treat the output as a starting point, then adapt it for your product, platform, audience, and accessibility needs.
Independent analysis, not official documentation.
Every catalog entry is an independent, interpretive analysis based on publicly observable design. It may be incomplete, outdated, or contain mistakes.
Get App Design MD is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by any featured company. Product names, logos, trademarks, apps, and official websites belong to their respective owners.