SoundCloud DESIGN.md

Creator-driven audio design built around a signature orange, clean white surfaces, and waveform-first track players. SoundCloud's public product feels open, community-focused, and utilitarian, putting artwork, waveforms, and play buttons at the center of every screen.

1. Visual Theme & Atmosphere

Overall Aesthetic

SoundCloud feels like an open mixtape wall for independent artists. White surfaces, square artwork, and orange waveforms make every track instantly playable and shareable.

Mood & Feeling

• Open, independent, and community-first
• Energetic but practical
• Utilitarian and content-focused
• Youthful and underground
• Accessible and familiar

Design Density

Medium-to-high density. Streams and search results pack artwork, waveforms, and stats, but consistent row structure keeps them readable.

Visual Character

• Signature orange (#FF5500) for play buttons, progress, and CTAs
• White canvas with light gray dividers
• Square cover artwork everywhere
• Waveform visualizations with orange played-portion and gray remainder
• Dark black header bar and dark marketing heroes

2. Color Palette & Roles

Core Foundation

Support Palette

3. Typography Rules

Font Stack

css--font-sans: "Inter", "Interstate", "Lucida Grande", "Lucida Sans Unicode", Arial, sans-serif;

Type Scale

Typography Philosophy

Type is small, compact, and practical, keeping focus on artwork and waveforms. Artist names are muted above bolder track titles.

4. Component Stylings

Buttons

css.button-primary {
  background: #ff5500;
  color: #ffffff;
  border: 1px solid #ff5500;
  border-radius: 4px;
  min-height: 32px;
  padding: 0 16px;
  font-size: 14px;
  font-weight: 600;
}

.button-primary:hover {
  background: #e64d00;
}

.button-secondary {
  background: #ffffff;
  color: #333333;
  border: 1px solid #e5e5e5;
  border-radius: 4px;
  min-height: 26px;
  padding: 0 10px;
  font-size: 12px;
}

Play Button

css.play-button {
  width: 44px;
  height: 44px;
  border-radius: 50%;
  background: #ff5500;
  color: #ffffff;
  display: grid;
  place-items: center;
}

Track Row

css.track-row {
  display: grid;
  grid-template-columns: 120px 1fr;
  gap: 16px;
  padding: 16px 0;
  border-bottom: 1px solid #e5e5e5;
}

.track-artwork {
  width: 120px;
  height: 120px;
  object-fit: cover;
}

.waveform-played { fill: #ff5500; }
.waveform-remaining { fill: #cccccc; }

Component Notes

• Every track pairs square artwork, orange circular play button, and a waveform
• Like, repost, share, and copy-link are small outlined buttons below the waveform
• Timed comments appear as avatars along the waveform
• Persistent bottom player bar shows current track and progress

5. Layout Principles

Spacing Scale

Layout Behavior

• Main content column (~800px) with a right sidebar for suggestions and stats
• Discover pages use horizontal carousels of square artwork tiles
• Fixed bottom player bar across all pages

Whitespace Philosophy

Whitespace is economical — enough to separate tracks, never enough to slow browsing.

6. Depth & Elevation

Elevation Strategy

SoundCloud is flat and bordered. Elevation is used only for the bottom player, dropdowns, and modals.

css--shadow-player: 0 -1px 0 #e5e5e5;
--shadow-dropdown: 0 2px 8px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.15);
--shadow-modal: 0 8px 30px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.25);

Surface Hierarchy

• White canvas
• Light gray sidebar and secondary surfaces
• Fixed player bar and floating menus

7. Do's and Don'ts

Do

• Put the orange play button and waveform at the center of track UI
• Use square artwork consistently
• Keep text small and compact
• Keep the bottom player always accessible

Don't

• Do not round artwork into circles (avatars only)
• Do not use orange for large backgrounds in product views
• Do not hide waveforms behind extra clicks
• Do not add heavy shadows to track rows

8. Responsive Behavior

Breakpoints

Responsive Rules

• Artwork shrinks to 64px in mobile rows
• Waveforms remain full-width and scrubbable by touch
• Play controls keep 44px touch targets

9. Agent Prompt Guide

Quick Reference

• Signature orange #FF5500 play and progress
• Square artwork and waveform players
• White canvas, dark top bar
• Compact small typography

Prompt Template

textDesign this like SoundCloud's current public product style:
- white canvas with a dark top navigation bar
- signature orange (#FF5500) circular play buttons, waveform progress, and CTAs
- track rows with square cover art, muted artist name above bold title, and a full-width waveform
- small outlined action buttons (like, repost, share) below each waveform
- fixed bottom player bar
- open, independent, creator-first tone