Skadden

White and near black with light condensed headlines and red underline marks on photo tiles.

Law firmlight themeCaptured 2026-10-06www.skadden.com
Skadden homepage at 1440x900, captured 2026-10-06
www.skadden.com at 1440x900Screenshot 2026-10-06
Overview

Skadden keeps a white page with #0e0e0e near black bands and uses #ee2517 red only as short underline marks beneath card titles. Univers Light Condensed sets 47px headings, Univers Condensed Bold labels the photo tiles, and Arial runs 16px body. Tiles are full bleed architectural photos with a dark fade, and nothing is rounded or shadowed.

Do
  • Set headings in a light condensed grotesque.
  • Use the red only as a short rule under titles.
  • Build a grid of square edged photo tiles with titles on a dark fade.
Avoid
  • Fill buttons with the red.
  • Round tile corners or add shadows.
  • Use bold weights for large headings; they are light.
Colors

Color roles

Background#ffffff

The page ground

Surface#0e0e0e

Raised panels, bands and cards

Text#0e0e0e

Primary ink, 19.3:1 on the background

Accent#ee2517

Primary actions

Highlight#bf443a

Brand color in artwork, marks and badges

Border#0e0e0e

Hairlines and dividers

Typography

Type

Arialbody, 72.2% of the text

Use Arimo. Arial is a licensed system font. Arimo is a free metric compatible stand-in.

UniversLTStd-CondensedBolddisplay and body, 22.8% of the text

Use Roboto Condensed. Univers is a paid typeface. Roboto Condensed is a free stand-in, not a match.

UniversLTStd-LightCndisplay, 2.3% of the text

Use Roboto Condensed. The light condensed cut of Univers, a paid typeface. Roboto Condensed Light is a free stand-in.

Display
47px / 400
lh 1.2 / 0
Systems that ship
Heading
45px / 400
lh 1.1 / 0
Hierarchy at a glance
Subheading
28px / 400
lh 1.25 / 0
A quieter supporting head
Body
16px / 400
lh 1.5 / 0
Body copy carries the explanation, so it has to stay readable at length on every screen.

Sizes in use: 47px / 45px / 33px / 28px / 21px / 19px / 18px / 16px

Spacing

Spacing

No single base unit: these are the values the page repeats.

26px
30px
35px
45px
130px
Shape

Corners and depth

Square corners throughout.

Components

Buttons and cards

Rebuilt here from the measured values, not copied from the site's code.

MENU
DESIGN.md

Hand this to your AI coding tool

Drop it in your repo as DESIGN.md and point Claude Code, Cursor or Codex at it before you ask for a page.

# Skadden design system

> Captured from https://www.skadden.com/ on 2026-10-06 by Brooks New Media (https://design.brooksnewmedia.com/styles/skadden/). An independent analysis for reference: Skadden and its marks belong to their owner. Learn from the system; don't copy the brand.

## Overview

Skadden keeps a white page with #0e0e0e near black bands and uses #ee2517 red only as short underline marks beneath card titles. Univers Light Condensed sets 47px headings, Univers Condensed Bold labels the photo tiles, and Arial runs 16px body. Tiles are full bleed architectural photos with a dark fade, and nothing is rounded or shadowed.

- Theme: light
- Mood: corporate, condensed, red marks, architectural, monochrome
- Category: Law firm

## Colors

| Role | Hex | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Background | `#ffffff` | The page ground |
| Surface | `#0e0e0e` | Raised panels, bands and cards |
| Text | `#0e0e0e` | Primary ink, 19.3:1 on the background |
| Accent | `#ee2517` | Primary actions |
| Highlight | `#bf443a` | Brand color in artwork, marks and badges |
| Border | `#0e0e0e` | Hairlines and dividers |

Full palette, most used first: `#ffffff`, `#0e0e0e`, `#ee2517`, `#bf443a`.

## Typography

- **Arial**: body, 72.2% of the text. Use Arimo. Arial is a licensed system font. Arimo is a free metric compatible stand-in.
- **UniversLTStd-CondensedBold**: display and body, 22.8% of the text. Use Roboto Condensed. Univers is a paid typeface. Roboto Condensed is a free stand-in, not a match.
- **UniversLTStd-LightCn**: display, 2.3% of the text. Use Roboto Condensed. The light condensed cut of Univers, a paid typeface. Roboto Condensed Light is a free stand-in.

| Role | Family | Size | Weight | Line height | Tracking |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Display | UniversLTStd-LightCn | 47px | 400 | 1.2 | 0 |
| Heading | UniversLTStd-LightCn | 45px | 400 | 1.1 | 0 |
| Subheading | UniversLTStd-CondensedBold | 28px | 400 | 1.25 | 0 |
| Body | Arial | 16px | 400 | 1.5 | 0 |

Sizes in use, largest first: 47px, 45px, 33px, 28px, 21px, 19px, 18px, 16px.

## Spacing

No single base unit: the values below are what the page repeats.
Values in use: 26px, 30px, 35px, 45px, 130px.

## Shape

Corners are square throughout.

No shadows: depth comes from color and borders.

## Components

### Primary button ("MENU")

- Fill: #0e0e0e
- Text: #ffffff, 16px at weight 400
- Border: none
- Corner: 0px
- Height: 61px, padding 0px 0px

## Do

- Set headings in a light condensed grotesque.
- Use the red only as a short rule under titles.
- Build a grid of square edged photo tiles with titles on a dark fade.

## Don't

- Fill buttons with the red.
- Round tile corners or add shadows.
- Use bold weights for large headings; they are light.

## CSS variables

```css
:root {
  --color-background: #ffffff;
  --color-surface: #0e0e0e;
  --color-text: #0e0e0e;
  --color-accent: #ee2517;
  --color-highlight: #bf443a;
  --color-border: #0e0e0e;
  --font-display: "UniversLTStd-LightCn", system-ui, sans-serif;
  --text-display: 47px;
  --weight-display: 400;
  --font-heading: "UniversLTStd-LightCn", system-ui, sans-serif;
  --text-heading: 45px;
  --weight-heading: 400;
  --font-subheading: "UniversLTStd-CondensedBold", system-ui, sans-serif;
  --text-subheading: 28px;
  --weight-subheading: 400;
  --font-body: "Arial", system-ui, sans-serif;
  --text-body: 16px;
  --weight-body: 400;
  --space-1: 26px;
  --space-2: 30px;
  --space-3: 35px;
  --space-4: 45px;
  --space-5: 130px;
}
```

## Notes for AI coding tools

- Start from the CSS variables above and build components from them, not from new values.
- Use the font substitutes listed. Never embed a commercial or platform-only typeface without a license.
- Keep body text at 4.5:1 contrast or better against its ground.
- These values were measured from the live page at 1440x900; the site may have changed since 2026-10-06.
Download DESIGN.md

Skadden and its marks belong to their owner. This page is an independent analysis of the public website, measured on 2026-10-06. We're not affiliated with or endorsed by Skadden.