How to apply a DESIGN.md file to your website with Claude Code

If Claude Code keeps giving you generic UI, the problem usually isn't the model. It's that you haven't given it a design system to execute against.

A DESIGN.md file solves that. It tells Claude what visual rules to follow: palette, typography, spacing, buttons, surfaces, and what not to do.

In this guide I'll show you how to download one from getdesign.md, drop it into your project, and use Claude Code to transform an existing page without rewriting the whole site.

Here's the exact same Synthwave-style landing page before applying a design system, followed by three restyled versions using different DESIGN.md files. Click any image to enlarge it.

Before

Original purple Synthwave page

After

Bugatti

Cinema-black, giant display type, and quiet monochrome UI.

Open Bugatti DESIGN.md ↗

After

Ferrari

Editorial black and white with restrained Ferrari red accents.

Open Ferrari DESIGN.md ↗

After

Resend

Dark premium infrastructure styling with frosted borders and code framing.

Open Resend DESIGN.md ↗

Open the design page you want on getdesign.md and copy the install command from the Usage section.

• Bugatti DESIGN.md
• Ferrari DESIGN.md
• Resend DESIGN.md

Then, from your project root, run the install command for the system you want:

npx getdesign@latest add bugatti
npx getdesign@latest add ferrari
npx getdesign@latest add resend

This creates a DESIGN.md file Claude can use as a visual reference.

The important move is to tell Claude Code to keep your content and structure, but reskin the page using the rules in DESIGN.md.

Don't ask it to “make something cool.” Ask it to use the file you just installed as the source of truth.

Use DESIGN.md as the design reference for this page.

Restyle the existing landing page to match that design system.
Keep the same content, sections, and overall structure.

Update:
- typography
- colors
- spacing
- buttons
- borders
- surfaces
- component styling

Do not turn it into a clone of the original brand.
Apply the design language to my page.

That last line matters. It tells Claude to transfer the design language, not literally turn your site into Bugatti, Ferrari, or Resend.