Design system overview
HSBC — Design system for HSBC's banking platforms.

Fit guidance has no recorded field-level check date. No readiness audit recorded.
Palette, type ramp, spacing grid, radius, elevation and motion — restated in our own structure from HSBC Design System’s public references. Factual values for study; the official docs remain canonical.
Editable editorial reference. 0/57 fields have an explicit source and 0 have a recorded check date. Context sources are not proof of every value; verify current values with the maintainer before implementation.
Inspect every field and its evidence (JSON)HSBC Red
Brand hexagon and primary accents
--hsbc-red
Text
Primary text
--hsbc-text
Secondary Text
Secondary text
--hsbc-text-secondary
White
Surfaces
--hsbc-white
Light Grey
Subtle background
--hsbc-grey-light
Border
Borders
--hsbc-border
Success
Positive states (teal-green)
--hsbc-success
Error
Errors
--hsbc-error
'Univers Next', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif
Weights: 400, 600, 700
Base unit 4px
Exactly what ships in hsbc-design-design.md. This entry doesn’t have a full editorial breakdown yet, so the spec covers the verified facts — profile, official source, and an AI-ready prompt.
Restated from create.hsbc. The file lists its sources and method in a provenance block at the top.
# HSBC Design System — Design Style Reference
```yaml
# How this file was made. Sources are first-party; nothing here is
# read from a rendered page. Full breakdown at source_page below.
method: partial
confidence: low
verified_at: unknown
source_page: https://www.designsystems.one/design-systems/hsbc-design
sources:
- https://create.hsbc/
```
> **Unofficial, community-authored reference.** Compiled by [designsystems.one](https://www.designsystems.one). Not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by HSBC. "HSBC Design System" and related marks belong to their respective owners. This document describes publicly observable style attributes in original words — it contains no copied documentation, logos, icon artwork, or original token files. Always defer to the official source for canonical, current values.
**System:** HSBC Design System
**Owner:** HSBC
**Official documentation:** https://create.hsbc/
**Visual character:** Global-bank formality: the hexagon red used with extreme discipline, Univers Next neutrality, and square-cornered financial gravitas.
---
## Summary
Design system for HSBC's banking platforms.
_Editorial confidence: low. This system publishes little token detail — values below are a conservative, partial reading. create.hsbc gates most detail behind login; values are a conservative reading of public surfaces. Field-level evidence: 0/57 claims source-linked, 0/57 dated. Confidence is not verification; validate canonical values before implementation._
[Inspect every field and its evidence](https://www.designsystems.one/api/style-spec?system=hsbc-design)
## Color tokens
| Color | Value | CSS variable | Role |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| HSBC Red | `#db0011` | `--hsbc-red` | Brand hexagon and primary accents |
| Text | `#333333` | `--hsbc-text` | Primary text |
| Secondary Text | `#767676` | `--hsbc-text-secondary` | Secondary text |
| White | `#ffffff` | `--hsbc-white` | Surfaces |
| Light Grey | `#f4f4f4` | `--hsbc-grey-light` | Subtle background |
| Border | `#d7d8d6` | `--hsbc-border` | Borders |
| Success | `#008580` | `--hsbc-success` | Positive states (teal-green) |
| Error | `#a8000b` | `--hsbc-error` | Errors |
## Typography
- **Body:** Univers Next — weights 400, 600, 700 — `'Univers Next', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif`
## Type scale
| Step | Size | Line height |
| --- | --- | --- |
| h1 | `38px` | `46px` |
| h2 | `28px` | `36px` |
| body | `16px` | `24px` |
| small | `14px` | `20px` |
## Spacing
Base unit: `4px`
Scale: `4px` · `8px` · `16px` · `24px` · `32px`
## Corner radius
| Name | Value |
| --- | --- |
| default | `0` |
## Quick start (CSS)
```css
/* HSBC Design System — illustrative tokens, restated as CSS custom properties.
Unofficial reference by designsystems.one; values are indicative, not
canonical. Native dp/sp values are omitted, never silently converted.
Official reference: https://create.hsbc/
Reference scope: create.hsbc gates most detail behind login; values are a conservative reading of public surfaces.
Field evidence: https://www.designsystems.one/api/style-spec?system=hsbc-design */
:root {
/* Color */
--hsbc-red: #db0011; /* Brand hexagon and primary accents */
--hsbc-text: #333333; /* Primary text */
--hsbc-text-secondary: #767676; /* Secondary text */
--hsbc-white: #ffffff; /* Surfaces */
--hsbc-grey-light: #f4f4f4; /* Subtle background */
--hsbc-border: #d7d8d6; /* Borders */
--hsbc-success: #008580; /* Positive states (teal-green) */
--hsbc-error: #a8000b; /* Errors */
/* Typography */
--font-body: 'Univers Next', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;
/* Type scale */
--text-h1: 38px; /* line-height 46px */
--text-h2: 28px; /* line-height 36px */
--text-body: 16px; /* line-height 24px */
--text-small: 14px; /* line-height 20px */
/* Spacing */
--space-1: 4px;
--space-2: 8px;
--space-3: 16px;
--space-4: 24px;
--space-5: 32px;
/* Radius */
--radius-default: 0;
}
```
## Engineering profile
- **Source model:** Closed
## Apply this style with an AI tool
Paste this into your AI coding assistant as a direction, then iterate:
> Design in the spirit of HSBC Design System by HSBC — Design system for HSBC's banking platforms. Character: Global-bank formality: the hexagon red used with extreme discipline, Univers Next neutrality, and square-cornered financial gravitas. Use a primary colour near #db0011, the typeface "Univers Next" (or a close equivalent), corner radius around 0, a spacing rhythm on a 4px base. Match the intent, not the pixels; adapt it to my product rather than cloning it.
## Official reference
- [HSBC Design System documentation](https://create.hsbc/)
---
_Generated by [designsystems.one](https://www.designsystems.one/design-systems/hsbc-design) — a catalogue of public design systems. Style facts are reported for reference and education; adapt them to your own product. Report issues or takedown requests via the site._
HSBC Design System doesn’t have a full editorial breakdown yet — those cover origin, governance, token decisions, and the components worth studying. 49 anchor systems do.