> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.elementary.io/hig/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.elementary.io/hig/design-philosophy.md).

# Design Philosophy

The elementary OS HIG isn't just about a set of concrete rules; it's meant to be flexible and extensible. As such, this very first portion of the guideline is all about the guiding philosophies we employ.

For a quick design crash course, we like ["The User is Drunk" on YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r2CbbBLVaPk):

{% embed url="<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r2CbbBLVaPk>" %}

Read on for our four guiding philosophies.