As a part of a study aimed at understanding how it is possible to take advantage of kinase structural elements to rationally guide compounds selectivity and improve type I and type II designs, an analysis of some recently published kinase inhibitors highlighted an additional kinase inhibitor design strategy. These compounds, which we classified as type I1/2 inhibitors, recognize the target kinases in the DFG "in" form. Type I1/2 compounds bind to the ATP site like type I compounds and extend to target the back cavity, establishing a defined set of conserved interactions with those residues characteristic of the type II design which is based on the DFG "out" form. Type I1/2 design could provide an additional tool in the rational design of compounds with the desired activity profile.