Frontend Ui Design Guidelines

---
name: frontend-ui-design-guidelines
description: "Expert frontend design guidelines for creating beautiful, modern UIs. Use when building landing pages, dashboards, or any user interface."
category: "Community"
author: community
version: "1.0.0"
icon: puzzle
---

# Frontend Design Skill

Use this skill when creating UI components, landing pages, dashboards, or any frontend design work.

## Design Workflow

Follow this structured approach for UI design:

1. **Layout Design** — Think through component structure, create ASCII wireframes
2. **Theme Design** — Define colors, fonts, spacing, shadows
3. **Animation Design** — Plan micro-interactions and transitions
4. **Implementation** — Generate the actual code

### 1. Layout Design

Before coding, sketch the layout in ASCII format:

```
┌─────────────────────────────────────┐
│         HEADER / NAV BAR            │
├─────────────────────────────────────┤
│                                     │
│            HERO SECTION             │
│         (Title + CTA)               │
│                                     │
├─────────────────────────────────────┤
│   FEATURE   │  FEATURE  │  FEATURE  │
│     CARD    │   CARD    │   CARD    │
├─────────────────────────────────────┤
│            FOOTER                   │
└─────────────────────────────────────┘
```

### 2. Theme Guidelines

**Color Rules:**
- NEVER use generic bootstrap-style blue (#007bff) — it looks dated
- Prefer oklch() for modern color definitions
- Use semantic color variables (--primary, --secondary, --muted, etc.)
- Consider both light and dark mode from the start

**Font Selection (Google Fonts):**
```
Sans-serif: Inter, Roboto, Poppins, Montserrat, Outfit, Plus Jakarta Sans, DM Sans, Space Grotesk
Monospace: JetBrains Mono, Fira Code, Source Code Pro, IBM Plex Mono, Space Mono, Geist Mono
Serif: Merriweather, Playfair Display, Lora, Source Serif Pro, Libre Baskerville
Display: Architects Daughter, Oxanium
```

**Spacing & Shadows:**
- Use consistent spacing scale (0.25rem base)
- Shadows should be subtle — avoid heavy drop shadows
- Consider using oklch() for shadow colors too

### 3. Theme Patterns

**Modern Dark Mode (Vercel/Linear style):**
```css
:root {
  --background: oklch(1 0 0);
  --foreground: oklch(0.145 0 0);
  --primary: oklch(0.205 0 0);
  --primary-foreground: oklch(0.985 0 0);
  --secondary: oklch(0.970 0 0);
  --muted: oklch(0.970 0 0);
  --muted-foreground: oklch(0.556 0 0);
  --border: oklch(0.922 0 0);
  --radius: 0.625rem;
  --font-sans: Inter, system-ui, sans-serif;
}
```

**Neo-Brutalism (90s web revival):**
```css
:root {
  --background: oklch(1 0 0);
  --foreground: oklch(0 0 0);
  --primary: oklch(0.649 0.237 26.97);
  --secondary: oklch(0.968 0.211 109.77);
  --accent: oklch(0.564 0.241 260.82);
  --border: oklch(0 0 0);
  --radius: 0px;
  --shadow: 4px 4px 0px 0px hsl(0 0% 0%);
  --font-sans: DM Sans, sans-serif;
  --font-mono: Space Mono, monospace;
}
```

**Glassmorphism:**
```css
.glass {
  background: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.1);
  backdrop-filter: blur(10px);
  border: 1px solid rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.2);
  border-radius: 1rem;
}
```

### 4. Animation Guidelines

**Micro-syntax for planning:**
```
button: 150ms [S1→0.95→1] press
hover: 200ms [Y0→-2, shadow↗]
fadeIn: 400ms ease-out [Y+20→0, α0→1]
slideIn: 350ms ease-out [X-100→0, α0→1]
bounce: 600ms [S0.95→1.05→1]
```

**Common patterns:**
- Entry animations: 300-500ms, ease-out
- Hover states: 150-200ms
- Button press: 100-150ms
- Page transitions: 300-400ms

### 5. Implementation Rules

**Tailwind CSS:**
```html
<!-- Import via CDN for prototypes -->
<script src="https://cdn.tailwindcss.com"></script>
```

**Flowbite (component library):**
```html
<link href="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/flowbite@2.0.0/dist/flowbite.min.css" rel="stylesheet">
<script src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/flowbite@2.0.0/dist/flowbite.min.js"></script>
```

**Icons (Lucide):**
```html
<script src="https://unpkg.com/lucide@latest/dist/umd/lucide.min.js"></script>
<script>lucide.createIcons();</script>
```

**Images:**
- Use real placeholder services: Unsplash, placehold.co
- Never make up image URLs
- Example: `https://images.unsplash.com/photo-xxx?w=800&h=600`

### 6. Responsive Design

Always design mobile-first and responsive:

```css
/* Mobile first */
.container { padding: 1rem; }

/* Tablet */
@media (min-width: 768px) {
  .container { padding: 2rem; }
}

/* Desktop */
@media (min-width: 1024px) {
  .container { max-width: 1200px; margin: 0 auto; }
}
```

### 7. Accessibility

- Use semantic HTML (header, main, nav, section, article)
- Include proper heading hierarchy (h1 → h2 → h3)
- Add aria-labels to interactive elements
- Ensure sufficient color contrast (4.5:1 minimum)
- Support keyboard navigation

### 8. Component Design Tips

**Cards:**
- Subtle shadows, not heavy drop shadows
- Consistent padding (p-4 to p-6)
- Hover state: slight lift + shadow increase

**Buttons:**
- Clear visual hierarchy (primary, secondary, ghost)
- Adequate touch targets (min 44x44px)
- Loading and disabled states

**Forms:**
- Clear labels above inputs
- Visible focus states
- Inline validation feedback
- Adequate spacing between fields

**Navigation:**
- Sticky header for long pages
- Clear active state indication
- Mobile-friendly hamburger menu

---

## Quick Reference

| Element | Recommendation |
|---------|---------------|
| Primary font | Inter, Outfit, DM Sans |
| Code font | JetBrains Mono, Fira Code |
| Border radius | 0.5rem - 1rem (modern), 0 (brutalist) |
| Shadow | Subtle, 1-2 layers max |
| Spacing | 4px base unit (0.25rem) |
| Animation | 150-400ms, ease-out |
| Colors | oklch() for modern, avoid generic blue |

---

*Based on SuperDesign patterns — https://superdesign.dev*