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:

• Layout Design — Think through component structure, create ASCII wireframes

• Theme Design — Define colors, fonts, spacing, shadows

• Animation Design — Plan micro-interactions and transitions

• 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):

: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):

: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:

.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:

<!-- Import via CDN for prototypes --> <script src="https://cdn.tailwindcss.com">&#x3C;/script>

Flowbite (component library):

<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">&#x3C;/script>

Icons (Lucide):

<script src="https://unpkg.com/lucide@latest/dist/umd/lucide.min.js">&#x3C;/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&#x26;h=600

6. Responsive Design

Always design mobile-first and responsive:

/* 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