git:20260423.b7ed028 to git:20260714.6bf9b5e

---

name: common-ui-design

description: Design distinctive, production-grade frontend UI with bold aesthetic choices. Use when building web components, pages, interfaces, dashboards, or applications in any framework (React, Next.js, Angular, Vue, HTML/CSS).

metadata:

triggers:

keywords:

- build a page

- create a component

- design a dashboard

- landing page

- UI for

- build a layout

- make it look good

- improve the design

- build UI

- create interface

- design screen

---

# UI Design Direction

Before writing any code, commit to deliberate aesthetic direction.

## Phase 0: Design Thinking (Mandatory Pre-Code)

Answer these before touching implementation:

1. **Purpose**: What problem this UI solve? Who uses it?

2. **Tone**: Pick one extreme and commit — brutally minimal | maximalist | retro-futuristic | editorial/magazine | luxury/refined | brutalist/raw | playful/toy-like | organic/natural | art deco | industrial/utilitarian

3. **Differentiation**: Name one thing user will remember about this interface.

Bold maximalism and refined minimalism both work — intentionality, not intensity, key.

## Aesthetic Dimensions

### Typography

- Pair distinctive **display font** + refined **body font**; never default to system fonts.

- Self-host via `next/font`, `@font-face`, or Google Fonts API — never CDN `<link>` in production.

- See [Font Pairing & Tone Examples](references/tones.md)

### Color & Theme

- Dominant color + sharp accent > timid, evenly-distributed palettes.

- Use CSS custom properties (`--color-primary`, `--color-accent`) for consistency.

- Commit: dark or light — don't default to light because it feels "safe".

### Motion

- One well-orchestrated entrance (staggered reveals, `animation-delay`) > scattered micro-interactions.

- CSS-first: `@keyframes`, `transition`, `animation-delay`; React: Motion library for complex sequences.

- See [Motion Patterns](references/motion.md)

### Spatial Composition

- Break grid intentionally: asymmetry, overlap, diagonal flow, grid-breaking elements.

- Generous negative space OR controlled density — never accidental middleground.

### Backgrounds & Depth

- Create atmosphere: gradient meshes, noise textures, layered transparencies, grain overlays.

- Dramatic shadows and decorative borders should match chosen tone.

- Solid white/gray backgrounds = missed creative opportunity.

## Anti-Patterns

- **No generic font defaults**: Inter/Roboto/Arial/system-ui produce forgettable UIs; choose characterful fonts.

- **No purple-gradient-on-white**: Most overused AI aesthetic; commit to something context-specific.

- **No scattered animations**: One orchestrated entrance beats ten random hover effects.

- **No accidental layouts**: Every spacing and positioning decision must serve aesthetic intent.

- **No same aesthetic twice**: Vary light/dark, font style, tone — never converge on single style.

## References

- [Tone Palette & Font Pairings](references/tones.md) — load when choosing aesthetic direction or fonts

- [Motion Patterns](references/motion.md) — load when implementing animations or transitions