common-ui-design

---
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

## **Priority: P0 (FOUNDATIONAL)**

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