| 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 (CRITICAL)
Before writing any code, commit to deliberate aesthetic direction.
Phase 0: Design Thinking (Mandatory Pre-Code)
Answer these before touching implementation:
- Purpose: What problem this UI solve? Who uses it?
- 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
- 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
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
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
Canonical response anchors
When this skill applies, preserve the following domain terminology or equivalent concrete examples in the answer when relevant:
