descript-ui-skills

name	descript-ui-skills
description	Descript's UI design system. Use when building interfaces inspired by Descript's aesthetic - dark mode, Inter font, 4px grid.
license	MIT
metadata	{"author":"design-skills","version":"1.0.0","source":"https://descript.com"}

Descript UI Skills

Opinionated constraints for building Descript-style interfaces with AI agents.

When to Apply

Reference these guidelines when:

• Building dark-mode interfaces
• Creating Descript-inspired design systems
• Implementing UIs with Inter font and 4px grid

Colors

• MUST use dark backgrounds (lightness < 20) for primary surfaces - detected lightness: 10
• MUST use #2C0814 as page background (surface-base)
• SHOULD reduce color palette (currently 17 colors detected)
• MUST maintain text contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1 for accessibility

Semantic Tokens

Token	HEX	RGB	Usage
surface-base	#2C0814	rgb(44,8,20)	Page background
surface-raised	#F9F6F3	rgb(249,246,243)	Cards, modals, raised surfaces
surface-overlay	#F2212E	rgb(242,33,46)	Overlays, tooltips, dropdowns
text-primary	#484543	rgb(72,69,67)	Headings, body text
text-secondary	#747474	rgb(116,116,116)	Secondary, muted text
text-tertiary	#F4A9AF	rgb(244,169,175)	Additional text
border-default	#ECE3E4	rgb(236,227,228)	Subtle borders, dividers
destructive	#F2212E	rgb(242,33,46)	Error states, delete actions
warning	#F9F6F3	rgb(249,246,243)	Warning states, cautions

Typography

• MUST use Inter as primary font family
• SHOULD use single font family for consistency
• MUST use 79px / 700 for primary headings
• MUST use 18px / 400 for body text
• MUST limit font weights to: regular, bold, medium
• MUST use text-balance for headings and text-pretty for body text
• SHOULD use tabular-nums for numeric data
• NEVER modify letter-spacing unless explicitly requested

Text Styles

Style	Font	Size	Weight	Color	Count
heading-1	Inter	79px	700	#F1E6E3	1
body	Inter	18px	400	#BEBEBE	1
body-secondary	Inter	17px	500	#3E3337	1
body-secondary	Inter	16px	400	#C6ACB4	1
body-secondary	Inter	16px	400	#3E3236	1
caption	Inter	15px	500	#484543	1
label	Inter	15px	400	#A52335	1
label	Inter	15px	400	#413438	1
label	Inter	14px	400	#747474	1
label	Inter	14px	400	#F4A9AF	1

Typography Reference

Font Families:

• Inter (used 15x)

Font Sizes: 13px, 14px, 15px, 16px, 17px, 18px, 79px

Spacing

• MUST use 4px grid for spacing
• SHOULD use spacing from scale: 1px, 5px, 6px, 12px, 30px, 31px, 57px, 68px
• SHOULD use 6px as default gap between elements
• NEVER use arbitrary spacing values (use design scale)
• SHOULD maintain consistent padding within containers

Borders

• MUST use border-radius from scale: 3px, 6px, 7px, 9px, 13px
• SHOULD limit border widths to: 1px, 3px, 4px
• SHOULD use 6px as default border-radius
• NEVER use arbitrary border-radius values (use design scale)
• SHOULD use subtle borders (1px) for element separation

Border Radius Reference

Scale: 3px, 6px, 7px, 9px, 13px

Layout

• MUST design for 1920px base viewport width
• SHOULD use consistent element widths: 8px, 621px, 620px, 9px, 68px
• SHOULD maintain text-heavy layout with clear hierarchy
• NEVER use h-screen, use h-dvh for full viewport height
• MUST respect safe-area-inset for fixed elements
• SHOULD use size-* for square elements instead of w-* + h-*

Detected Layout Patterns

• Main Content: width: 1920px, height: 1080px
• Main Content: width: 1920px, height: 920px

Components

Buttons

Variant	Background	Text	Border	Height	Radius
Ghost	transparent	#F4A9AF	none	-	-

Interactive States

Focus

• MUST use 2px outline with accent color (#5E6AD2)
• MUST use 2px outline-offset
• NEVER remove focus indicators

Hover

• Buttons (primary): lighten background by 10%
• Buttons (secondary): use #F9F6F3 background
• List items: use #F9F6F3 background

Disabled

• MUST use opacity: 0.5
• MUST use cursor: not-allowed

Interaction

• MUST use an AlertDialog for destructive or irreversible actions
• SHOULD use structural skeletons for loading states
• MUST show errors next to where the action happens
• NEVER block paste in input or textarea elements
• MUST add an aria-label to icon-only buttons

Animation

• NEVER add animation unless it is explicitly requested
• MUST animate only compositor props (transform, opacity)
• NEVER animate layout properties (width, height, top, left, margin, padding)
• SHOULD use ease-out on entrance animations
• NEVER exceed 200ms for interaction feedback
• SHOULD respect prefers-reduced-motion

Performance

• NEVER animate large blur() or backdrop-filter surfaces
• NEVER apply will-change outside an active animation
• NEVER use useEffect for anything that can be expressed as render logic