/frontend-design

name: frontend-design
description: Create distinctive, production-grade frontend interfaces with high design quality. Use this skill when the user asks to build web components, pages, artifacts, posters, or applications. Generates creative, polished code that avoids generic AI aesthetics. Do NOT use for design review or audit (use web-design-guidelines or web-quality-audit).
metadata:
  author: Impeccable (Paul Bakaus), based on Anthropic frontend-design
  version: '1.0.0'
source: https://github.com/pbakaus/impeccable

This skill guides creation of distinctive, production-grade frontend interfaces that avoid generic "AI slop" aesthetics. Implement real working code with exceptional attention to aesthetic details and creative choices.

Design Direction

Commit to a BOLD aesthetic direction:

• **Purpose**: What problem does this interface solve? Who uses it?
• **Tone**: Pick an extreme: brutally minimal, maximalist chaos, retro-futuristic, organic/natural, luxury/refined, playful/toy-like, editorial/magazine, brutalist/raw, art deco/geometric, soft/pastel, industrial/utilitarian, etc. There are so many flavors to choose from. Use these for inspiration but design one that is true to the aesthetic direction.
• **Constraints**: Technical requirements (framework, performance, accessibility).
• **Differentiation**: What makes this UNFORGETTABLE? What's the one thing someone will remember?

**CRITICAL**: Choose a clear conceptual direction and execute it with precision. Bold maximalism and refined minimalism both work—the key is intentionality, not intensity.

Then implement working code that is:

• Production-grade and functional
• Visually striking and memorable
• Cohesive with a clear aesthetic point-of-view
• Meticulously refined in every detail

Frontend Aesthetics Guidelines

Typography

→ *Consult [typography reference](references/typography.md) for scales, pairing, and loading strategies.*

Choose fonts that are beautiful, unique, and interesting. Pair a distinctive display font with a refined body font.

**DO**: Use a modular type scale with fluid sizing (clamp) **DO**: Vary font weights and sizes to create clear visual hierarchy **DON'T**: Use overused fonts—Inter, Roboto, Arial, Open Sans, system defaults **DON'T**: Use monospace typography as lazy shorthand for "technical/developer" vibes **DON'T**: Put large icons with rounded corners above every heading—they rarely add value and make sites look templated

Color & Theme

→ *Consult [color reference](references/color-and-contrast.md) for OKLCH, palettes, and dark mode.*

Commit to a cohesive palette. Dominant colors with sharp accents outperform timid, evenly-distributed palettes.

**DO**: Use modern CSS color functions (oklch, color-mix, light-dark) for perceptually uniform, maintainable palettes **DO**: Tint your neutrals toward your brand hue—even a subtle hint creates subconscious cohesion **DON'T**: Use gray text on colored backgrounds—it looks washed out; use a shade of the background color instead **DON'T**: Use pure black (#000) or pure white (#fff)—always tint; pure black/white never appears in nature **DON'T**: Use the AI color palette: cyan-on-dark, purple-to-blue gradients, neon accents on dark backgrounds **DON'T**: Use gradient text for "impact"—especially on metrics or headings; it's decorative rather than meaningful **DON'T**: Default to dark mode with glowing accents—it looks "cool" without requiring actual design decisions

Layout & Space

→ *Consult [spatial reference](references/spatial-design.md) for grids, rhythm, and container queries.*

Create visual rhythm through varied spacing—not the same padding everywhere. Embrace asymmetry and unexpected compositions. Break the grid intentionally for emphasis.

**DO**: Create visual rhythm through varied spacing—tight groupings, generous separations **DO**: Use fluid spacing with clamp() that breathes on larger screens **DO**: Use asymmetry and unexpected compositions; break the grid intentionally for emphasis **DON'T**: Wrap everything in cards—not everything needs a container **DON'T**: Nest cards inside cards—visual noise, flatten the hierarchy **DON'T**: Use identical card grids—same-sized cards with icon + heading + text, repeated endlessly **DON'T**: Use the hero metric layout template—big number, small label, supporting stats, gradient accent **DON'T**: Center everything—left-aligned text with asymmetric layouts feels more designed **DON'T**: Use the same spacing everywhere—without rhythm, layouts feel monotonous

Visual Details

**DO**: Use intentional, purposeful decorative elements that reinforce brand **DON'T**: Use glassmorphism everywhere—blur effects, glass cards, glow borders used decoratively rather than purposefully **DON'T**: Use rounded elements with thick colored border on one side—a lazy accent that almost never looks intentional **DON'T**: Use sparklines as decoration—tiny charts that look sophisticated but convey nothing meaningful **DON'T**: Use rounded rectangles with generic drop shadows—safe, forgettable, could be any AI output **DON'T**: Use modals unless there's truly no better alternative—modals are lazy

Motion

→ *Consult [motion reference](references/motion-design.md) for timing, easing, and reduced motion.*

Focus on high-impact moments: one well-orchestrated page load with staggered reveals creates more delight than scattered micro-interactions.

**DO**: Use motion to convey state changes—entrances, exits, feedback **DO**: Use exponential easing (ease-out-quart/quint/expo) for natural deceleration **DO**: For height animations, use grid-template-rows transitions instead of animating height directly **DON'T**: Animate layout properties (width, height, padding, margin)—use transform and opacity only **DON'T**: Use bounce or elastic easing—they feel dated and tacky; real objects decelerate smoothly

Interaction

→ *Consult [interaction reference](references/interaction-design.md) for forms, focus, and loadin