Frontend Design

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.

The user provides frontend requirements: a component, page, application, or interface to build. They may include context about the purpose, audience, or technical constraints.

Project Contract (Must Read for this repo)

When this skill is used inside the blog project, treat the following as hard constraints:

1. Data layer is stable core — never modify src/api/* or scripts/* when generating pages. Pages should only CALL the API functions listed in docs/api-reference.md, not reimplement data fetching.
2. Filesystem is the source of truth — do not invent new content types, URIs, or frontmatter fields. Types come from posts//README.md. Everything discoverable from src/api/content.ts.
3. Static-first — pages must build as pure static HTML. Do NOT add Node adapter, SSR, or runtime server-only code unless explicitly asked.
4. Accessibility is non-negotiable — semantic HTML, proper heading hierarchy, aria-* where needed, keyboard navigation for interactive islands, prefers-reduced-motion respected.
5. Island model — Use .astro for static markup, Preact islands (client:load / client:visible) only when interactivity is required. Do not hydrate what doesn't need to be hydrated.

Design Thinking

Before coding, understand the context and 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. 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

Focus on:

• Typography: Choose fonts that are beautiful, unique, and interesting. Avoid generic fonts like Arial and Inter; opt instead for distinctive choices that elevate the aesthetics; unexpected, characterful font choices. Pair a distinctive display font with a refined body font.
• Color & Theme: Commit to a cohesive aesthetic. Use CSS variables for consistency. Dominant colors with sharp accents outperform timid, evenly-distributed palettes.
• Motion: Use animations for effects and micro-interactions. Prioritize CSS-only solutions for HTML. Use Motion library for React when available. Focus on high-impact moments: one well-orchestrated page load with staggered reveals (animation-delay) creates more delight than scattered micro-interactions. Use scroll-triggering and hover states that surprise.
• Spatial Composition: Unexpected layouts. Asymmetry. Overlap. Diagonal flow. Grid-breaking elements. Generous negative space OR controlled density.
• Backgrounds & Visual Details: Create atmosphere and depth rather than defaulting to solid colors. Add contextual effects and textures that match the overall aesthetic. Apply creative forms like gradient meshes, noise textures, geometric patterns, layered transparencies, dramatic shadows, decorative borders, custom cursors, and grain overlays.

NEVER use generic AI-generated aesthetics like overused font families (Inter, Roboto, Arial, system fonts), cliched color schemes (particularly purple gradients on white backgrounds), predictable layouts and component patterns, and cookie-cutter design that lacks context-specific character.

Interpret creatively and make unexpected choices that feel genuinely designed for the context. No design should be the same. Vary between light and dark themes, different fonts, different aesthetics. NEVER converge on common choices (Space Grotesk, for example) across generations.

IMPORTANT: Match implementation complexity to the aesthetic vision. Maximalist designs need elaborate code with extensive animations and effects. Minimalist or refined designs need restraint, precision, and careful attention to spacing, typography, and subtle details. Elegance comes from executing the vision well.

Styling System Rules (Strict for this repo)

1. Design Tokens are Single Source of Truth

Place every design primitive (color, font, spacing, radius, shadow, duration, easing, z-index) in src/styles/tokens.css as CSS custom properties. Pages and components MUST NOT hardcode these values.

/* src/styles/tokens.css */
:root {
  /* Colors — define in pairs for light/dark */
  --color-bg: #fcfcfb;
  --color-bg-elevated: #ffffff;
  --color-bg-alt: #f4f4f2;
  --color-text: #0e0e0c;
  --color-text-secondary: #37352f;
  --color-text-tertiary: #8a857b;
  --color-border: #d9d7d2;
  --color-border-light: #ececea;
  --color-accent: #1f8a4c;
  --color-accent-bg: rgba(31, 138, 76, 0.08);

  /* Typography */
  --font-display: 'Cormorant Garamond', 'Noto Serif SC', serif;
  --font-body: 'Newsreader', 'Noto Serif SC', serif;
  --font-mono: 'JetBrains Mono', ui-monospace, monospace;

  --text-xs: 0.75rem;
  --text-sm: 0.875rem;
  --text-base: 1rem;
  --text-lg: 1.125rem;
  --text-xl: 1.25rem;
  --text-2xl: 1.5rem;
  --text-3xl: 2rem;
  --text-4xl: 2.5rem;

  --tracking-tight: -0.01em;
  --tracking-wide: 0.04em;

  /* Spacing (geometric-ish scale) */
  --space-1: 0.25rem;
  --space-2: 0.5rem;
  --space-3: 0.75rem;
  --space-4: 1rem;
  --space-6: 1.5rem;
  --space-8: 2rem;
  --space-10: 2.5rem;
  --space-12: 3rem;
  --space-16: 4rem;

  /* Motion */
  --duration-fast: 150ms;
  --duration-base: 300ms;
  --ease-out: cubic-bezier(0.16, 1, 0.3, 1);

  /* Layout */
  --page-width: 56rem;
  --content-width: 42rem;
  --gutter: 1.5rem;
}

2. Dark Mode is MANDATORY and Variable-Driven

Never write hex colors in pages/components. All colors must reference var(--color-*) so switching theme is one attribute change:

:root[data-theme='dark'] {
  --color-bg: #0b0b0a;
  --color-bg-elevated: #141412;
  --color-bg-alt: #1b1b18;
  --color-text: #f2f1ec;
  --color-text-secondary: #c7c5bc;
  --color-text-tertiary: #8a857b;
  --color-border: #2b2a26;
  --color-border-light: #1f1e1b;
  --color-accent: #7fcf9f;
  --color-accent-bg: rgba(127, 207, 159, 0.12);
}

The existing theme toggle in Header.astro flips document.documentElement.dataset.theme. Every new component you write must look correct under both themes with zero extra code changes.

3. Accent Color Philosophy

Accent color exists only for: links, selected state, focus rings, small emphasis dots, small stat highlights. Never paint large fills with accent color. Treat accent like punctuation, not paragraph color.

4. CSS Organization

• src/styles/tokens.css — variables only, no selectors other than :root / :root[data-theme='dark']
• src/styles/global.css — element defaults (body, a, img), reset-ish
• src/styles/prose.css — long-form article typography (the .prose class)
• Component styles — colocated in the .astro file via ` blocks; use is:global` sparingly and only for child-selector patterns
• No Tailwind, no CSS-in-JS — plain CSS with variables, scoped via Astro's default scoping

5. Prose / Long-form Typography

Long-form content uses .prose class (already set up in styles/prose.css). Any article/note/column detail page should wrap rendered markdown in …. When extending prose styles, prefer adding to prose.css over per-page overrides.

6. Responsive

• Content-first breakpoints, not device-first
• Always use max-width: Npx media queries with intentional break values
• Typography should scale gracefully (use clamp() where appropriate)
• Test at 360 / 768 / 1024 / 1440 widths mentally before shipping

7. Animation & Motion

• Always wrap non-trivial animation in @media (prefers-reduced-motion: no-preference)
• Micro-interactions: 150-250ms with var(--ease-out)
• Page transitions (if any): 300-500ms
• Avoid animating width, height, top, left — use transform + opacity
• Stagger reveals via animation-delay or CSS custom properties indexed by element

8. Images & Assets

• Store local images under public/assets/; reference them with absolute runtime paths like /assets/...
• Files outside public/assets/ are not served at /assets/... and can become 404 after build or deployment
• For content covers, use resolveAssetSrc(entry.cover) before passing values to ``
• Never use external image URLs in production pages unless explicitly required

Component Checklist Before Shipping

Every component you generate must pass this mental checklist:

• [ ] Uses var(--*) tokens, no hardcoded colors/spacing
• [ ] Looks correct in both light and dark theme
• [ ] Semantic HTML (`, , , `…)
• [ ] All interactive elements reachable via keyboard, have focus styles
• [ ] Images have alt; SVGs have aria-hidden or ``
• [ ] No layout shift on load (fixed aspect ratios, font-display: swap set at layout)
• [ ] prefers-reduced-motion respected for any animation
• [ ] No client-side JS unless required → then use Preact island with minimal bundle
• [ ] Data comes from src/api/*, not from new ad-hoc content parsing

Reminder

Claude is capable of extraordinary creative work. Don't hold back, show what can truly be created when thinking outside the box and committing fully to a distinctive vision — but always within the project's stable-core / flexible-surface contract.

Source & license

This open-source skill is cataloged on AgentStack and links to its original source — we do not rehost the code.

• Author: lin037
• Source: lin037/quiet-archive
• License: MIT

Install and usage instructions live in the source repository linked above.