popular

Neobrutalism

Hard edge, hard shadow, a slap of yellow.

Best for: Indie sites, event pages, personality portfolios

Not for: Banking, healthcare, sober enterprise UI

---
version: alpha
name: Neobrutalism
description: Hard edge, hard shadow, a slap of yellow.
colors:
  primary: "#111111"
  secondary: "#111111"
  tertiary: "#FFE500"
  background: "#FFFCEB"
  surface: "#FFFFFF"
  onPrimary: "#F4F4F5"
  onSecondary: "#F4F4F5"
  onTertiary: "#18181B"
  onBackground: "#18181B"
  onSurface: "#18181B"
  outline: "#111111"
  muted: "#444444"
  success: "#1F7A4D"
  warning: "#E0A100"
  error: "#E11D48"
typography:
  h1:
    fontFamily: Space Grotesk
    fontSize: 56px
    fontWeight: 700
    lineHeight: 1.02
    letterSpacing: -0.04em
  h2:
    fontFamily: Space Grotesk
    fontSize: 36px
    fontWeight: 600
    lineHeight: 1.2
    letterSpacing: -0.02em
  h3:
    fontFamily: Space Grotesk
    fontSize: 20px
    fontWeight: 600
    lineHeight: 1.3
    letterSpacing: -0.01em
  body:
    fontFamily: Space Grotesk
    fontSize: 16px
    fontWeight: 400
    lineHeight: 1.55
    letterSpacing: 0em
  label:
    fontFamily: Space Grotesk
    fontSize: 13px
    fontWeight: 500
    lineHeight: 1.3
    letterSpacing: 0.02em
  caption:
    fontFamily: Space Grotesk
    fontSize: 12px
    fontWeight: 400
    lineHeight: 1.4
    letterSpacing: 0em
  mono:
    fontFamily: JetBrains Mono
    fontSize: 13px
    fontWeight: 500
    lineHeight: 1.45
    letterSpacing: 0em
rounded:
  sm: 0px
  md: 0px
  lg: 2px
  xl: 4px
  full: 999px
spacing:
  xs: 4px
  sm: 8px
  md: 16px
  lg: 24px
  xl: 32px
  2xl: 48px
  3xl: 64px
components:
  navbar:
    backgroundColor: "{colors.background}"
    textColor: "{colors.onBackground}"
  hero:
    backgroundColor: "{colors.background}"
    textColor: "{colors.onBackground}"
  media:
    backgroundColor: "{colors.primary}"
    rounded: "{rounded.lg}"
  list-item:
    backgroundColor: "{colors.surface}"
    textColor: "{colors.onSurface}"
    height: 44px
  cta:
    backgroundColor: "{colors.primary}"
    textColor: "{colors.onPrimary}"
    rounded: "{rounded.xl}"
  footer:
    backgroundColor: "{colors.background}"
    textColor: "{colors.muted}"
---

# Neobrutalism

## Overview

Hard edge, hard shadow, a slap of yellow. The atmosphere is daily-app balanced, artsy and chaotic, with fluid CSS motion. Tone: loud, graphic, honest. Density 6/10, variance 8/10, motion 4/10. Material: 2px solid borders, hard offset shadows, near-zero radius. No blur shadows or gradients.

How to use: Place this file at the repository root. Tell Cursor / Claude Code / Codex: read DESIGN.md and obey its tokens and Do/Don'ts.

## Colors

Semantic roles for the light theme. Keep a single accent; do not introduce a second brand hue.

- **primary** (`#111111`)
- **secondary** (`#111111`)
- **tertiary** (`#FFE500`)
- **background** (`#FFFCEB`)
- **surface** (`#FFFFFF`)
- **outline** (`#111111`)
- **muted** (`#444444`)
- **success** (`#1F7A4D`)
- **warning** (`#E0A100`)
- **error** (`#E11D48`)
- **onPrimary** (`#F4F4F5`)
- **onSecondary** (`#F4F4F5`)
- **onTertiary** (`#18181B`)
- **onBackground** (`#18181B`)
- **onSurface** (`#18181B`)

## Typography

Hierarchy comes from weight and size, not from shouting. Body line length stays near 65 characters.

- **h1**: "Space Grotesk" 700 / 56px / 1.02 / -0.04em
- **h2**: "Space Grotesk" 600 / 36px / 1.2 / -0.02em
- **h3**: "Space Grotesk" 600 / 20px / 1.3 / -0.01em
- **body**: "Space Grotesk" 400 / 16px / 1.55 / 0em
- **label**: "Space Grotesk" 500 / 13px / 1.3 / 0.02em
- **caption**: "Space Grotesk" 400 / 12px / 1.4 / 0em
- **mono**: "JetBrains Mono" 500 / 13px / 1.45 / 0em

## Layout

Spacing scale: xs=4px, sm=8px, md=16px, lg=24px, xl=32px, 2xl=48px, 3xl=64px.

iOS: 44pt targets, respect Safe Area and Dynamic Type, SF Symbols, Large Titles and grouped lists.

Web: mobile-first, single column below 768px, body ≥ 16px, clamp() headlines, max-width 1120–1400px, min-h-[100dvh] for full-height sections.

Every element occupies its own spatial zone. No overlapping hero text. Collapse multi-column layouts below 768px.

## Elevation & Depth

- sm: `2px 2px 0 #111`
- md: `4px 4px 0 #111`
- lg: `8px 8px 0 #111`
- surface: `brutal`
- recipe: 2px solid borders, hard offset shadows, near-zero radius. No blur shadows or gradients.

Tint shadows toward the background hue. High-density layouts may replace cards with hairline dividers.


## Shapes

Radius scale: sm=0px, md=0px, lg=2px, xl=4px, full=999px.

## Components

- **Navbar** (`web.navbar` / default / md): Desktop nav with logo, icon links, and one primary CTA.
- **Hero** (`web.hero` / center / lg): Hero uses center layout, one CTA, no "Scroll to explore".
- **Media** (`media` / wide / md): Geometric cover, radius from tokens. No remote images.
- **List Item** (`list-item` / chevron / md): Min 44pt rows, title + subtitle, optional chevron.
- **List Item** (`list-item` / chevron / md): Min 44pt rows, title + subtitle, optional chevron.
- **List Item** (`list-item` / chevron / md): Min 44pt rows, title + subtitle, optional chevron.
- **CTA Banner** (`web.cta` / default / md): A single CTA band. No competing twin buttons.
- **Footer** (`web.footer` / default / md): Quiet footer with clear link groups.

## Do's and Don'ts

### Do
- Use semantic color tokens, never raw hex in components.
- Keep a single accent; hierarchy comes from type weight and space.
- Define default, hover, focus-visible, pressed, disabled, and loading states.
- Meet WCAG 2.2 AA contrast for body text and interactive labels.
- Touch targets are at least 44×44pt on iOS and 44px on web.
- Keep borders 2px and shadows offset, never blurred.

### Don't
- Do not use Inter as the display face for premium work.
- Do not use pure black #000000 for large surfaces.
- Do not add neon outer glows or custom mouse cursors.
- Do not ship three equal feature cards as the default layout.
- Do not hide focus rings or drop below AA contrast.
- Do not soften corners or add gradients.