---

name: visual-design-foundations description: Apply typography, color theory, spacing systems, and iconography principles to create cohesive visual designs. Use when establishing design tokens, building style guides, or improving visual hierarchy and consistency.

Visual Design Foundations

Build cohesive, accessible visual systems using typography, color, spacing, and iconography fundamentals.

When to Use This Skill

• Establishing design tokens for a new project
• Creating or refining a spacing and sizing system
• Selecting and pairing typefaces
• Building accessible color palettes
• Designing icon systems and visual assets
• Improving visual hierarchy and readability
• Auditing designs for visual consistency
• Implementing dark mode or theming

Core Systems

1. Typography Scale

Modular Scale (ratio-based sizing):

Copy:root {
  --font-size-xs: 0.75rem; /* 12px */
  --font-size-sm: 0.875rem; /* 14px */
  --font-size-base: 1rem; /* 16px */
  --font-size-lg: 1.125rem; /* 18px */
  --font-size-xl: 1.25rem; /* 20px */
  --font-size-2xl: 1.5rem; /* 24px */
  --font-size-3xl: 1.875rem; /* 30px */
  --font-size-4xl: 2.25rem; /* 36px */
  --font-size-5xl: 3rem; /* 48px */
}

Line Height Guidelines:

2. Spacing System

8-point grid (industry standard):

Copy:root {
  --space-1: 0.25rem; /* 4px */
  --space-2: 0.5rem; /* 8px */
  --space-3: 0.75rem; /* 12px */
  --space-4: 1rem; /* 16px */
  --space-5: 1.25rem; /* 20px */
  --space-6: 1.5rem; /* 24px */
  --space-8: 2rem; /* 32px */
  --space-10: 2.5rem; /* 40px */
  --space-12: 3rem; /* 48px */
  --space-16: 4rem; /* 64px */
}

3. Color System

Semantic color tokens:

Copy:root {
  /* Brand */
  --color-primary: #2563eb;
  --color-primary-hover: #1d4ed8;
  --color-primary-active: #1e40af;

  /* Semantic */
  --color-success: #16a34a;
  --color-warning: #ca8a04;
  --color-error: #dc2626;
  --color-info: #0891b2;

  /* Neutral */
  --color-gray-50: #f9fafb;
  --color-gray-100: #f3f4f6;
  --color-gray-200: #e5e7eb;
  --color-gray-300: #d1d5db;
  --color-gray-400: #9ca3af;
  --color-gray-500: #6b7280;
  --color-gray-600: #4b5563;
  --color-gray-700: #374151;
  --color-gray-800: #1f2937;
  --color-gray-900: #111827;
}

Quick Start: Design Tokens in Tailwind

Copy// tailwind.config.js
module.exports = {
  theme: {
    extend: {
      fontFamily: {
        sans: ["Inter", "system-ui", "sans-serif"],
        mono: ["JetBrains Mono", "monospace"],
      },
      fontSize: {
        xs: ["0.75rem", { lineHeight: "1rem" }],
        sm: ["0.875rem", { lineHeight: "1.25rem" }],
        base: ["1rem", { lineHeight: "1.5rem" }],
        lg: ["1.125rem", { lineHeight: "1.75rem" }],
        xl: ["1.25rem", { lineHeight: "1.75rem" }],
        "2xl": ["1.5rem", { lineHeight: "2rem" }],
      },
      colors: {
        brand: {
          50: "#eff6ff",
          500: "#3b82f6",
          600: "#2563eb",
          700: "#1d4ed8",
        },
      },
      spacing: {
        // Extends default with custom values
        18: "4.5rem",
        88: "22rem",
      },
    },
  },
};

Typography Best Practices

Font Pairing

Safe combinations:

• Heading: Inter / Body: Inter (single family)
• Heading: Playfair Display / Body: Source Sans Pro (contrast)
• Heading: Space Grotesk / Body: IBM Plex Sans (geometric)

Responsive Typography

Copy/* Fluid typography using clamp() */
h1 {
  font-size: clamp(2rem, 5vw + 1rem, 3.5rem);
  line-height: 1.1;
}

p {
  font-size: clamp(1rem, 2vw + 0.5rem, 1.125rem);
  line-height: 1.6;
  max-width: 65ch; /* Optimal reading width */
}

Font Loading

Copy/* Prevent layout shift */
@font-face {
  font-family: "Inter";
  src: url("/fonts/Inter.woff2") format("woff2");
  font-display: swap;
  font-weight: 400 700;
}

Color Theory

Contrast Requirements (WCAG)

Dark Mode Strategy

Copy:root {
  --bg-primary: #ffffff;
  --bg-secondary: #f9fafb;
  --text-primary: #111827;
  --text-secondary: #6b7280;
  --border: #e5e7eb;
}

[data-theme="dark"] {
  --bg-primary: #111827;
  --bg-secondary: #1f2937;
  --text-primary: #f9fafb;
  --text-secondary: #9ca3af;
  --border: #374151;
}

Color Accessibility

Copy// Check contrast programmatically
function getContrastRatio(foreground: string, background: string): number {
  const getLuminance = (hex: string) => {
    const rgb = hexToRgb(hex);
    const [r, g, b] = rgb.map((c) => {
      c = c / 255;
      return c <= 0.03928 ? c / 12.92 : Math.pow((c + 0.055) / 1.055, 2.4);
    });
    return 0.2126 * r + 0.7152 * g + 0.0722 * b;
  };

  const l1 = getLuminance(foreground);
  const l2 = getLuminance(background);
  const lighter = Math.max(l1, l2);
  const darker = Math.min(l1, l2);

  return (lighter + 0.05) / (darker + 0.05);
}

Spacing Guidelines

Component Spacing

CopyCard padding:      16-24px (--space-4 to --space-6)
Section gap:       32-64px (--space-8 to --space-16)
Form field gap:    16-24px (--space-4 to --space-6)
Button padding:    8-16px vertical, 16-24px horizontal
Icon-text gap:     8px (--space-2)

Visual Rhythm

Copy/* Consistent vertical rhythm */
.prose > * + * {
  margin-top: var(--space-4);
}

.prose > h2 + * {
  margin-top: var(--space-2);
}

.prose > * + h2 {
  margin-top: var(--space-8);
}

Iconography

Icon Sizing System

Copy:root {
  --icon-xs: 12px;
  --icon-sm: 16px;
  --icon-md: 20px;
  --icon-lg: 24px;
  --icon-xl: 32px;
}

Icon Component

Copyinterface IconProps {
  name: string;
  size?: "xs" | "sm" | "md" | "lg" | "xl";
  className?: string;
}

const sizeMap = {
  xs: 12,
  sm: 16,
  md: 20,
  lg: 24,
  xl: 32,
};

export function Icon({ name, size = "md", className }: IconProps) {
  return (
    <svg
      width={sizeMap[size]}
      height={sizeMap[size]}
      className={cn("inline-block flex-shrink-0", className)}
      aria-hidden="true"
    >
      <use href={`/icons.svg#${name}`} />
    </svg>
  );
}

Best Practices

1. Establish Constraints: Limit choices to maintain consistency
2. Document Decisions: Create a living style guide
3. Test Accessibility: Verify contrast, sizing, touch targets
4. Use Semantic Tokens: Name by purpose, not appearance
5. Design Mobile-First: Start with constraints, add complexity
6. Maintain Vertical Rhythm: Consistent spacing creates harmony
7. Limit Font Weights: 2-3 weights per family is sufficient

Common Issues

• Inconsistent Spacing: Not using a defined scale
• Poor Contrast: Failing WCAG requirements
• Font Overload: Too many families or weights
• Magic Numbers: Arbitrary values instead of tokens
• Missing States: Forgetting hover, focus, disabled
• No Dark Mode Plan: Retrofitting is harder than planning

Resources

• Tailwind CSS Documentation
• Type Scale Calculator
• Contrast Checker
• Material Design Color System
• Radix Colors