Tailwind CSS Design System

Utility-first CSS Framework · Composition and atomic scale design system
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01

Design Philosophy

Tailwind Is

Atomic composition: building visually rich components from simple utilities.

Strict scale constraint: spacing, radius, and shadows follow clean, pre-determined steps.

Responsive first: using prefix-based layout directives (e.g. `md:grid-cols-2`).

Tailwind Avoids

No arbitrary custom classes: colors and margins always align to the framework config.

No high-level component wrappers: components are composed natively on pages.

02

Color Palette

white
#ffffff
slate-50
#f8fafc
slate-200
#e2e8f0
slate-500
#64748b
slate-900
#0f172a
indigo-500
#6366f1
sky-400
#38bdf8
emerald-500
#10b981
TokenHex ValueDefault ClassRole
--bg-base#f8fafcbg-slate-50Page light background
--bg-surface#ffffffbg-whiteCard panel layers
--text-primary#0f172atext-slate-900Primary headings and titles
--text-secondary#475569text-slate-600Standard body copy
--accent-indigo#6366f1text-indigo-500CTA actions, active buttons
--success#10b981text-emerald-500Active or positive indicators
03

Typography

Rapid Prototyping.
Inter · 60px · font-extrabold · line-height 1
Composition over configuration
Inter · 30px · font-extrabold · line-height 1.2

Tailwind CSS works by scanning all of your HTML files for class names, generating the corresponding styles and then writing them to a static CSS file.

Inter · 16px · font-normal · line-height 1.5
ElementSize ClassWeight ClassFont Stack
Hero Displaytext-6xl (60px)font-extrabold (800)font-sans (Inter)
Headings H2text-3xl (30px)font-bold (700)font-sans (Inter)
Body Texttext-base (16px)font-normal (400)font-sans (Inter)
Captionstext-sm (14px)font-medium (500)font-sans (Inter)
Code Blocktext-xs (12px)font-normal (400)font-mono (SF Mono)
04

Spacing Scale

p-8 (32px)32px
p-6 (24px)24px
p-4 (16px)16px
p-2 (8px)8px
p-1 (4px)4px
05

Borders & Radius

ClassEquivalent CSS BorderEquivalent CSS Radius
border + rounded-xl1px solid #e2e8f012px radius
border-2 + rounded-lg2px solid #e2e8f08px radius
border-0 + rounded-mdnone6px radius
border + rounded-full1px solid #cbd5e1999px (pill button)
06

Card Components

Tailwind utility card

Responsive design, border shadows, custom hover transitions and atomic composition layouts.

Get Started →

Active status tags:

Active tag Inactive tag Success
07

Motion Rules

TransitionsTriggerEquivalent Tailwind Class
Snappy hover colorActive buttons / tag toggletransition-colors duration-150 ease-in-out
Scale hover liftDatabase grid cardstransition-transform duration-200 ease-out hover:-translate-y-0.5
Fading indicatorMenu transitionstransition-opacity duration-150 ease-in