Design System Wiki

UX Design Standards & Guidelines

Last updated: January 30, 2024 15 min read

This design system wiki serves as the definitive reference for maintaining visual and structural consistency across the Haider Ali portfolio website. All future changes must adhere to these established patterns and standards.

🎨

Visual Identity

Color Palette

Primary Black
#000000
Primary Light
#333333
Secondary Gray
#666666
Background White
#ffffff
Background Light
#f8f8f8
Border Color
#e0e0e0

SCSS Variables

// Primary Colors
$primary-color: #000000;        // Main brand color - pure black
$primary-light: #333333;        // Hover states, secondary elements
$secondary-color: #666666;      // Supporting text, borders

// Text Colors
$text-color: #000000;           // Primary text - pure black
$text-light: #666666;           // Secondary text, meta information

// Background Colors
$background-color: #ffffff;     // Main background - pure white
$background-light: #f8f8f8;     // Section backgrounds, cards
$background-dark: #000000;      // Dark sections (if needed)

// Border Colors
$border-color: #e0e0e0;         // Subtle borders, dividers

Typography

Font Family

Inter Font Family - Clean and Modern

SCSS

$base-font-family: 'Inter', -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;

Font Sizes & Weights

// Font Sizes
$base-font-size: 16px;          // Base body text
$small-font-size: 14px;         // Small text, meta information
$base-line-height: 1.6;         // Optimal reading line height

// Font Weights
- 300: Light (rarely used)
- 400: Regular (body text)
- 500: Medium (buttons, emphasis)
- 600: Semi-bold (headings, important text)
- 700: Bold (main headings, hero text)

Spacing System

Spacing Variables

$spacing-unit: 30px;            // Base spacing unit

// Common Spacing Values
- 0.5rem (8px): Tight spacing
- 1rem (16px): Standard spacing
- 1.5rem (24px): Section spacing
- 2rem (32px): Large spacing
- 3rem (48px): Section padding
- 4rem (64px): Hero padding
- 5rem (80px): Major section padding
🧩

Components

Buttons

Button Variants

Button SCSS

.btn {
  display: inline-flex;
  align-items: center;
  justify-content: center;
  padding: 12px 24px;
  border-radius: 0;             // Sharp edges - NO rounded corners
  font-weight: 500;
  text-decoration: none;
  transition: all 0.2s ease;
  border: 1px solid transparent;
  cursor: pointer;
  
  &.btn-primary {
    background: $primary-color;
    color: white;
    
    &:hover {
      background: $primary-light;
    }
  }
  
  &.btn-secondary {
    background: transparent;
    color: $primary-color;
    border-color: $primary-color;
    
    &:hover {
      background: $primary-color;
      color: white;
    }
  }
  
  &.btn-outline {
    background: transparent;
    color: $text-color;
    border-color: $border-color;
    
    &:hover {
      background: $background-light;
      border-color: $primary-color;
      color: $primary-color;
    }
  }
}

Cards

Card Component

Card Title

This is a card component with sharp edges and subtle hover effects.

HTML

Card Title

Card content goes here.

Tags

Tag Component

DESIGN UX RESEARCH

HTML

DESIGN
UX
RESEARCH
πŸ“

Patterns

Layout Patterns

Container System

.container {
  max-width: 1200px;            // Maximum content width
  margin: 0 auto;               // Center alignment
  padding: 0 20px;              // Horizontal padding
  
  @include media-query($on-palm) {
    padding: 0 16px;            // Reduced padding on mobile
  }
}

Grid Systems

Responsive Grids

// Skills Grid (4 columns β†’ 2 β†’ 1)
.skills-grid {
  display: grid;
  grid-template-columns: repeat(auto-fit, minmax(250px, 1fr));
  gap: 2rem;
}

// Portfolio Grid (3 columns β†’ 2 β†’ 1)
.portfolio-grid {
  display: grid;
  grid-template-columns: repeat(auto-fit, minmax(300px, 1fr));
  gap: 2rem;
}

// Blog Posts Grid (3 columns β†’ 2 β†’ 1)
.blog-posts-grid {
  display: grid;
  grid-template-columns: repeat(3, 1fr);
  gap: 2rem;
  
  @include media-query($on-laptop) {
    grid-template-columns: repeat(2, 1fr);
  }
  
  @include media-query($on-palm) {
    grid-template-columns: 1fr;
  }
}

Responsive Design

Breakpoints

$on-palm: 768px;                // Mobile devices
$on-laptop: 1024px;             // Tablets and small laptops
$on-desktop: 1280px;            // Desktop screens
πŸ“‹

Guidelines

Design Principles

🎯

Minimalism & Clarity

Sharp edges, clean typography, generous whitespace, and subtle shadows for a professional look.

πŸ”„

Consistency

Unified tags, card patterns, button styles, and grid systems across all components.

⚑

Performance

Optimized images, lazy loading, minimal animations, and clean semantic HTML structure.

β™Ώ

Accessibility

High contrast, readable fonts, semantic markup, and descriptive alt text for all images.

Implementation Checklist

Visual Consistency

Layout Standards

Maintenance Guidelines

Regular Updates

// Maintenance Schedule
- Monthly: Review and update category mappings
- Quarterly: Audit image optimization and performance
- Annually: Review and update design system standards

// Version Control
- Document changes: Update this wiki when making system changes
- Test thoroughly: Verify changes across all breakpoints
- Maintain consistency: All team members must follow these standards