aio-neobrutalism

Neobrutalism Design System Bootstrapper

Objective Workflow

Phase 1: DETECT — Identify Project Tech Stack

Scan the project root to determine the web framework and styling approach:

# Check for package.json, framework config files, CSS preprocessors
ls package.json tsconfig.json vite.config.* next.config.* nuxt.config.* tailwind.config.* postcss.config.* 2>/dev/null

Identify:

• Framework: React, Vue, Svelte, Next.js, Nuxt, Astro, plain HTML
• Styling: Tailwind CSS, CSS Modules, styled-components, Sass/Less, plain CSS
• Component library: shadcn/ui, Radix, MUI, Vuetify, or none
• Entry points: main CSS file, layout files, global styles location

Phase 2: GENERATE — Create CSS Tokens and Base Styles

Based on detected stack, generate the appropriate token format:

• Tailwind: Extend theme in tailwind config with neobrutalism tokens (borders, shadows, colors)
• CSS Variables: Generate :root block with all design tokens
• styled-components/CSS-in-JS: Generate a theme object
• Plain CSS: Copy code/base.css directly

Always include the neobrutalism fonts:

<link href="https://fonts.googleapis.com/css2?family=Public+Sans:ital,wght@0,100..900;1,100..900&family=Bricolage+Grotesque:[email protected]&display=swap" rel="stylesheet" />

Phase 3: APPLY — Transform Existing UI Components

1. List all UI component files in the project (buttons, cards, inputs, modals, nav)
2. For each component, apply the 6 Rules (see reference below):
   • Add thick black borders (2-4px solid #000)
   • Replace soft shadows with hard shadows (4px 4px 0 #000)
   • Remove border-radius or reduce to 0px
   • Replace gradients with solid vibrant colors
   • Increase font weights to 700-900
   • Add press-down or elevate-up interaction patterns
3. Prioritize: buttons first, then cards, then inputs, then navigation

Phase 4: REVIEW — Show Before/After

For each transformed component:

• Show the before state (existing styles)
• Show the after state (neobrutalism styles)
• Flag any anti-patterns found (blurred shadows, gradients, excessive radius)
• Verify hover states and cursor: pointer on all interactive elements