tailwind-design-system

Tailwind Design System

Build production-ready design systems with Tailwind CSS, including design tokens, component variants, responsive patterns, and accessibility.

When to Use This Skill

• Creating a component library with Tailwind
• Implementing design tokens and theming
• Building responsive and accessible components
• Standardizing UI patterns across a codebase
• Migrating to or extending Tailwind CSS
• Setting up dark mode and color schemes

Core Concepts

1. Design Token Hierarchy

Brand Tokens (abstract)
    └── Semantic Tokens (purpose)
        └── Component Tokens (specific)

Example:
    blue-500 → primary → button-bg

2. Component Architecture

Base styles → Variants → Sizes → States → Overrides

Quick Start

// tailwind.config.ts
import type { Config } from "tailwindcss";

const config: Config = {
  content: ["./src/**/*.{js,ts,jsx,tsx,mdx}"],
  darkMode: "class",
  theme: {
    extend: {
      colors: {
        // Semantic color tokens
        primary: {
          DEFAULT: "hsl(var(--primary))",
          foreground: "hsl(var(--primary-foreground))",
        },
        secondary: {
          DEFAULT: "hsl(var(--secondary))",
          foreground: "hsl(var(--secondary-foreground))",
        },
        destructive: {
          DEFAULT: "hsl(var(--destructive))",
          foreground: "hsl(var(--destructive-foreground))",
        },
        muted: {
          DEFAULT: "hsl(var(--muted))",
          foreground: "hsl(var(--muted-foreground))",
        },
        accent: {
          DEFAULT: "hsl(var(--accent))",
          foreground: "hsl(var(--accent-foreground))",
        },
        background: "hsl(var(--background))",
        foreground: "hsl(var(--foreground))",
        border: "hsl(var(--border))",
        ring: "hsl(var(--ring))",
      },
      borderRadius: {
        lg: "var(--radius)",
        md: "calc(var(--radius) - 2px)",
        sm: "calc(var(--radius) - 4px)",
      },
    },
  },
  plugins: [require("tailwindcss-animate")],
};

export default config;