Imported from majiayu000/claude-skill-registry (skills/design/neobrutalist-web-designer/SKILL.md). Install upstream with npx skills add majiayu000/claude-skill-registry --skill neobrutalist-web-designer. Copyright stays with the author.

Neobrutalist Web Designer

Creates modern 2026 web applications with authentic neobrutalist aesthetic. Not recreating brutalist architecture—extrapolating neobrutalism to modern digital contexts: SaaS products, e-commerce, indie creator platforms, and startup MVPs that need to stand out.

When to Use

Use for:

SaaS dashboards that need bold differentiation (Gumroad, Figma style)
E-commerce with memorable, raw aesthetic (Tony's Chocolonely style)
Indie creator platforms and portfolios
Startup landing pages and MVPs
Educational platforms seeking approachable boldness
Music, art, and social media apps
Any UI that needs to "shout" rather than whisper

Do NOT use for:

Glassmorphism/blur effects → use vaporwave-glassomorphic-ui-designer
Windows 3.1 retro → use windows-3-1-web-designer
Windows 95 retro → use windows-95-web-designer
Soft shadows/neumorphism → use native-app-designer
Subtle corporate design → use web-design-expert
Gradient-heavy aesthetics → NOT neobrutalism

Neobrutalism vs Similar Styles

Feature	Neobrutalism	Glassmorphism	Neumorphism	Win31/95
Shadows	Hard (no blur)	Soft glow	Subtle inset	Beveled
Borders	Thick black strokes	Subtle/none	None	Beveled
Colors	Bold primaries	Frosted/pastel	Muted	System gray
Background	Solid flat	Blur/transparent	Soft gradient	Solid
Philosophy	Raw, exposed	Ethereal, hidden	Realistic	Functional

Core Design System

The Three Pillars of Neobrutalism

Hard Shadows - Offset, no blur, usually black
Bold Borders - Thick (2-4px) black strokes
High Contrast - Primary colors against neutral backgrounds

Color Palette

Color	Hex	CSS Variable	Usage
Black	#000000	`--neo-black`	Borders, shadows, text
White	#FFFFFF	`--neo-white`	Backgrounds, contrast
Cream/Beige	#F5F0E6	`--neo-cream`	Soft background alternative
Red	#FF5252	`--neo-red`	Danger, emphasis
Yellow	#FFEB3B	`--neo-yellow`	Highlights, warnings
Blue	#2196F3	`--neo-blue`	Links, primary actions
Pink	#FF4081	`--neo-pink`	Accent, playful
Green	#4CAF50	`--neo-green`	Success states
Orange	#FF9800	`--neo-orange`	CTAs, attention
Purple	#9C27B0	`--neo-purple`	Creative, premium

Color Rules:

✅ Bold primaries with high saturation
✅ Black and white for maximum contrast
✅ Beige/cream for warmth without softness
❌ NO gradients (use flat colors only)
❌ NO transparency/opacity (stay opaque)

The Signature Hard Shadow

THE defining neobrutalist element - offset shadow with zero blur:

.neo-shadow {
  /* THE neobrutalist shadow formula */
  box-shadow: 4px 4px 0 #000000;
}

.neo-shadow--deep {
  box-shadow: 8px 8px 0 #000000;
}

.neo-shadow--subtle {
  box-shadow: 2px 2px 0 #000000;
}

/* Hover: shadow grows */
.neo-shadow:hover {
  box-shadow: 6px 6px 0 #000000;
  transform: translate(-2px, -2px);
}

/* Active: shadow shrinks (pressed) */
.neo-shadow:active {
  box-shadow: 2px 2px 0 #000000;
  transform: translate(2px, 2px);
}

Bold Border System

.neo-border {
  border: 3px solid #000000;
}

.neo-border--thick {
  border: 4px solid #000000;
}

.neo-border--thin {
  border: 2px solid #000000;
}

/* Colored borders for emphasis */
.neo-border--accent {
  border: 3px solid var(--neo-pink);
}

Typography

Use	Font Suggestion	Fallback	Style
Headlines	Archivo Black	Impact, sans-serif	Bold, condensed
Body	Space Grotesk	Arial, sans-serif	Clean, geometric
Accent	Lexend Mega	Trebuchet, sans-serif	Wide, bold
Mono	JetBrains Mono	Courier New	Code, retro
Display	Bebas Neue	Impact	All-caps impact

Typography Rules:

:root {
  --font-neo-display: 'Archivo Black', 'Impact', sans-serif;
  --font-neo-body: 'Space Grotesk', 'Arial', sans-serif;
  --font-neo-accent: 'Lexend Mega', sans-serif;
  --font-neo-mono: 'JetBrains Mono', 'Courier New', monospace;
}

/* Headlines are BOLD and often oversized */
h1 {
  font-family: var(--font-neo-display);
  font-size: clamp(3rem, 8vw, 6rem);
  line-height: 0.9;
  letter-spacing: -0.02em;
  text-transform: uppercase;
}

/* Body maintains readability */
body {
  font-family: var(--font-neo-body);
  font-size: 1.125rem;
  line-height: 1.6;
}

Modern Extrapolations

SaaS Dashboard: The Gumroad Paradigm

Neobrutalism for SaaS emphasizes function over flourish:

┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ ██████████████████████████████████████████████████████ │
│ █ DASHBOARD                              [?] [⚙] [👤] █│
│ ██████████████████████████████████████████████████████ │
├────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ ┌──────────────┐  ┌──────────────┐  ┌──────────────┐  │
│ │ ████████████ │  │ ████████████ │  │ ████████████ │  │
│ │ REVENUE      │  │ CUSTOMERS    │  │ PRODUCTS     │  │
│ │ ════════════ │  │ ════════════ │  │ ════════════ │  │
│ │ $12,450      │  │ 1,234        │  │ 12           │  │
│ │ ↑ 23%        │  │ ↑ 15%        │  │ → 0%         │  │
│ └──────────────┘  └──────────────┘  └──────────────┘  │
│                                                        │
│ ┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐│
│ │ RECENT SALES                              [View All]││
│ │ ════════════════════════════════════════════════════││
│ │ ▓ Product A          $49.00         Jan 31, 10:23  ││
│ │ ▓ Product B          $29.00         Jan 31, 09:45  ││
│ │ ▓ Product A          $49.00         Jan 31, 08:12  ││
│ └────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘│
└────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Key patterns:

Cards with hard shadows
Bold section headers
High-contrast data display
Black borders on everything
Flat, solid background colors

E-Commerce: The Raw Shopping Experience

.neo-product-card {
  background: var(--neo-white);
  border: 3px solid var(--neo-black);
  box-shadow: 6px 6px 0 var(--neo-black);
  padding: 0;
  overflow: hidden;
}

.neo-product-card:hover {
  box-shadow: 8px 8px 0 var(--neo-black);
  transform: translate(-2px, -2px);
}

.neo-product-card__image {
  border-bottom: 3px solid var(--neo-black);
  width: 100%;
  aspect-ratio: 1;
  object-fit: cover;
}

.neo-product-card__content {
  padding: 1rem;
}

.neo-product-card__price {
  font-family: var(--font-neo-display);
  font-size: 1.5rem;
  background: var(--neo-yellow);
  display: inline-block;
  padding: 0.25rem 0.5rem;
  border: 2px solid var(--neo-black);
}

.neo-add-to-cart {
  width: 100%;
  background: var(--neo-black);
  color: var(--neo-white);
  border: 3px solid var(--neo-black);
  padding: 0.75rem;
  font-family: var(--font-neo-display);
  text-transform: uppercase;
  cursor: pointer;
}

.neo-add-to-cart:hover {
  background: var(--neo-pink);
  color: var(--neo-black);
}

Landing Page: Bold First Impressions

╔══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗
║                                                              ║
║  ████████  WE BUILD                                         ║
║  ████████  BOLD                                             ║
║  ████████  PRODUCTS                                         ║
║                                                              ║
║  ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐║
║  │                                                         │║
║  │  No more boring SaaS. We create tools that              │║
║  │  stand out, work hard, and make you money.              │║
║  │                                                         │║
║  └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘║
║                                                              ║
║         ╔═══════════════════════════════════════╗           ║
║         ║  → START FREE TRIAL                   ║           ║
║         ╚═══════════════════════════════════════╝           ║
║                                                              ║
╚══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝

Responsive: Bold at Every Size

Breakpoint	Adjustments
Mobile (<640px)	Shadow: 3px 3px, Border: 2px, Font scale down
Tablet (640-1024px)	Shadow: 4px 4px, Border: 3px, Standard fonts
Desktop (>1024px)	Shadow: 6px 6px, Border: 4px, Oversized headlines

/* Mobile-first approach */
:root {
  --neo-shadow-size: 3px;
  --neo-border-width: 2px;
}

@media (min-width: 640px) {
  :root {
    --neo-shadow-size: 4px;
    --neo-border-width: 3px;
  }
}

@media (min-width: 1024px) {
  :root {
    --neo-shadow-size: 6px;
    --neo-border-width: 4px;
  }
}

.neo-card {
  border: var(--neo-border-width) solid var(--neo-black);
  box-shadow: var(--neo-shadow-size) var(--neo-shadow-size) 0 var(--neo-black);
}

Component Patterns

Buttons

.neo-button {
  background: var(--neo-white);
  color: var(--neo-black);
  border: 3px solid var(--neo-black);
  box-shadow: 4px 4px 0 var(--neo-black);
  padding: 0.75rem 1.5rem;
  font-family: var(--font-neo-display);
  font-size: 1rem;
  text-transform: uppercase;
  cursor: pointer;
  transition: all 0.1s ease;
}

.neo-button:hover {
  box-shadow: 6px 6px 0 var(--neo-black);
  transform: translate(-2px, -2px);
}

.neo-button:active {
  box-shadow: 2px 2px 0 var(--neo-black);
  transform: translate(2px, 2px);
}

/* Primary variant */
.neo-button--primary {
  background: var(--neo-yellow);
}

/* Danger variant */
.neo-button--danger {
  background: var(--neo-red);
  color: var(--neo-white);
}

/* Ghost variant */
.neo-button--ghost {
  background: transparent;
  box-shadow: none;
}

.neo-button--ghost:hover {
  background: var(--neo-black);
  color: var(--neo-white);
  box-shadow: none;
  transform: none;
}

Cards

.neo-card {
  background: var(--neo-white);
  border: 3px solid var(--neo-black);
  box-shadow: 6px 6px 0 var(--neo-black);
  padding: 1.5rem;
}

.neo-card__header {
  border-bottom: 2px solid var(--neo-black);
  padding-bottom: 1rem;
  margin-bottom: 1rem;
}

.neo-card__title {
  font-family: var(--font-neo-display);
  font-size: 1.25rem;
  text-transform: uppercase;
}

/* Feature card with accent color */
.neo-card--featured {
  background: var(--neo-yellow);
}

/* Highlighted state */
.neo-card--highlight {
  border-color: var(--neo-pink);
  box-shadow: 6px 6px 0 var(--neo-pink);
}

Form Elements

.neo-input {
  background: var(--neo-white);
  border: 3px solid var(--neo-black);
  padding: 0.75rem 1rem;
  font-family: var(--font-neo-body);
  font-size: 1rem;
  width: 100%;
}

.neo-input:focus {
  outline: none;
  box-shadow: 4px 4px 0 var(--neo-black);
}

.neo-input::placeholder {
  color: #888;
}

/* Labels are bold and uppercase */
.neo-label {
  font-family: var(--font-neo-display);
  text-transform: uppercase;
  font-size: 0.875rem;
  margin-bottom: 0.5rem;
  display: block;
}

/* Checkbox/Radio */
.neo-checkbox {
  appearance: none;
  width: 24px;
  height: 24px;
  border: 3px solid var(--neo-black);
  background: var(--neo-white);
  cursor: pointer;
}

.neo-checkbox:checked {
  background: var(--neo-black);
}

.neo-checkbox:checked::after {
  content: '✓';
  color: var(--neo-white);
  font-size: 16px;
  display: flex;
  align-items: center;
  justify-content: center;
}

Navigation

.neo-nav {
  background: var(--neo-black);
  border-bottom: 4px solid var(--neo-black);
  padding: 1rem 2rem;
  display: flex;
  justify-content: space-between;
  align-items: center;
}

.neo-nav__logo {
  font-family: var(--font-neo-display);
  font-size: 1.5rem;
  color: var(--neo-white);
  text-transform: uppercase;
}

.neo-nav__links {
  display: flex;
  gap: 1.5rem;
}

.neo-nav__link {
  color: var(--neo-white);
  text-decoration: none;
  font-family: var(--font-neo-body);
  font-weight: 600;
  padding: 0.5rem 0;
  border-bottom: 3px solid transparent;
}

.neo-nav__link:hover {
  border-bottom-color: var(--neo-yellow);
}

.neo-nav__link--active {
  border-bottom-color: var(--neo-pink);
}

Anti-Patterns

Anti-Pattern: Soft Shadows

Novice thinking: box-shadow: 0 4px 6px rgba(0,0,0,0.1) Reality: Neobrutalism uses HARD shadows with zero blur Instead: box-shadow: 4px 4px 0 #000000

Anti-Pattern: Gradients

Novice thinking: background: linear-gradient(to right, #ff5252, #ffeb3b) Reality: Neobrutalism is FLAT. No gradients, no blending. Instead: Pick ONE solid color. Embrace the flatness.

Anti-Pattern: Rounded Corners Everywhere

Novice thinking: border-radius: 16px on everything Reality: Neobrutalism prefers sharp corners or minimal rounding (4px max) Instead: border-radius: 0 or border-radius: 4px for subtle softening

Anti-Pattern: Thin Borders

Novice thinking: border: 1px solid #ddd Reality: Neobrutalist borders are BOLD (3-4px) and BLACK Instead: border: 3px solid #000000

Anti-Pattern: Low Contrast Colors

Novice thinking: Subtle pastels on white background Reality: Neobrutalism demands HIGH contrast Instead: Bold primaries (#FF5252, #FFEB3B) on white/black

Anti-Pattern: Transparency/Opacity

Novice thinking: background: rgba(255,255,255,0.8) Reality: Neobrutalism is OPAQUE. No see-through elements. Instead: background: #FFFFFF (solid, no alpha)

Anti-Pattern: Hover Blur Effects

Novice thinking: filter: blur(2px) on hover Reality: Hover states in neobrutalism are physical (translate + shadow change) Instead: transform: translate(-2px, -2px) + increased shadow

Quick Decision Tree

Is it a container element?
├── Card/Panel? → 3px black border + hard shadow
├── Section? → Full-width, solid background color
├── Modal? → Heavy shadow (8px+), thick border
└── Nav? → Black background or thick bottom border

Is it interactive?
├── Button? → Hard shadow that responds to hover/active
├── Link? → Underline or bottom border, color change on hover
├── Input? → Thick border, shadow on focus
└── Checkbox? → Thick border, solid fill when checked

Is it typography?
├── Headline? → Oversized, bold display font, uppercase optional
├── Body? → Clean geometric sans, good line height
├── Label? → Bold, uppercase, smaller size
└── Code? → Monospace, possibly with background

Is it a status indicator?
├── Success? → Green background or border
├── Error? → Red background or border
├── Warning? → Yellow background or border
└── Info? → Blue background or border

CSS Variables Template

:root {
  /* Core palette */
  --neo-black: #000000;
  --neo-white: #FFFFFF;
  --neo-cream: #F5F0E6;

  /* Primary colors */
  --neo-red: #FF5252;
  --neo-yellow: #FFEB3B;
  --neo-blue: #2196F3;
  --neo-pink: #FF4081;
  --neo-green: #4CAF50;
  --neo-orange: #FF9800;
  --neo-purple: #9C27B0;

  /* Typography */
  --font-neo-display: 'Archivo Black', 'Impact', sans-serif;
  --font-neo-body: 'Space Grotesk', 'Arial', sans-serif;
  --font-neo-mono: 'JetBrains Mono', 'Courier New', monospace;

  /* Spacing */
  --neo-spacing-xs: 0.25rem;
  --neo-spacing-sm: 0.5rem;
  --neo-spacing-md: 1rem;
  --neo-spacing-lg: 1.5rem;
  --neo-spacing-xl: 2rem;

  /* Shadows & Borders */
  --neo-shadow-size: 4px;
  --neo-border-width: 3px;
  --neo-shadow: var(--neo-shadow-size) var(--neo-shadow-size) 0 var(--neo-black);
}

The Quick Test

If your component has:

❌ Any blur in shadows → NOT neobrutalism
❌ Any gradients → NOT neobrutalism
❌ Transparency/opacity → NOT neobrutalism
❌ Thin (1px) borders → NOT neobrutalism
❌ Soft/muted colors → NOT neobrutalism
❌ Heavy border-radius (16px+) → NOT neobrutalism

It should have:

✅ Hard shadows (Xpx Ypx 0 #000)
✅ Bold borders (3-4px solid black)
✅ High contrast color combinations
✅ Flat, solid colors
✅ Bold typography
✅ Sharp or minimal corners
✅ Physical hover/active feedback

Accessibility Considerations

Despite its boldness, neobrutalism can be highly accessible:

High contrast - Black borders on white/colored backgrounds pass WCAG
Clear focus states - Shadow/border changes are obvious
Readable typography - Large, bold text is easy to scan
No motion dependency - Transforms are enhancers, not requirements

/* Ensure focus is visible */
.neo-button:focus-visible {
  outline: 3px solid var(--neo-blue);
  outline-offset: 2px;
}

/* Reduce motion if preferred */
@media (prefers-reduced-motion: reduce) {
  .neo-button {
    transition: none;
  }

  .neo-button:hover {
    transform: none;
    box-shadow: var(--neo-shadow); /* Keep shadow, skip animation */
  }
}

References

/references/component-library.md - Full CSS for all neobrutalist components
/references/color-combinations.md - Tested color pairings with contrast ratios
/references/typography-pairings.md - Font combinations for different contexts
/references/real-world-examples.md - Analysis of Gumroad, Figma, and other implementations

Pairs With

web-design-expert - For brand direction alongside bold style
color-contrast-auditor - Ensure accessibility with bold colors
design-system-creator - For generating full design token systems
typography-expert - For advanced type pairing

Sources

Design research based on:

neobrutalist-web-designer

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