Frontend UI Dark Theme (TypeScript)

A modern dark-themed React UI system using Tailwind CSS and Framer Motion. Designed for dashboards, admin panels, and data-rich applications with glassmorphism effects and tasteful animations.

Stack

Package	Version	Purpose
`react`	^18.x	UI framework
`react-dom`	^18.x	DOM rendering
`react-router-dom`	^6.x	Routing
`framer-motion`	^11.x	Animations
`clsx`	^2.x	Class merging
`tailwindcss`	^3.x	Styling
`vite`	^5.x	Build tool
`typescript`	^5.x	Type safety

Quick Start

npm create vite@latest my-app -- --template react-ts
cd my-app
npm install framer-motion clsx react-router-dom
npm install -D tailwindcss postcss autoprefixer
npx tailwindcss init -p

Project Structure

public/
├── favicon.ico                    # Classic favicon (32x32)
├── favicon.svg                    # Modern SVG favicon
├── apple-touch-icon.png           # iOS home screen (180x180)
├── og-image.png                   # Social sharing image (1200x630)
└── site.webmanifest               # PWA manifest
src/
├── assets/
│   └── fonts/
│       ├── Segoe UI.ttf
│       ├── Segoe UI Bold.ttf
│       ├── Segoe UI Italic.ttf
│       └── Segoe UI Bold Italic.ttf
├── components/
│   ├── ui/
│   │   ├── Button.tsx
│   │   ├── Card.tsx
│   │   ├── Input.tsx
│   │   ├── Badge.tsx
│   │   ├── Dialog.tsx
│   │   ├── Tabs.tsx
│   │   └── index.ts
│   └── layout/
│       ├── AppShell.tsx
│       ├── Sidebar.tsx
│       └── PageHeader.tsx
├── styles/
│   └── globals.css
├── App.tsx
└── main.tsx

Configuration

index.html

The HTML entry point with mobile viewport, favicons, and social meta tags:

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
  <head>
    <meta charset="UTF-8" />
    <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0, viewport-fit=cover" />
    
    <!-- Favicons -->
    <link rel="icon" href="/favicon.ico" sizes="32x32" />
    <link rel="icon" href="/favicon.svg" type="image/svg+xml" />
    <link rel="apple-touch-icon" href="/apple-touch-icon.png" />
    <link rel="manifest" href="/site.webmanifest" />
    
    <!-- Theme color for mobile browser chrome -->
    <meta name="theme-color" content="#18181B" />
    
    <!-- Open Graph -->
    <meta property="og:type" content="website" />
    <meta property="og:title" content="App Name" />
    <meta property="og:description" content="App description" />
    <meta property="og:image" content="https://example.com/og-image.png" />
    <meta property="og:url" content="https://example.com" />
    
    <!-- Twitter Card -->
    <meta name="twitter:card" content="summary_large_image" />
    <meta name="twitter:title" content="App Name" />
    <meta name="twitter:description" content="App description" />
    <meta name="twitter:image" content="https://example.com/og-image.png" />
    
    <title>App Name</title>
  </head>
  <body>
    <div id="root"></div>
    <script type="module" src="/src/main.tsx"></script>
  </body>
</html>

public/site.webmanifest

PWA manifest for installable web apps:

{
  "name": "App Name",
  "short_name": "App",
  "icons": [
    { "src": "/favicon.ico", "sizes": "32x32", "type": "image/x-icon" },
    { "src": "/apple-touch-icon.png", "sizes": "180x180", "type": "image/png" }
  ],
  "theme_color": "#18181B",
  "background_color": "#18181B",
  "display": "standalone"
}

tailwind.config.js

/** @type {import('tailwindcss').Config} */
export default {
  content: ['./index.html', './src/**/*.{js,ts,jsx,tsx}'],
  theme: {
    extend: {
      fontFamily: {
        sans: ['Segoe UI', 'system-ui', 'sans-serif'],
      },
      colors: {
        brand: {
          DEFAULT: '#8251EE',
          hover: '#9366F5',
          light: '#A37EF5',
          subtle: 'rgba(130, 81, 238, 0.15)',
        },
        neutral: {
          bg1: 'hsl(240, 6%, 10%)',
          bg2: 'hsl(240, 5%, 12%)',
          bg3: 'hsl(240, 5%, 14%)',
          bg4: 'hsl(240, 4%, 18%)',
          bg5: 'hsl(240, 4%, 22%)',
          bg6: 'hsl(240, 4%, 26%)',
        },
        text: {
          primary: '#FFFFFF',
          secondary: '#A1A1AA',
          muted: '#71717A',
        },
        border: {
          subtle: 'hsla(0, 0%, 100%, 0.08)',
          DEFAULT: 'hsla(0, 0%, 100%, 0.12)',
          strong: 'hsla(0, 0%, 100%, 0.20)',
        },
        status: {
          success: '#10B981',
          warning: '#F59E0B',
          error: '#EF4444',
          info: '#3B82F6',
        },
        dataviz: {
          purple: '#8251EE',
          blue: '#3B82F6',
          green: '#10B981',
          yellow: '#F59E0B',
          red: '#EF4444',
          pink: '#EC4899',
          cyan: '#06B6D4',
        },
      },
      borderRadius: {
        DEFAULT: '0.5rem',
        lg: '0.75rem',
        xl: '1rem',
      },
      boxShadow: {
        glow: '0 0 20px rgba(130, 81, 238, 0.3)',
        'glow-lg': '0 0 40px rgba(130, 81, 238, 0.4)',
      },
      backdropBlur: {
        xs: '2px',
      },
      animation: {
        'fade-in': 'fadeIn 0.3s ease-out',
        'slide-up': 'slideUp 0.3s ease-out',
        'slide-down': 'slideDown 0.3s ease-out',
      },
      keyframes: {
        fadeIn: {
          '0%': { opacity: '0' },
          '100%': { opacity: '1' },
        },
        slideUp: {
          '0%': { opacity: '0', transform: 'translateY(10px)' },
          '100%': { opacity: '1', transform: 'translateY(0)' },
        },
        slideDown: {
          '0%': { opacity: '0', transform: 'translateY(-10px)' },
          '100%': { opacity: '1', transform: 'translateY(0)' },
        },
      },
      // Mobile: safe area insets for notched devices
      spacing: {
        'safe-top': 'env(safe-area-inset-top)',
        'safe-bottom': 'env(safe-area-inset-bottom)',
        'safe-left': 'env(safe-area-inset-left)',
        'safe-right': 'env(safe-area-inset-right)',
      },
      // Mobile: minimum touch target sizes (44px per Apple/Google guidelines)
      minHeight: {
        'touch': '44px',
      },
      minWidth: {
        'touch': '44px',
      },
    },
  },
  plugins: [],
};

postcss.config.js

export default {
  plugins: {
    tailwindcss: {},
    autoprefixer: {},
  },
};

src/styles/globals.css

@tailwind base;
@tailwind components;
@tailwind utilities;

/* Font faces */
@font-face {
  font-family: 'Segoe UI';
  src: url('../assets/fonts/Segoe UI.ttf') format('truetype');
  font-weight: 400;
  font-style: normal;
  font-display: swap;
}

@font-face {
  font-family: 'Segoe UI';
  src: url('../assets/fonts/Segoe UI Bold.ttf') format('truetype');
  font-weight: 700;
  font-style: normal;
  font-display: swap;
}

@font-face {
  font-family: 'Segoe UI';
  src: url('../assets/fonts/Segoe UI Italic.ttf') format('truetype');
  font-weight: 400;
  font-style: italic;
  font-display: swap;
}

@font-face {
  font-family: 'Segoe UI';
  src: url('../assets/fonts/Segoe UI Bold Italic.ttf') format('truetype');
  font-weight: 700;
  font-style: italic;
  font-display: swap;
}

/* CSS Custom Properties */
:root {
  /* Brand colors */
  --color-brand: #8251EE;
  --color-brand-hover: #9366F5;
  --color-brand-light: #A37EF5;
  --color-brand-subtle: rgba(130, 81, 238, 0.15);

  /* Neutral backgrounds */
  --color-bg-1: hsl(240, 6%, 10%);
  --color-bg-2: hsl(240, 5%, 12%);
  --color-bg-3: hsl(240, 5%, 14%);
  --color-bg-4: hsl(240, 4%, 18%);
  --color-bg-5: hsl(240, 4%, 22%);
  --color-bg-6: hsl(240, 4%, 26%);

  /* Text colors */
  --color-text-primary: #FFFFFF;
  --color-text-secondary: #A1A1AA;
  --color-text-muted: #71717A;

  /* Border colors */
  --color-border-subtle: hsla(0, 0%, 100%, 0.08);
  --color-border-default: hsla(0, 0%, 100%, 0.12);
  --color-border-strong: hsla(0, 0%, 100%, 0.20);

  /* Status colors */
  --color-success: #10B981;
  --color-warning: #F59E0B;
  --color-error: #EF4444;
  --color-info: #3B82F6;

  /* Spacing */
  --spacing-xs: 0.25rem;
  --spacing-sm: 0.5rem;
  --spacing-md: 1rem;
  --spacing-lg: 1.5rem;
  --spacing-xl: 2rem;
  --spacing-2xl: 3rem;

  /* Border radius */
  --radius-sm: 0.375rem;
  --radius-md: 0.5rem;
  --radius-lg: 0.75rem;
  --radius-xl: 1rem;

  /* Transitions */
  --transition-fast: 150ms ease;
  --transition-normal: 200ms ease;
  --transition-slow: 300ms ease;
}

/* Base styles */
html {
  color-scheme: dark;
}

body {
  @apply bg-neutral-bg1 text-text-primary font-sans antialiased;
  min-height: 100vh;
}

/* Focus styles */
*:focus-visible {
  @apply outline-none ring-2 ring-brand ring-offset-2 ring-offset-neutral-bg1;
}

/* Scrollbar styling */
::-webkit-scrollbar {
  width: 8px;
  height: 8px;
}

::-webkit-scrollbar-track {
  @apply bg-neutral-bg2;
}

::-webkit-scrollbar-thumb {
  @apply bg-neutral-bg5 rounded-full;
}

::-webkit-scrollbar-thumb:hover {
  @apply bg-neutral-bg6;
}

/* Glass utility classes */
@layer components {
  .glass {
    @apply backdrop-blur-md bg-white/5 border border-white/10;
  }

  .glass-card {
    @apply backdrop-blur-md bg-white/5 border border-white/10 rounded-xl;
  }

  .glass-panel {
    @apply backdrop-blur-lg bg-black/40 border border-white/5;
  }

  .glass-overlay {
    @apply backdrop-blur-sm bg-black/60;
  }

  .glass-input {
    @apply backdrop-blur-sm bg-white/5 border border-white/10 focus:border-brand focus:bg-white/10;
  }
}

/* Animation utilities */
@layer utilities {
  .animate-in {
    animation: fadeIn 0.3s ease-out, slideUp 0.3s ease-out;
  }
}

src/main.tsx

import React from 'react';
import ReactDOM from 'react-dom/client';
import { BrowserRouter } from 'react-router-dom';
import App from './App';
import './styles/globals.css';

ReactDOM.createRoot(document.getElementById('root')!).render(
  <React.StrictMode>
    <BrowserRouter>
      <App />
    </BrowserRouter>
  </React.StrictMode>
);

src/App.tsx

import { Routes, Route } from 'react-router-dom';
import { AnimatePresence } from 'framer-motion';
import { AppShell } from './components/layout/AppShell';
import { Dashboard } from './pages/Dashboard';
import { Settings } from './pages/Settings';

export default function App() {
  return (
    <AppShell>
      <AnimatePresence mode="wait">
        <Routes>
          <Route path="/" element={<Dashboard />} />
          <Route path="/settings" element={<Settings />} />
        </Routes>
      </AnimatePresence>
    </AppShell>
  );
}

Animation Patterns

Framer Motion Variants

// Fade in on mount
export const fadeIn = {
  initial: { opacity: 0 },
  animate: { opacity: 1 },
  exit: { opacity: 0 },
  transition: { duration: 0.2 },
};

// Slide up on mount
export const slideUp = {
  initial: { opacity: 0, y: 20 },
  animate: { opacity: 1, y: 0 },
  exit: { opacity: 0, y: 20 },
  transition: { duration: 0.3, ease: 'easeOut' },
};

// Scale on hover (for buttons/cards)
export const scaleOnHover = {
  whileHover: { scale: 1.02 },
  whileTap: { scale: 0.98 },
  transition: { type: 'spring', stiffness: 400, damping: 17 },
};

// Stagger children
export const staggerContainer = {
  hidden: { opacity: 0 },
  visible: {
    opacity: 1,
    transition: {
      staggerChildren: 0.05,
      delayChildren: 0.1,
    },
  },
};

export const staggerItem = {
  hidden: { opacity: 0, y: 10 },
  visible: {
    opacity: 1,
    y: 0,
    transition: { duration: 0.2, ease: 'easeOut' },
  },
};

Page Transition Wrapper

import { motion } from 'framer-motion';
import { ReactNode } from 'react';

interface PageTransitionProps {
  children: ReactNode;
}

export function PageTransition({ children }: PageTransitionProps) {
  return (
    <motion.div
      initial={{ opacity: 0, y: 20 }}
      animate={{ opacity: 1, y: 0 }}
      exit={{ opacity: 0, y: -20 }}
      transition={{ duration: 0.3, ease: 'easeOut' }}
    >
      {children}
    </motion.div>
  );
}

Glass Effect Patterns

Glass Card

<div className="glass-card p-6">
  <h2 className="text-lg font-semibold text-text-primary">Card Title</h2>
  <p className="text-text-secondary mt-2">Card content goes here.</p>
</div>

Glass Panel (Sidebar)

<aside className="glass-panel w-64 h-screen p-4">
  <nav className="space-y-2">
    {/* Navigation items */}
  </nav>
</aside>

Glass Modal Overlay

<motion.div
  className="fixed inset-0 glass-overlay flex items-center justify-center z-50"
  initial={{ opacity: 0 }}
  animate={{ opacity: 1 }}
  exit={{ opacity: 0 }}
>
  <motion.div
    className="glass-card p-6 max-w-md w-full mx-4"
    initial={{ scale: 0.95, opacity: 0 }}
    animate={{ scale: 1, opacity: 1 }}
    exit={{ scale: 0.95, opacity: 0 }}
  >
    {/* Modal content */}
  </motion.div>
</motion.div>

Typography

Element	Classes
Page title	`text-2xl font-semibold text-text-primary`
Section title	`text-lg font-semibold text-text-primary`
Card title	`text-base font-medium text-text-primary`
Body text	`text-sm text-text-secondary`
Caption	`text-xs text-text-muted`
Label	`text-sm font-medium text-text-secondary`

Color Usage

Use Case	Color	Class
Primary action	Brand purple	`bg-brand text-white`
Primary hover	Brand hover	`hover:bg-brand-hover`
Page background	Neutral bg1	`bg-neutral-bg1`
Card background	Neutral bg2	`bg-neutral-bg2`
Elevated surface	Neutral bg3	`bg-neutral-bg3`
Input background	Neutral bg2	`bg-neutral-bg2`
Input focus	Neutral bg3	`focus:bg-neutral-bg3`
Border default	Border default	`border-border`
Border subtle	Border subtle	`border-border-subtle`
Success	Status success	`text-status-success`
Warning	Status warning	`text-status-warning`
Error	Status error	`text-status-error`

Related Files

Design Tokens — Complete color system, spacing, typography scales
Components — Button, Card, Input, Dialog, Tabs, and more
Patterns — Page layouts, navigation, lists, forms

When to Use

This skill is applicable to execute the workflow or actions described in the overview.

Limitations

Use this skill only when the task clearly matches the scope described above.
Do not treat the output as a substitute for environment-specific validation, testing, or expert review.
Stop and ask for clarification if required inputs, permissions, safety boundaries, or success criteria are missing.

frontend-ui-dark-ts