The UI Finesse Playbook
Opinionated UI design system and implementation playbook focused on interaction finesse, typography, and component standards for high-clarity product interfaces.
Shadows, Borders, Surfaces, Backgrounds, and Micro-Details for Product UI
A practical, implementation-focused reference for building high-polish UI:
- Shadow borders that align perfectly with element size
- Realistic shadow stacks with negative spread
- Inner highlights and reflections for dark mode
- Concentric radii, macOS-style buttons, glass surfaces
- Gradient and texture techniques for backgrounds
- Detailed table, form, and component refinements
- Typography, color, spacing, and process heuristics
Use this like a mini design system guideline for both Figma and code.
Table of Co…
The UI Finesse Playbook
Opinionated UI design system and implementation playbook focused on interaction finesse, typography, and component standards for high-clarity product interfaces.
Shadows, Borders, Surfaces, Backgrounds, and Micro-Details for Product UI
A practical, implementation-focused reference for building high-polish UI:
- Shadow borders that align perfectly with element size
- Realistic shadow stacks with negative spread
- Inner highlights and reflections for dark mode
- Concentric radii, macOS-style buttons, glass surfaces
- Gradient and texture techniques for backgrounds
- Detailed table, form, and component refinements
- Typography, color, spacing, and process heuristics
Use this like a mini design system guideline for both Figma and code.
Table of Contents
Shadow and Border Systems 1.1 Shadow Borders with Negative Spread (CSS / Tailwind) 1.2 Natural Shadow Stacks with Negative Spread 1.3 Inner Shadows as Borders (Figma and CSS) 1.4 Transparent / Soft Borders Instead of Solid Strokes 1.5 Colored (Saturated) Shadows 1.6 Text Shadows for Legibility 1.7 Dark Mode Depth and Reflection 1.
Surface and Shape Detailing 2.1 Inner Highlights for Dark Containers 2.2 Concentric Border Radius 2.3 macOS-style Micro-shadow Buttons 2.4 Glass / Frosted Buttons and Panels 2.5 3D / Glossy Surfaces (Folded, Glossy, Gemstone, 3D Lines) 2.6 Icon and Avatar Framing 2.7 Color Strips and Panel Accents 1.
Backgrounds, Patterns, and Texture 3.1 Noise Overlays 3.2 Ultra Gradients and Blob Blends 3.3 Grid Backgrounds via Masking 3.4 Wavy Line Textures 3.5 Blurred Logo or Shape Backgrounds 3.6 Dotted Patterns with Randomized Opacity 3.7 Image and Illustration Fades 3.8 Bleeding Images Out of Containers 1.
Components, Layout, and Micro-interactions 4.1 Table and Data UI Refinement 4.2 Dropdowns, Toasts, and Modal Stacks 4.3 Secondary Button and Input Styles 4.4 Checkbox and Radio Label Hierarchy 4.5 Avoid Border-heavy Layouts 1.
Typography, Color, Spacing, and Process Heuristics 5.1 Typography & Copy 5.2 Color Systems 5.3 Spacing and Layout 5.4 Product & UX Principles 5.5 Practice and Workflow 1.
How to Operationalize This in a Design System 1.
Research Prompts (Grok/X, ChatGPT, Perplexity)
Reference Tools
- UI Checklist - A comprehensive checklist for reviewing and validating UI designs (from ShiftNudge)