Design Guidelines

Strict, hierarchical rules that enforce visual consistency across all Knowivate applications.

Borders#

Rules governing border width and usage globally and within specific apps.

GLOBAL

1px Borders Only

Across all broad web platforms and general applications, we strictily allow only 1 pixel borders. Do not use borders thicker than 1px anywhere by default.

Do
Valid 1px Border (border)
Don't
Invalid Thicker Border (border-2, border-4)

Spacing#

Rules governing margins and padding values to maintain consistent rhythm.

GLOBAL

Multiples of 4px or 8px

All padding and margins must strictly be divisible by 4 or 8. In Tailwind CSS, the base spacing unit is 4px (e.g. p-1 = 4px, p-2 = 8px, p-4 = 16px). You must use standard tailwind values and never use arbitrary pixel values unless specifically required for an absolute positioned layout calculation.

Do
p-4 (16px spacing)
Valid standard values
Don't
p-[15px] and mb-[18px]
Invalid Arbitrary Spacing

Buttons#

Rules governing the usage of interactive buttons.

GLOBAL

Prefer V1 Buttons Over Raw Tags

  • Always use predefined V1Button components instead of standard HTML <button> tags.
  • Use V1Button instead of <Link> when a navigation element is styled as a button. V1Button natively supports the href prop.
  • It is perfectly acceptable to use <Link> for standard textual navigation that does not resemble a button.
  • Require Accessibility: For primary, secondary, and important actions, you must always pass accessibility={true} to enable focus rings for keyboard navigation.
  • Avoid Overrides: Do not pass the className prop to V1Buttons unless strictly necessary for layout tweezers, to avoid overriding default centralized styles.
Do
Continue
Using <V1PrimaryButton accessibility=>
Don't
Continue
Using raw <button className="...">

Rounding#

Rules governing border radii and corner rounding.

GLOBAL

Strict `rounded-lg` Baseline

You must prefer rounded-lg for all generic containers, cards, and interactive elements. Avoid using default rounded or rounded-md. Only use rounded-full when a perfect circle or maximum pill shape is explicitly required (e.g., Avatars).

Do
rounded-lg
AvatarA
Use rounded-lg default, rounded-full for avatars.
Don't
rounded
rounded-md
Avoid basic rounded or rounded-md classes.

Beta Flags#

Rules governing the usage of Beta labels for upcoming features.

GLOBAL

Use V1LabelWithBeta Component

Any label intended to indicate a feature is in beta must use the V1LabelWithBeta component. This component automatically detects the (Beta) suffix and styles it consistently as a blue superscript.Do not write "Beta" manually in plain text next to labels.

Do
Advanced Analytics Beta
Using <V1LabelWithBeta label="Advanced Analytics (Beta)" />
Don't
Advanced Analytics (Beta)
Plain text: "Advanced Analytics (Beta)"

Status Badges#

Rules for pill-shaped badges used in hero sections or feature highlights.

HERO PATTERN

Premium Status Pills

Hero badges must be readable and centered. Use the V1Badge component which provides standardized horizontal padding (px-4) and text-sm font-semibold styling. Avoid tiny uppercase text for important branding status.

Do
Offline-first note-taking
Don't
BADGE TEXT

Typography#

Rules governing text casing and letter spacing.

GLOBAL

Use Caps & Tracking Rarely

You should use all-uppercase text with wide letter spacing (uppercase tracking-wider) very rarely and only for specific, highly-stylized accents. By default, prefer standard sentence casing with font-semibold or font-medium. This improves readability and maintains our simple, refined aesthetic.

Do
Search Tips
Standard sentence case (font-semibold text-sm)
Rare Use Case
Search Tips
All caps with tracking (uppercase tracking-wider)

Icons#

Rules governing the usage and choice of icons.

GLOBAL

Prefer Ri Icons First

Across all applications, you must explicitly search for and use Remix Icons (react-icons/ri) first. Only use other icon libraries (like FontAwesome) if the desired icon strictly does not exist within the Remix set.

Do
import { RiHomeLine } from "react-icons/ri"
Don't
import { FaHome } from "react-icons/fa"

Glassmorphism & Blurs#

Standardized transparency and blur effects for floating UI elements like navigation bars, dropdown menus, and overlays.

GLOBAL

Floating Element Blur Effect

To achieve the consistent frosted glass effect used across our floating navigation elements and menus, you must use this exact Tailwind class combination:

Do
bg-white/70 dark:bg-gray-900/70 backdrop-blur-lg
Don't
Solid Opaque Background