Neobrutalist Web Designer

Neobrutalism vs Similar Styles

Core Design System

The Three Pillars of Neobrutalism

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

Color Palette

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

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

/* 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:

1. High contrast - Black borders on white/colored backgrounds pass WCAG
2. Clear focus states - Shadow/border changes are obvious
3. Readable typography - Large, bold text is easy to scan
4. 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:

• NN/G: Neobrutalism Definition and Best Practices
• Bejamas: Neubrutalism Web Design Trend
• Onething Design: Neo Brutalism UI Trend
• Nestify: Principles of Neo Brutalism
• CC Creative: Brutalism vs Neubrutalism