# Swiss Style / International Typographic Style — AI design spec

> Emphasizes grid systems, asymmetrical layouts, clean sans-serif fonts (like Helvetica), and objectivity.
>
> Style page: https://www.aiwebstyle.com/styles/swiss-style.html · Live preview: https://www.aiwebstyle.com/previews/swiss-style.html
>
> Drop this file at the root of a project and point your coding agent at it. Every value is copied from the working stylesheet, not estimated.

## 1. What this style is

Swiss Style, also known as International Typographic Style, is a graphic design and typographic method that emphasizes clarity, objectivity, readability, and order. It originated in Switzerland in the 1940s-50s.

## 2. Tokens

### Page surface

| Token | Value | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| `--page-bg` | `#ffffff` | Page background (solid fallback) |
| `--page-bg-gradient` | `none` | Page background gradient; overrides the solid unless `none` |

### Text

| Token | Value | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| `--text-color` | `#000000` | Body text |
| `--heading-color` | `#000000` | Headings |

### Links

| Token | Value | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| `--link-color` | `#e60000` | Link and inline accent |
| `--link-hover-color` | `#b30000` | Link hover |

### Borders

| Token | Value | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| `--border-color` | `#e0e0e0` | Dividers and input borders |

### Cards

| Token | Value | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| `--card-bg` | `#ffffff` | Card surface |
| `--card-border-radius` | `0px` | Card corner radius |
| `--card-shadow` | `none` | Card at rest |
| `--card-hover-shadow` | `0 2px 5px rgba(0,0,0,0.1)` | Card on hover |

### Header

| Token | Value | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| `--header-bg` | `#000000` | Sticky header surface |
| `--header-text-color` | `#ffffff` | Header text and nav links |
| `--header-shadow` | `none` | Header elevation (usually `none`) |

### Footer

| Token | Value | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| `--footer-bg` | `#ffffff` | Footer surface |
| `--footer-text-color` | `#555555` | Footer text |

### Buttons

| Token | Value | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| `--button-bg` | `#e60000` | Primary button fill |
| `--button-text-color` | `white` | Primary button label |
| `--button-hover-bg` | `#b30000` | Primary button hover fill |
| `--button-border` | `none` | Primary button border |
| `--button-secondary-bg` | `#333` | Secondary button fill |
| `--button-secondary-text-color` | `white` | Secondary button label |
| `--button-secondary-hover-bg` | `#000` | Secondary button hover fill |

### Code / prompt block

| Token | Value | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| `--prompt-bg` | `#f5f5f5` | Code / prompt block surface |
| `--prompt-text-color` | `#333` | Code / prompt block text |

### Type

| Token | Value | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| `--base-font` | `var(--font-helvetica)` | Body font stack |
| `--heading-font` | `var(--font-helvetica)` | Heading font stack |

### Other tokens in this theme

| Token | Value |
|---|---|
| `--button-secondary-border` | `none` |
| `--button-border-radius` | `0px` |

## 3. Do

- Drive every color, radius and shadow from the tokens below. No literal hex values in component code.
- Reuse the `--card-*` tokens for any elevated surface (card, panel, modal, dropdown) so elevation stays consistent.
- Keep header and footer on `--header-*` / `--footer-*` even when the page background is a gradient.

## 4. Don't

- Do not blend tokens from another style in this library — one page, one token set.
- Do not invent a hover state: every interactive element has a `*-hover-*` token above.

## 5. Using this with a coding agent

Place this file at the project root as `DESIGN.md`, then instruct the agent:

> Follow `DESIGN.md` for all UI. Every color, radius and shadow comes from its token table. If you need a state that is not listed, derive it from the nearest listed token and add the new token to `DESIGN.md` instead of hard-coding a value.

If the project already has a token layer (Tailwind config, CSS custom properties, a theme file), map these tokens onto it one-to-one and keep the names unchanged.

## 6. Original prompt

```text
Create a website layout in the Swiss Style for a design conference. Use a strict grid, Helvetica or Univers font, strong typographic hierarchy (different weights/sizes), maybe one bold accent color (like red), and black/white photography.
```

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*Generated from the `swiss-style` theme in `style.css`. Token values are verbatim — regenerate rather than edit by hand.*