Tailwind CSS Component Patterns

Status: Production Ready ✅ Last Updated: 2026-01-14 Tailwind Compatibility: v3.x and v4.x Source: Production projects, shadcn/ui patterns

Quick Start

Essential Patterns

tsx

// Section Container
<section className="max-w-7xl mx-auto px-4 sm:px-6 lg:px-8 py-16 sm:py-24">
  {/* content */}
</section>

// Card Base
<div className="bg-card text-card-foreground rounded-lg border border-border p-6">
  {/* content */}
</div>

// Button Primary
<button className="bg-primary text-primary-foreground px-4 py-2 rounded-md hover:bg-primary/90 transition-colors">
  Click me
</button>

// Responsive Grid
<div className="grid grid-cols-1 md:grid-cols-2 lg:grid-cols-3 gap-6">
  {/* items */}
</div>

Spacing Scale

Consistent spacing prevents design drift:

Usage	Classes	Output
Tight spacing	`gap-2 p-2 space-y-2`	0.5rem (8px)
Standard spacing	`gap-4 p-4 space-y-4`	1rem (16px)
Comfortable	`gap-6 p-6 space-y-6`	1.5rem (24px)
Loose	`gap-8 p-8 space-y-8`	2rem (32px)
Section spacing	`py-16 sm:py-24`	4rem/6rem (64px/96px)

Standard Pattern: Use increments of 4 (4, 6, 8, 12, 16, 24)

Responsive Breakpoints

Mobile-first approach (base styles = mobile, add larger breakpoints):

Breakpoint	Min Width	Pattern	Example
Base	0px	No prefix	`text-base`
sm	640px	`sm:`	`sm:text-lg`
md	768px	`md:`	`md:grid-cols-2`
lg	1024px	`lg:`	`lg:px-8`
xl	1280px	`xl:`	`xl:max-w-7xl`
2xl	1536px	`2xl:`	`2xl:text-6xl`

tsx

// Mobile: 1 column, Tablet: 2 columns, Desktop: 3 columns
<div className="grid grid-cols-1 md:grid-cols-2 lg:grid-cols-3 gap-6">

Container Patterns

Standard Page Container

tsx

<div className="max-w-7xl mx-auto px-4 sm:px-6 lg:px-8">
  {/* content */}
</div>

Variations:

max-w-4xl - Narrow content (blog posts)
max-w-5xl - Medium content
max-w-6xl - Wide content
max-w-7xl - Full width (default)

Section Spacing

tsx

<section className="py-16 sm:py-24">
  <div className="max-w-7xl mx-auto px-4 sm:px-6 lg:px-8">
    {/* content */}
  </div>
</section>

Card Patterns

Basic Card

tsx

<div className="bg-card text-card-foreground rounded-lg border border-border p-6">
  <h3 className="text-lg font-semibold mb-2">Card Title</h3>
  <p className="text-muted-foreground">Card description goes here.</p>
</div>

Feature Card with Icon

tsx

<div className="bg-card text-card-foreground rounded-lg border border-border p-6 hover:shadow-lg transition-shadow">
  <div className="h-12 w-12 rounded-lg bg-primary/10 flex items-center justify-center mb-4">
    {/* Icon */}
  </div>
  <h3 className="text-lg font-semibold mb-2">Feature Title</h3>
  <p className="text-muted-foreground">Feature description.</p>
</div>

Pricing Card

tsx

<div className="bg-card text-card-foreground rounded-lg border-2 border-border p-8 relative">
  <div className="text-sm font-semibold text-primary mb-2">Pro Plan</div>
  <div className="text-4xl font-bold mb-1">$29<span className="text-lg text-muted-foreground">/mo</span></div>
  <p className="text-muted-foreground mb-6">For growing teams</p>
  <button className="w-full bg-primary text-primary-foreground py-2 rounded-md hover:bg-primary/90">
    Get Started
  </button>
</div>

See references/card-patterns.md for more variants.

Grid Layouts

Auto-Responsive Grid

tsx

<div className="grid grid-cols-1 md:grid-cols-2 lg:grid-cols-3 gap-6">
  {items.map(item => <Card key={item.id} {...item} />)}
</div>

Auto-Fit Grid (Dynamic Columns)

tsx

<div className="grid grid-cols-[repeat(auto-fit,minmax(280px,1fr))] gap-6">
  {/* Automatically adjusts columns based on available space */}
</div>

Masonry-Style Grid

tsx

<div className="columns-1 md:columns-2 lg:columns-3 gap-6 space-y-6">
  {items.map(item => (
    <div key={item.id} className="break-inside-avoid">
      <Card {...item} />
    </div>
  ))}
</div>

Button Patterns

tsx

// Primary
<button className="bg-primary text-primary-foreground px-4 py-2 rounded-md hover:bg-primary/90 transition-colors">
  Primary
</button>

// Secondary
<button className="bg-secondary text-secondary-foreground px-4 py-2 rounded-md hover:bg-secondary/80">
  Secondary
</button>

// Outline
<button className="border border-border bg-transparent px-4 py-2 rounded-md hover:bg-accent">
  Outline
</button>

// Ghost
<button className="bg-transparent px-4 py-2 rounded-md hover:bg-accent hover:text-accent-foreground">
  Ghost
</button>

// Destructive
<button className="bg-destructive text-destructive-foreground px-4 py-2 rounded-md hover:bg-destructive/90">
  Delete
</button>

Size Variants:

Small: px-3 py-1.5 text-sm
Default: px-4 py-2
Large: px-6 py-3 text-lg

See references/button-patterns.md for full reference.

Form Patterns

Input Field

tsx

<div className="space-y-2">
  <label htmlFor="email" className="text-sm font-medium">
    Email
  </label>
  <input
    id="email"
    type="email"
    className="w-full px-3 py-2 bg-background border border-border rounded-md focus:outline-none focus:ring-2 focus:ring-primary"
    placeholder="you@example.com"
  />
</div>

Select Dropdown

tsx

<select className="w-full px-3 py-2 bg-background border border-border rounded-md focus:outline-none focus:ring-2 focus:ring-primary">
  <option>Option 1</option>
  <option>Option 2</option>
</select>

Checkbox

tsx

<div className="flex items-center space-x-2">
  <input
    id="terms"
    type="checkbox"
    className="h-4 w-4 rounded border-border text-primary focus:ring-2 focus:ring-primary"
  />
  <label htmlFor="terms" className="text-sm">
    I agree to the terms
  </label>
</div>

Error State

tsx

<div className="space-y-2">
  <label htmlFor="password" className="text-sm font-medium">
    Password
  </label>
  <input
    id="password"
    type="password"
    className="w-full px-3 py-2 bg-background border border-destructive rounded-md focus:outline-none focus:ring-2 focus:ring-destructive"
  />
  <p className="text-sm text-destructive">Password must be at least 8 characters</p>
</div>

See references/form-patterns.md for complete patterns.

Typography Patterns

Headings

tsx

<h1 className="text-4xl sm:text-5xl lg:text-6xl font-bold">
  Page Title
</h1>

<h2 className="text-3xl sm:text-4xl font-bold">
  Section Title
</h2>

<h3 className="text-2xl sm:text-3xl font-semibold">
  Subsection
</h3>

<h4 className="text-xl font-semibold">
  Card Title
</h4>

Body Text

tsx

<p className="text-base text-muted-foreground">
  Regular paragraph text.
</p>

<p className="text-lg text-muted-foreground leading-relaxed">
  Larger body text with comfortable line height.
</p>

<p className="text-sm text-muted-foreground">
  Small supporting text or captions.
</p>

Lists

tsx

<ul className="space-y-2 text-muted-foreground">
  <li className="flex items-start">
    <CheckIcon className="h-5 w-5 text-primary mr-2 mt-0.5" />
    <span>Feature one</span>
  </li>
  <li className="flex items-start">
    <CheckIcon className="h-5 w-5 text-primary mr-2 mt-0.5" />
    <span>Feature two</span>
  </li>
</ul>

See references/typography-patterns.md for complete guide.

Navigation Patterns

Header with Logo

tsx

<header className="sticky top-0 z-50 w-full border-b border-border bg-background/95 backdrop-blur">
  <div className="max-w-7xl mx-auto px-4 sm:px-6 lg:px-8">
    <div className="flex h-16 items-center justify-between">
      <div className="flex items-center gap-8">
        {/* Logo */}
        <a href="/" className="font-bold text-xl">Brand</a>

        {/* Desktop Nav */}
        <nav className="hidden md:flex gap-6">
          <a href="#" className="text-sm hover:text-primary transition-colors">Features</a>
          <a href="#" className="text-sm hover:text-primary transition-colors">Pricing</a>
          <a href="#" className="text-sm hover:text-primary transition-colors">About</a>
        </nav>
      </div>

      {/* CTA */}
      <button className="bg-primary text-primary-foreground px-4 py-2 rounded-md text-sm">
        Sign Up
      </button>
    </div>
  </div>
</header>

Footer

tsx

<footer className="border-t border-border bg-muted/50">
  <div className="max-w-7xl mx-auto px-4 sm:px-6 lg:px-8 py-12">
    <div className="grid grid-cols-2 md:grid-cols-4 gap-8">
      <div>
        <h4 className="font-semibold mb-4">Product</h4>
        <ul className="space-y-2 text-sm text-muted-foreground">
          <li><a href="#" className="hover:text-primary">Features</a></li>
          <li><a href="#" className="hover:text-primary">Pricing</a></li>
        </ul>
      </div>
      {/* More columns */}
    </div>
  </div>
</footer>

See references/navigation-patterns.md for mobile menus and dropdowns.

Dark Mode Support

All patterns use semantic color tokens that automatically adapt:

Token	Light Mode	Dark Mode
`bg-background`	White	Dark gray
`text-foreground`	Dark gray	White
`bg-card`	White	Slightly lighter gray
`text-muted-foreground`	Gray	Light gray
`border-border`	Light gray	Dark gray
`bg-primary`	Brand color	Lighter brand color

Never use raw colors like bg-blue-500 - always use semantic tokens.

See references/dark-mode-patterns.md for theme toggle implementation.

Common Class Combinations

Section with Heading

tsx

<section className="py-16 sm:py-24">
  <div className="max-w-7xl mx-auto px-4 sm:px-6 lg:px-8">
    <h2 className="text-3xl sm:text-4xl font-bold text-center mb-12">
      Section Title
    </h2>
    <div className="grid grid-cols-1 md:grid-cols-3 gap-6">
      {/* content */}
    </div>
  </div>
</section>

Centered Content

tsx

<div className="flex flex-col items-center justify-center text-center">
  <h1 className="text-4xl font-bold mb-4">Centered Title</h1>
  <p className="text-muted-foreground max-w-2xl">Centered description</p>
</div>

Hover Effects

tsx

// Lift on hover
<div className="transition-transform hover:scale-105">

// Shadow on hover
<div className="transition-shadow hover:shadow-lg">

// Color change on hover
<button className="transition-colors hover:bg-primary/90">

Critical Rules

✅ Always Do

Use semantic color tokens (bg-card, text-foreground)
Apply mobile-first responsive design (base → sm: → md:)
Use consistent spacing scale (4, 6, 8, 12, 16, 24)
Add transition-* classes for smooth interactions
Test in both light and dark modes

❌ Never Do

Use raw Tailwind colors (bg-blue-500 breaks themes)
Skip responsive prefixes (mobile users suffer)
Mix spacing scales randomly (creates visual chaos)
Forget hover states on interactive elements
Use fixed px values for text (text-base not text-[16px])

Template Components

Ready-to-use components in templates/components/:

hero-section.tsx - Responsive hero with CTA
feature-grid.tsx - 3-column feature grid with icons
contact-form.tsx - Full form with validation styles
footer.tsx - Multi-column footer with links

Copy and customize for your project.

Reference Documentation

Resume Matcher Design System (Swiss International Style)

This project uses Swiss International Style (Brutalist) design. For project-specific patterns:

style-guide.md - Core Swiss style rules, colors, typography
design-system.md - Extended spacing, shadows, tokens
swiss-design-system-prompt.md - AI prompt for generating Swiss-style UI

Key Swiss Style Overrides:

tsx

// NO rounded corners - use rounded-none
<button className="rounded-none border-2 border-black">

// Hard shadows instead of soft
<div className="shadow-[4px_4px_0px_0px_#000000]">

// Hover: translate into shadow space
<button className="hover:translate-y-[1px] hover:translate-x-[1px] hover:shadow-none">

Swiss Color Palette:

Color	Hex	Usage
Canvas	`#F0F0E8`	Background
Ink	`#000000`	Text, borders
Hyper Blue	`#1D4ED8`	Primary actions
Signal Green	`#15803D`	Success
Alert Orange	`#F97316`	Warning
Alert Red	`#DC2626`	Danger

Official Documentation

Tailwind CSS: https://tailwindcss.com/docs

Last Updated: 2026-01-14 Skill Version: 1.0.0 Production: Tested across 10+ projects