Compose styles
Rather than blending styles toward a middle, this gives them roles. The first one carries the structure, the next comes in as the accent, and anything after that shows up in a single detail. Where they fight each other, it says so before you start.
How to divide the work
- Composition
- Follow GOV.UK Design System: Hold the content to a single narrow column and align every element to one left rule. No multi column layouts and no boxes, because a horizontal rule is the only break between topics
- Type
- Set in GOV.UK Design System's manner (One sans serif only, in five fixed sizes with nothing in between. Headings are bold and body text sits at 19px), and let U.S. Web Design System's lettering (Write the action before the institution, in large plain language) appear only where you want the eye to catch.
- Material
- Ground in GOV.UK Design System's material (Colour is tied to meaning and never used decoratively. Buttons keep a corner radius of zero and gain their thickness from a band of their own darker shade along the bottom edge. The focus state is always yellow ground with a black underline); bring in exactly one thing from U.S. Web Design System (Use white and navy as the base, blue for links and red only for warning).
- Colour
- Build on #0B0C0C, #FFDD00, #0F7A52 and admit one accent from #FFFFFF, #005EA8, #1A4480.
Where they fight
These are already listed as related entries, so the join should come easily.
Caution
- GOV.UK Design System Tidying the look by rounding button corners or thinning the borders on form inputs deletes the two signals this style relies on entirely, the pressable thickness and the position of focus.
- U.S. Web Design System Borrowing patriotic colors is not public-service design. Accessibility and tested task flows must come with them.
Image prompt
Produce four original images that take their structure from GOV.UK Design System (style, 2012–) and their accent from U.S. Web Design System (style, 2015–). ## What to make Make the kind of thing GOV.UK Design System exists for: rebuilding a government or public service form as a single left aligned column asking one question per screen, or making the current focus position unmistakable for someone operating the service by keyboard alone. Choose one subject and hold it across all four. ## Structure comes from GOV.UK Design System - One undecorated left aligned column, with almost no boxes and no shadows - A green button with square corners and a darker green band along its bottom edge, which drops by that exact depth when pressed - Whatever holds keyboard focus turns yellow with a black rule drawn beneath it - Type sizes step coarsely through 48, 36, 24, 19 and 16px with nothing in between Composition: Hold the content to a single narrow column and align every element to one left rule. No multi column layouts and no boxes, because a horizontal rule is the only break between topics. Type and lettering: One sans serif only, in five fixed sizes with nothing in between. Headings are bold and body text sits at 19px. ## Accent comes from U.S. Web Design System, used sparingly - White, navy and restrained federal red - Large plain headings and readable body text - Official-site banner - Clear forms, alerts and step indicators Let one material quality come from it: Use white and navy as the base, blue for links and red only for warning. ## Colour and feeling Build the ground on #FFDD00, carry the structure in #0F7A52 and #0B0C0C, and let a single accent come from #005EA8. These are read off real works, so a direction rather than a fixed palette. Feeling to carry: trust, calm, technique, intimacy. ## What goes wrong - GOV.UK Design System: Tidying the look by rounding button corners or thinning the borders on form inputs deletes the two signals this style relies on entirely, the pressable thickness and the position of focus. - U.S. Web Design System: Borrowing patriotic colors is not public-service design. Accessibility and tested task flows must come with them. ## Across the four Keep the roles fixed in all four. Vary the framing, the scale and the arrangement so the set shows what this pairing can do rather than four versions of one picture. ## Constraints - Do not imitate, reference or name any specific artist, studio, brand, character or copyrighted work. - Do not reproduce the composition of an existing work. - Produce original compositions in the general period languages described above.
Related entries
- GOV.UK Design System 2012– / Style / Platform Screen Languages
The design language the UK government's Government Digital Service publishes and maintains for public services. Everything runs in one undecorated left aligned column set in GDS Transport, and the green button keeps square corners while carrying a darker green band along its bottom edge, dropping by exactly that depth when pressed. Whatever holds keyboard focus turns yellow with a black rule under it.
- U.S. Web Design System 2015– / Style / Public Design
A shared system for accessible, mobile-friendly and trustworthy U.S. federal web services, built from tested public-service patterns.
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