Design System & UI Components

memo ships a bespoke multi-design token system that drives every surface — from the owner dashboard to Clerk auth overlays. Six distinct design personalities are user-switchable at runtime via html[data-design="<id>"]. Light and dark modes are independent per variant.

Architecture overview#

src/styles/
├── memo-design-system.css       # Token consumers — layout, typography, button, card primitives
├── memo-clerk.css               # Clerk anatomy overrides wired to memo tokens
├── globals.css                  # CSS reset + base layer
├── designs/
│   ├── registry.ts              # DesignVariant metadata + font hrefs (single source)
│   ├── editorial-memo.css       # Variant tokens — warm cream + oxblood (DEFAULT)
│   ├── carbon-enterprise.css    # Variant tokens — charcoal + white + gold
│   ├── drift.css                # Variant tokens — white + Rausch-red (Airbnb-inspired)
│   ├── torque.css               # Variant tokens — forest green + Space Grotesk
│   ├── nocturne.css             # Variant tokens — violet canvas + electric lime
│   └── nexus.css                # Variant tokens — electric violet + carbon
└── components/
    ├── components.css           # Reusable UI component classes
    └── dashboard.css            # Dashboard-specific: KPI strip, heatmap, live widget

All token names follow the --memo-* namespace. Never hardcode hex/rgb/hsl values in component markup — always reference a token.

Design variants#

Six variants are registered in src/styles/designs/registry.ts as DESIGN_REGISTRY: readonly DesignVariant[]. Adding a variant = drop one CSS file + append one entry. Zero component code changes.

id	Name	Personality	Font	`--memo-accent`
`editorial-memo`	Editorial Memo	Warm cream + oxblood — private dossier aesthetic	DM Sans / DM Mono	`#a32d23` (oxblood)
`carbon-enterprise`	Carbon Enterprise	Deep charcoal, IBM-grid discipline, gold accent	IBM Plex Sans / Mono	`#be8a2d` (antique gold)
`drift`	Drift	Pure white, generous whitespace, Rausch-red CTA	Inter / JetBrains Mono	`#ff385c` (Rausch)
`torque`	Torque	Forest green canvas, authority, Space Grotesk	Space Grotesk / JetBrains Mono	`#2d6a4f` (forest)
`nocturne`	Nocturne	Violet-dark canvas, electric lime accent, Rubik	Rubik / JetBrains Mono	`#b5ff33` (electric lime)
`nexus`	Nexus	Electric violet + carbon — data-dense, sharp	Inter / JetBrains Mono	`#7c3aed` (electric violet)

Universal alias tokens#

Every variant must define these aliases. Component code references only the aliases — never variant-specific values like --memo-red or --memo-green.

Token	Purpose	Example value (editorial-memo)
`--memo-accent`	Primary action colour (CTA, links, focus rings)	`#a32d23`
`--memo-accent-fg`	Contrast text on `--memo-accent` background	`#fffefb`
`--memo-accent-bg`	Tinted surface (8% accent + bg blend)	`color-mix(…)`
`--memo-accent-border`	Accent-tinted border (30% blend)	`color-mix(…)`
`--memo-danger`	Error / destructive state	`#b3261e`
`--memo-success`	Positive / pass state	`#1a6b3a`
`--memo-bg`	Base page background	`#faf7f0`
`--memo-bg-elev`	Card / elevated surface	`#fffefb`
`--memo-fg`	Primary ink	`#1a1612`
`--memo-fg-muted`	Secondary / label ink	`#5e564c`
`--memo-border`	Standard divider	`#c8bfb0`
`--memo-radius`	Component corner radius	`8px`
`--memo-radius-sm`	Small element radius (inputs, badges)	`4px`
`--memo-radius-pill`	Pill / tag radius	`9999px`
`--memo-font-sans`	Body / UI font stack	`"DM Sans", …`
`--memo-font-mono`	Code / mono font stack	`"DM Mono", …`

Adding a new variant#

Copy any existing designs/*.css file as your template.
Override every --memo-* token block for both :root[data-design="<id>"] (light) and :root[data-design="<id>"].dark (dark). Both --memo-accent and --memo-accent-fg are mandatory.
Add one entry to DESIGN_REGISTRY in registry.ts — include the Google Fonts fontsHref.
BaseLayout.astro automatically preloads fonts via the registry; no other changes needed.

Component CSS primitives#

Defined in src/styles/components/components.css and imported globally.

Buttons#

.memo-btn             /* base: outline style, border-radius var(--memo-radius-sm) */
.memo-btn-primary     /* filled: var(--memo-accent) bg, var(--memo-accent-fg) text */
.memo-btn-ghost       /* no border, subtle hover tint */
.memo-btn-danger      /* var(--memo-danger) filled — destructive actions */

All button classes include transition, :hover, :focus-visible (accent outline), and :disabled states wired to design tokens.

Cards / surfaces#

.memo-card            /* elevated: var(--memo-bg-elev) + var(--memo-shadow-sm) */
.memo-card--flat      /* no shadow variant — divider-bordered */
.memo-card--hover     /* adds lift + cursor:pointer on hover */

Badges / chips#

.memo-badge                    /* inline pill, var(--memo-fg-muted) text */
.memo-badge--accent            /* var(--memo-accent) fill */
.memo-badge--success           /* var(--memo-success) fill */
.memo-badge--danger            /* var(--memo-danger) fill */

Form elements#

.memo-input           /* text input: var(--memo-bg) bg, var(--memo-border) border, accent focus ring */
.memo-select          /* select box with chevron icon */
.memo-textarea        /* multiline input */
.memo-label           /* field label: var(--memo-fg-muted), small caps */
.memo-hint            /* field hint / helper text */
.memo-field-error     /* error state text: var(--memo-danger) */

Layout utilities#

.memo-divider         /* hr-style separator: 1px var(--memo-border) */
.memo-empty-section   /* centered empty state wrapper */
.memo-empty-section__icon   /* icon container */
.memo-empty-section__title  /* heading */
.memo-empty-section__body   /* description text */

StatusBadge#

StatusBadge.astro renders a coloured dot + label for item states. Token mapping:

Status value	CSS class	Visual
`active`	`.memo-status--active`	`--memo-accent` (deep_read green in editorial-memo)
`disabled` / `expired` / `revoked`	`.memo-status--inactive`	`--memo-fg-muted` grey dot
`pending`	`.memo-status--pending`	`--memo-warn` amber dot

KPI Strip — bento layout#

KpiStrip.astro renders a row of metric tiles. Pass variant="bento" to activate the bento grid layout.

Bento CSS#

.memo-kpi-strip--bento {
  display: grid;
  grid-template-columns: repeat(auto-fill, minmax(160px, 1fr));
  gap: 0.75rem;
}

.memo-kpi-strip--bento > .memo-kpi-tile {
  animation: memo-fade-up 0.3s ease both;
}

/* Per-tile stagger: 1st child 0ms, 2nd 40ms, 3rd 80ms … */
.memo-kpi-strip--bento > .memo-kpi-tile:nth-child(1) { animation-delay: 0ms; }
.memo-kpi-strip--bento > .memo-kpi-tile:nth-child(2) { animation-delay: 40ms; }
/* …up to 7 tiles */

The memo-fade-up keyframe: opacity 0 → 1, translateY 8px → 0 over 280ms ease-out.

Tile anatomy#

.memo-kpi-tile
  .memo-kpi-tile__head
    .memo-kpi-tile__icon   (optional SVG)
    .memo-kpi-tile__label
  .memo-kpi-tile__value    (large numeral)
  .memo-kpi-tile__sub      (secondary label)
  .memo-kpi-tile__spark    (optional sparkline slot)
  .memo-kpi-tile__delta    (optional +/- trend indicator)

Usage#

<KpiStrip
  ariaLabel="Project metrics"
  variant="bento"
  tiles={[
    { label: "Total visits", value: 1247, sub: "last 30 days" },
    { label: "Unique visitors", value: 342, sub: "distinct emails" },
    { label: "Avg completion", value: "76%", sub: "section scroll" },
  ]}
/>

SectionHeatmap — skeleton loading state#

SectionHeatmap.tsx shows a stagger-animated skeleton while section data loads, then fades in the real chart via motion/react.

Skeleton structure#

<div className="memo-section-heatmap-skeleton" aria-busy="true" aria-label="Loading section analytics">
  {[0, 1, 2, 3].map((i) => (
    <div
      key={i}
      className="memo-section-heatmap-skeleton__row"
      style={{ "--row-index": i } as React.CSSProperties}
    >
      <div className="skeleton memo-section-heatmap-skeleton__label" />
      <div className="skeleton memo-section-heatmap-skeleton__bar" />
      <div className="skeleton memo-section-heatmap-skeleton__stat" />
    </div>
  ))}
</div>

--row-index drives the CSS stagger delay:

.memo-section-heatmap-skeleton__row {
  animation-delay: calc(var(--row-index, 0) * 60ms);
}

Reveal transition#

When data arrives, AnimatePresence swaps the skeleton for the real chart:

<motion.div
  initial={{ opacity: 0, y: 8 }}
  animate={{ opacity: 1, y: 0 }}
  transition={{ duration: 0.28, ease: "easeOut" }}
>
  {/* chart */}
</motion.div>

The live widget shows how many visitors are viewing each project right now. It polls a private API every 15 seconds and uses a CSS pulsing dot to signal live activity.

Architecture#

Owner browser
  └── 15s setInterval → GET /api/owner/presence
        └── withOwner guard (Clerk)
              └── aggregateLiveVisitors(projectIds, Date.now(), names)
                    └── readLiveViewers(pid, nowMs) per project
                          └── Redis HGETALL memo:presence:<projectId>
                                └── filter entries within FRESH_WINDOW_MS (60 000ms)
                                └── HDEL stale keys
                    └── returns { total, projects: ProjectLiveCount[] }

Polling also restarts on visibilitychange (tab focus) to avoid stale counts when the owner returns to the tab.

API contract#

GET /api/owner/presence

Auth: Clerk (Astro withOwner guard). Response headers: cache-control: private, no-store (no CDN, no browser cache).

// Response shape
{
  total: number;                     // sum of live viewers across all owned projects
  projects: Array<{
    projectId: string;
    projectName: string;             // falls back to truncated projectId if name unknown
    count: number;                   // live viewer count for this project
  }>;
}

Redis presence key#

KEY   memo:presence:<projectId>
TYPE  Hash
FIELD <visitId>                      // one field per visitor session
VALUE JSON { email: string | null, ts: number }  // ts = last heartbeat epoch ms
TTL   set via EXPIRE after each write (rolling 90s window)

readLiveViewers calls HGETALL, parses entries via parsePresenceEntry, then calls filterFreshViewers to prune entries older than FRESH_WINDOW_MS = 60_000ms. Stale fields are deleted with HDEL in the same call.

CSS classes#

/* Pulsing "live" indicator dot */
.memo-live-dot {
  width: 8px; height: 8px;
  border-radius: 50%;
  background: var(--memo-accent);
  animation: memo-live-pulse 2s ease-in-out infinite;
}
@keyframes memo-live-pulse {
  0%, 100% { opacity: 1; transform: scale(1); }
  50%       { opacity: 0.4; transform: scale(0.85); }
}

/* Grid of per-project rows */
.memo-live-grid { display: flex; flex-direction: column; gap: 0.5rem; }

/* Per-project link pill */
.memo-live-project { display: flex; align-items: center; gap: 0.5rem; padding: 0.25rem 0.5rem; }

/* Viewer count badge on each project */
.memo-live-project__count {
  font-variant-numeric: tabular-nums;
  background: var(--memo-accent-bg);
  color: var(--memo-accent);
}

Client-side polling snippet (vanilla JS island)#

async function fetchLive() {
  const res = await fetch("/api/owner/presence");
  if (!res.ok) return;
  const { total, projects } = await res.json();
  renderLiveWidget(total, projects);
}

let timer = setInterval(fetchLive, 15_000);
fetchLive(); // immediate first load

document.addEventListener("visibilitychange", () => {
  if (!document.hidden) fetchLive(); // refresh on tab focus
});

Tests#

apps/memo/src/lib/presence.test.ts covers aggregateLiveVisitors with 5 cases: empty input, multi-project aggregation, zero-viewer project omission, stale viewer pruning, and name fallback to truncated projectId. Redis is mocked via vi.mock("@/lib/redis").

Clerk theming layer#

Clerk auth surfaces are themed through two cooperating files:

File	Role
`src/lib/auth/clerk-appearance.ts`	Builds the `Appearance` object — resolves `--memo-*` CSS vars via `getComputedStyle` at mount time
`src/styles/memo-clerk.css`	Per-anatomy CSS class overrides wired to memo tokens

Why a function, not a constant#

memoClerkAppearance() is a function — not a static export. Clerk copies variables into its own CSS-in-JS layer at mount and does not re-resolve on subsequent CSS var changes. Building fresh on each call means a runtime design switch (html[data-design="…"]) propagates into the next Clerk widget mount.

Token mapping#

// clerk-appearance.ts — variables block
colorPrimary:        resolveVar("--memo-accent",    "#a32d23")
colorBackground:     resolveVar("--memo-bg-elev",   "#fffefb")
colorInputBackground:resolveVar("--memo-bg",        "#faf7f0")
colorText:           resolveVar("--memo-fg",        "#1a1612")
colorDanger:         resolveVar("--memo-danger",    "#b3261e")
colorSuccess:        resolveVar("--memo-success",   "#1a6b3a")
borderRadius:        resolveVar("--memo-radius",    "8px")
fontFamily:          resolveVar("--memo-font-sans", '"DM Sans", …')

Per-design overrides in `memo-clerk.css`#

Brutalist designs (editorial-memo, carbon-enterprise) get hard corners, translate-based hover lifts, and thick bordered cards. Smooth designs (drift, torque, nocturne, nexus) get accent-outline focus rings and accent-tinted hover backgrounds.

/* Brutalist group */
[data-design="editorial-memo"] .memo-clerk-card,
[data-design="carbon-enterprise"] .memo-clerk-card {
  border-radius: 0 !important;
  border-width: var(--memo-clerk-card-border-width, 3px);
}
[data-design="editorial-memo"] .memo-clerk-primary:hover,
[data-design="carbon-enterprise"] .memo-clerk-primary:hover {
  transform: translate(-2px, -2px);
  box-shadow: 4px 4px 0 var(--memo-fg);
}

/* Smooth group */
[data-design="drift"] .memo-clerk-field-input:focus,
[data-design="torque"] .memo-clerk-field-input:focus,
[data-design="nocturne"] .memo-clerk-field-input:focus,
[data-design="nexus"] .memo-clerk-field-input:focus {
  outline: 2px solid var(--memo-accent);
  outline-offset: 2px;
}

Custom property: `--memo-clerk-card-border-width`#

Set per-design to control Clerk card border thickness without touching the TS appearance object. Editorial-memo and carbon-enterprise default to 3px; smooth designs default to 1px.

Design self-check (before shipping a new screen)#

No hardcoded hex/rgb/hsl in component markup
All colors reference --memo-* tokens (accent, fg, bg, border, danger, success)
No hardcoded border-radius — use --memo-radius* tokens
No hardcoded shadow — use --memo-shadow* tokens or --memo-elevation-*
Loading states use DaisyUI .skeleton + aria-busy="true"
Empty states use .memo-empty-section wrapper
Tested across ≥3 variants (editorial-memo, nocturne, drift) — page reskins without code changes
Tested light + dark — toggling .dark doesn't break readability

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Design System & UI Components

Architecture overview#

Design variants#

Universal alias tokens#

Adding a new variant#

Component CSS primitives#

Buttons#

Cards / surfaces#

Badges / chips#

Form elements#

Layout utilities#

StatusBadge#

KPI Strip — bento layout#

Bento CSS#

Tile anatomy#

Usage#

SectionHeatmap — skeleton loading state#

Skeleton structure#

Reveal transition#

Live presence widget#

Architecture#

API contract#

Redis presence key#

CSS classes#

Client-side polling snippet (vanilla JS island)#

Tests#

Clerk theming layer#

Why a function, not a constant#

Token mapping#

Per-design overrides in memo-clerk.css#

Custom property: --memo-clerk-card-border-width#

Design self-check (before shipping a new screen)#

Design System & UI Components

Architecture overview#

Design variants#

Universal alias tokens#

Adding a new variant#

Component CSS primitives#

Buttons#

Cards / surfaces#

Badges / chips#

Form elements#

Layout utilities#

StatusBadge#

KPI Strip — bento layout#

Bento CSS#

Tile anatomy#

Usage#

SectionHeatmap — skeleton loading state#

Skeleton structure#

Reveal transition#

Live presence widget#

Architecture#

API contract#

Redis presence key#

CSS classes#

Client-side polling snippet (vanilla JS island)#

Tests#

Clerk theming layer#

Why a function, not a constant#

Token mapping#

Per-design overrides in memo-clerk.css#

Custom property: --memo-clerk-card-border-width#

Design self-check (before shipping a new screen)#

Per-design overrides in `memo-clerk.css`#

Custom property: `--memo-clerk-card-border-width`#

Per-design overrides in `memo-clerk.css`#

Custom property: `--memo-clerk-card-border-width`#