Design System

Brutalist Design Philosophy

Off Grid uses a terminal-inspired brutalist design system with full light/dark theme support. The system emphasizes:

Information density over decoration
Functional minimalism with zero ornamental UI
Monochromatic palette with emerald accent
Monospace typography (Menlo) throughout
Crisp borders and geometric layouts

The design philosophy prioritizes clarity and function — no gradients, no rounded corners on interactive elements, and no visual hierarchy tricks that don’t serve the user’s immediate goal.

Theme System

Dynamic light/dark theming via src/theme/:

Core Files

palettes.ts — COLORS_LIGHT, COLORS_DARK, SHADOWS_LIGHT, SHADOWS_DARK, createElevation()
index.ts — useTheme() hook, getTheme(mode), Theme type
useThemedStyles.ts — useThemedStyles(createStyles) memoized style factory

Usage Pattern

Every screen and component follows this pattern:

import { useTheme, useThemedStyles } from '../theme';
import type { ThemeColors, ThemeShadows } from '../theme/palettes';

function MyComponent() {
  const { colors } = useTheme();
  const styles = useThemedStyles(createStyles);

  return (
    <View style={styles.container}>
      <Text style={styles.title}>Hello</Text>
    </View>
  );
}

const createStyles = (colors: ThemeColors, shadows: ThemeShadows) => ({
  container: { 
    backgroundColor: colors.background,
  },
  card: { 
    ...shadows.medium, 
    backgroundColor: colors.surface,
  },
  title: {
    color: colors.text,
  },
});

Theme Toggle

Theme mode is stored in appStore.themeMode (persisted) and toggled via the Settings screen Dark Mode switch.

export type ThemeMode = 'system' | 'light' | 'dark';

Token Organization

Theme-independent tokens stay in src/constants/: TYPOGRAPHY, SPACING, FONTS
Dynamic tokens come from hooks: colors.*, shadows.*

Color Palettes

Light Palette

export const COLORS_LIGHT = {
  // Primary accent
  primary: '#059669',        // Emerald-600
  primaryDark: '#047857',    // Emerald-700
  primaryLight: '#34D399',   // Emerald-400

  // Backgrounds
  background: '#FFFFFF',
  surface: '#F5F5F5',
  surfaceLight: '#EBEBEB',
  surfaceHover: '#E0E0E0',

  // Text hierarchy
  text: '#0A0A0A',
  textSecondary: '#525252',
  textMuted: '#8A8A8A',
  textDisabled: '#BFBFBF',

  // Borders
  border: '#E5E5E5',
  borderLight: '#D4D4D4',
  borderFocus: '#059669',

  // Semantic colors
  success: '#525252',
  warning: '#0A0A0A',
  error: '#DC2626',
  errorBackground: 'rgba(220, 38, 38, 0.10)',
  info: '#525252',

  // Special
  overlay: 'rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.4)',
  divider: '#EBEBEB',
};

Dark Palette

export const COLORS_DARK = {
  // Primary accent
  primary: '#34D399',        // Emerald-400
  primaryDark: '#10B981',    // Emerald-500
  primaryLight: '#6EE7B7',   // Emerald-300

  // Backgrounds
  background: '#0A0A0A',
  surface: '#141414',
  surfaceLight: '#1E1E1E',
  surfaceHover: '#252525',

  // Text hierarchy
  text: '#FFFFFF',
  textSecondary: '#B0B0B0',
  textMuted: '#808080',
  textDisabled: '#4A4A4A',

  // Borders
  border: '#1E1E1E',
  borderLight: '#2A2A2A',
  borderFocus: '#34D399',

  // Semantic colors
  success: '#B0B0B0',
  warning: '#FFFFFF',
  error: '#C75050',
  errorBackground: 'rgba(239, 68, 68, 0.15)',
  info: '#B0B0B0',

  // Special
  overlay: 'rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.7)',
  divider: '#1A1A1A',
};

Shadows & Elevation

Light Shadows

Uses CSS boxShadow (RN 0.76+ with New Architecture) for cross-platform shadow rendering:

export const SHADOWS_LIGHT: ThemeShadows = {
  small: {
    boxShadow: '0px 1px 8px 0px rgba(0,0,0,0.18)',
  },
  medium: {
    boxShadow: '0px 2px 10px 0px rgba(0,0,0,0.22)',
  },
  large: {
    boxShadow: '0px 4px 18px 0px rgba(0,0,0,0.35)',
  },
  glow: {
    boxShadow: '0px 0px 12px 0px rgba(5,150,105,0.25)',
  },
};

Dark Shadows

Crisp white glow for depth in dark mode:

export const SHADOWS_DARK: ThemeShadows = {
  small: {
    boxShadow: '0px 0px 6px 0px rgba(255,255,255,0.18)',
  },
  medium: {
    boxShadow: '0px 0px 6px 0px rgba(255,255,255,0.20)',
  },
  large: {
    boxShadow: '0px 0px 10px 0px rgba(255,255,255,0.25)',
  },
  glow: {
    boxShadow: '0px 0px 8px 0px rgba(52,211,153,0.30)',
  },
};

Elevation Factory

The createElevation() function generates 5 elevation levels with appropriate backgrounds, borders, and blur effects:

export function createElevation(colors: ThemeColors) {
  return {
    level0: {
      backgroundColor: colors.background,
      borderWidth: 0,
      borderColor: 'transparent',
    },
    level1: {
      backgroundColor: colors.surface,
      borderWidth: 1,
      borderColor: colors.border,
    },
    level2: {
      backgroundColor: colors.surfaceLight,
      borderWidth: 1,
      borderColor: colors.borderLight,
    },
    level3: {
      backgroundColor: `${colors.surface}F2`,
      borderTopWidth: 1,
      borderColor: colors.borderLight,
      borderRadius: 16,
      blur: {
        ios: { blurAmount: 10, blurType: isDark ? 'dark' : 'light' },
        android: { overlayColor: colors.overlay },
      },
    },
    level4: {
      backgroundColor: `${colors.surface}FA`,
      borderTopWidth: 1,
      borderColor: colors.primary,
      borderRadius: 16,
      blur: {
        ios: { blurAmount: 15, blurType: isDark ? 'dark' : 'light' },
        android: { overlayColor: colors.overlay },
      },
    },
  };
}

Typography Scale

10-level scale, all Menlo monospace:

export const FONTS = {
  mono: 'Menlo',
};

export const TYPOGRAPHY = {
  // Display / Hero numbers
  display: {
    fontSize: 22,
    fontFamily: 'Menlo',
    fontWeight: '200',
    letterSpacing: -0.5,
  },

  // Headings
  h1: {
    fontSize: 24,
    fontFamily: 'Menlo',
    fontWeight: '300',
    letterSpacing: -0.5,
  },
  h2: {
    fontSize: 16,
    fontFamily: 'Menlo',
    fontWeight: '400',
    letterSpacing: -0.2,
  },
  h3: {
    fontSize: 13,
    fontFamily: 'Menlo',
    fontWeight: '400',
    letterSpacing: -0.2,
  },

  // Body text
  body: {
    fontSize: 14,
    fontFamily: 'Menlo',
    fontWeight: '400',
  },
  bodySmall: {
    fontSize: 13,
    fontFamily: 'Menlo',
    fontWeight: '400',
  },

  // Labels (whispers)
  label: {
    fontSize: 10,
    fontFamily: 'Menlo',
    fontWeight: '400',
    letterSpacing: 0.3,
  },
  labelSmall: {
    fontSize: 9,
    fontFamily: 'Menlo',
    fontWeight: '400',
    letterSpacing: 0.3,
  },

  // Metadata / Details
  meta: {
    fontSize: 10,
    fontFamily: 'Menlo',
    fontWeight: '300',
  },
  metaSmall: {
    fontSize: 9,
    fontFamily: 'Menlo',
    fontWeight: '300',
  },
};

Usage Guidelines

h1 — Hero text only (24px, light weight)
h2 — Screen titles (16px)
h3 — Section headers (13px)
body — Primary content (14px)
bodySmall — Descriptions (13px)
label — Uppercase labels (10px)
meta — Timestamps, metadata (10px, lighter weight)

Spacing Scale

6-step scale for consistent whitespace:

export const SPACING = {
  xs: 4,    // Tight spacing between related elements
  sm: 8,    // Standard inline spacing
  md: 12,   // Section padding
  lg: 16,   // Card padding, container spacing
  xl: 24,   // Screen padding, large gaps
  xxl: 32,  // Major section separation
};

Animation System

AnimatedEntry

Staggered fade + slide entrance for lists and grids. Respects useReducedMotion(). Source: src/components/AnimatedEntry.tsx

import { AnimatedEntry } from '../components/AnimatedEntry';

// In a list
{items.map((item, index) => (
  <AnimatedEntry key={item.id} index={index} staggerMs={30}>
    <ItemCard item={item} />
  </AnimatedEntry>
))}

Props:

index — Item index in list (for stagger calculation)
delay — Manual delay override (ms)
staggerMs — Delay per item (default: 30ms)
maxItems — Max items to animate (default: 10)
from — Initial style (default: { opacity: 0, translateY: 12 })
animate — Target style (default: { opacity: 1, translateY: 0 })
transition — Timing config (default: { duration: 300 })
trigger — Change this value to replay animation

Automatically skips animation if index >= maxItems to prevent performance issues in long lists.

AnimatedPressable

Spring scale-down on press with haptic feedback. Source: src/components/AnimatedPressable.tsx

import { AnimatedPressable } from '../components/AnimatedPressable';

<AnimatedPressable
  scaleValue={0.97}
  hapticType="selection"
  onPress={handlePress}
>
  <Text>Tap me</Text>
</AnimatedPressable>

Props:

scaleValue — Scale on press (default: 0.97)
hapticType — 'selection' | 'impactLight' | 'impactMedium' | 'impactHeavy' | 'notificationSuccess' | 'notificationWarning' | 'notificationError'
disabled — Disable interaction
Standard TouchableOpacity props

AppSheet

Custom swipe-to-dismiss bottom sheet with spring animation, replacing React Native modals. Source: src/components/AppSheet.tsx

useFocusTrigger

Hook that replays stagger animations on every tab focus.

import { useFocusTrigger } from '../hooks/useFocusTrigger';

const focusTrigger = useFocusTrigger();

<AnimatedEntry trigger={focusTrigger} index={0}>
  {/* Content re-animates on tab focus */}
</AnimatedEntry>

Global Animation Behavior

Tab transitions — Fade animations + haptic feedback on bottom tab switches
Modal screens — slide_from_bottom animation for all modal presentations
Reduced motion — All animations automatically disabled when user has system-level reduced motion enabled

Design Tokens Reference

Quick Import

// Constants (theme-independent)
import { TYPOGRAPHY, SPACING, FONTS } from '../constants';

// Theme (dynamic light/dark)
import { useTheme, useThemedStyles } from '../theme';
import type { ThemeColors, ThemeShadows } from '../theme/palettes';

File Locations

Token	File
Colors	`src/theme/palettes.ts`
Shadows	`src/theme/palettes.ts`
Elevation	`src/theme/palettes.ts`
Typography	`src/constants/index.ts`
Spacing	`src/constants/index.ts`
Fonts	`src/constants/index.ts`

Example Component

Complete example showing all design tokens in use:

import React from 'react';
import { View, Text } from 'react-native';
import { useTheme, useThemedStyles } from '../theme';
import { TYPOGRAPHY, SPACING } from '../constants';
import { AnimatedPressable } from '../components/AnimatedPressable';
import type { ThemeColors, ThemeShadows } from '../theme/palettes';

function ExampleCard() {
  const { colors } = useTheme();
  const styles = useThemedStyles(createStyles);

  return (
    <View style={styles.container}>
      <Text style={styles.title}>Card Title</Text>
      <Text style={styles.description}>Description text</Text>
      <AnimatedPressable 
        hapticType="selection"
        onPress={() => {}}
      >
        <View style={styles.button}>
          <Text style={styles.buttonText}>Action</Text>
        </View>
      </AnimatedPressable>
    </View>
  );
}

const createStyles = (colors: ThemeColors, shadows: ThemeShadows) => ({
  container: {
    backgroundColor: colors.surface,
    borderWidth: 1,
    borderColor: colors.border,
    padding: SPACING.lg,
    gap: SPACING.md,
    ...shadows.medium,
  },
  title: {
    ...TYPOGRAPHY.h2,
    color: colors.text,
  },
  description: {
    ...TYPOGRAPHY.bodySmall,
    color: colors.textSecondary,
  },
  button: {
    backgroundColor: colors.primary,
    paddingVertical: SPACING.sm,
    paddingHorizontal: SPACING.lg,
    borderWidth: 1,
    borderColor: colors.primaryDark,
  },
  buttonText: {
    ...TYPOGRAPHY.body,
    color: '#FFFFFF',
  },
});

export default ExampleCard;

Contributing

Reference

Brutalist Design Philosophy

Theme System

Core Files

Usage Pattern

Theme Toggle

Token Organization

Color Palettes

Light Palette

Dark Palette

Shadows & Elevation

Light Shadows

Dark Shadows

Elevation Factory

Typography Scale

Usage Guidelines

Spacing Scale

Animation System

AnimatedEntry

AnimatedPressable

AppSheet

useFocusTrigger

Global Animation Behavior

Design Tokens Reference

Quick Import

File Locations

Example Component

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Contributing

Reference

​Brutalist Design Philosophy

​Theme System

​Core Files

​Usage Pattern

​Theme Toggle

​Token Organization

​Color Palettes

​Light Palette

​Dark Palette

​Shadows & Elevation

​Light Shadows

​Dark Shadows

​Elevation Factory

​Typography Scale

​Usage Guidelines

​Spacing Scale

​Animation System

​AnimatedEntry

​AnimatedPressable

​AppSheet

​useFocusTrigger

​Global Animation Behavior

​Design Tokens Reference

​Quick Import

​File Locations

​Example Component

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Brutalist Design Philosophy

Theme System

Core Files

Usage Pattern

Theme Toggle

Token Organization

Color Palettes

Light Palette

Dark Palette

Shadows & Elevation

Light Shadows

Dark Shadows

Elevation Factory

Typography Scale

Usage Guidelines

Spacing Scale

Animation System

AnimatedEntry

AnimatedPressable

AppSheet

useFocusTrigger

Global Animation Behavior

Design Tokens Reference

Quick Import

File Locations

Example Component