CWS Brand Guidelines
Design system documentation for California Waste Services. This page is hidden from public navigation.
Color System
All colors defined as HSL values in index.css and mapped in tailwind.config.ts
Primary Colors (Brand Greens)
The core brand identity. Three shades: darkest for text, medium for buttons, white for text on green.
Primary (Brand Green)
HEX: #285943
HSL: 152 38% 25%
CSS: --primary
Primary buttons, icon backgrounds, text links, main brand identity
Primary Foreground
HEX: #FFFFFF
HSL: 0 0% 100%
CSS: --primary-foreground
Text on primary backgrounds (buttons, badges)
Foreground (Text Green)
HEX: #1B4D3E
HSL: 152 35% 18%
CSS: --foreground
All headings, body copy, navbar text - the darkest green
Accent Colors (CTA Orange)
High-visibility orange for urgent actions. Use sparingly for maximum impact.
Accent (Vibrant Orange)
HEX: #FF6600
HSL: 24 100% 50%
CSS: --accent
Urgent CTAs ('Get a Quote', 'Schedule Now'), badges, highlights
Accent Foreground
HEX: #FFFFFF
HSL: 0 0% 100%
CSS: --accent-foreground
Text on accent buttons
Surface & Section Colors
Backgrounds for pages, cards, and alternating sections.
Background
HEX: #FFFFFF
HSL: 0 0% 100%
CSS: --background
Main page backgrounds
Card
HEX: #FFFFFF
HSL: 0 0% 100%
CSS: --card
Card backgrounds, elevated surfaces
Section Alt
HEX: #F3F4F6
HSL: 220 14% 96%
CSS: --section-alt
Alternating section backgrounds for visual separation
Muted
HEX: #F3F4F6
HSL: 220 14% 96%
CSS: --muted
Subtle backgrounds, disabled states, code blocks
Utility Colors
Borders, dividers, and secondary text.
Border
HEX: #E5E7EB
HSL: 220 13% 91%
CSS: --border
Card borders, dividers, input borders
Muted Foreground
HEX: #6B7F76
HSL: 152 15% 45%
CSS: --muted-foreground
Use sparingly - captions, timestamps. Prefer foreground for legibility.
Button System
All buttons use the shadcn Button component with consistent variants.
Primary Button
Standard actions, navigation, secondary CTAs
variant="default"Accent Button
Urgent CTAs - quotes, scheduling, phone calls
variant="accent"Outline Button
Secondary actions, filters, toggles
variant="outline"Ghost Button
Tertiary actions, navigation links, icon buttons
variant="ghost"White Button (on dark)
Used on hero sections and dark backgrounds
variant="white"Button Sizes
size="sm"
size="default"
size="lg"
size="icon"
Typography
Inter is the sole typeface. Clean, modern, highly legible.
Font Family
Inter
Fallback: system-ui, sans-serif
All UI text, headings, body copy
Type Scale
Hero H1
36px / 48px / 60px
Sample Text
text-4xl md:text-5xl lg:text-6xlPage H1
30px / 36px / 48px
Sample Text
text-3xl md:text-4xl lg:text-5xlSection H2
24px / 30px
Sample Text
text-2xl md:text-3xlCard H3
18px / 20px
Sample Text
text-lg md:text-xlBody Large
18px / 20px
Sample Text
text-lg md:text-xlBody
16px
Sample Text
text-baseBody Small
14px
Sample Text
text-smCaption
12px
Sample Text
text-xsSpacing System
Consistent spacing creates visual rhythm and hierarchy.
Section Padding
Value: py-16 md:py-24
Pixels: 64px / 96px
Vertical padding for page sections
Hero Padding
Value: pt-40 pb-28 md:pt-52 md:pb-36
Pixels: 160px/112px / 208px/144px
Hero section vertical spacing
Container Max Width
Value: max-w-7xl
Pixels: 1280px
Content container width
Card Padding
Value: p-6 md:p-8
Pixels: 24px / 32px
Internal card padding
Component Gap
Value: gap-6
Pixels: 24px
Space between cards/components
Element Gap
Value: gap-4
Pixels: 16px
Space between smaller elements
Border Radius
Rounded corners create a modern, approachable feel.
Base Radius
0.75rem
Default for cards, buttons, inputs
Rounded Full
rounded-full
Badges, pills, avatar containers
Rounded XL
rounded-xl
Cards, larger containers
Rounded 2XL
rounded-2xl
Hero cards, prominent containers
Rounded LG
rounded-lg
Buttons, inputs, smaller elements
Shadows
Elevation creates depth and visual hierarchy.
Card Shadow
shadow-lgElevated cards, featured items
Hover Shadow
shadow-xlCards on hover state
Button Shadow
shadow-lgPrimary CTA buttons
Hero Card
shadow-2xlQuote form and prominent widgets
Animations
Subtle motion adds polish without distraction.
Fade In
Class: animate-fade-in
Duration: 0.3s
Element entrance animations
Pulse
Class: animate-pulse
Duration: 2s infinite
Status indicators, live badges
Hover Scale
Class: hover:scale-105
Duration: 0.2s
Buttons, interactive cards
Hover Lift
Class: hover:-translate-y-1
Duration: 0.3s
Cards on hover
Icon Hover
Class: group-hover:scale-110
Duration: 0.3s
Icons within hoverable containers
Design Principles
Core values that guide all design decisions.
Eco-Industrial Modern
Clean, spacious, and highly professional. The design balances industrial utility with modern environmental consciousness.
Clarity Over Cleverness
Industrial, operational, trustworthy tone. Prioritize fast answers over storytelling. Users want efficiency, not marketing language.
Full Legibility
No opacity on text. All copy uses text-foreground for maximum readability. Muted text is reserved for truly secondary information only.
Decision Hub Model
Homepage functions as a "What are you looking to do today?" hub with clear routing to specific services rather than traditional marketing flow.