Vocabulary — the shared language of CSS collaboration

CSS has a small set of terms that help us describe structure, flow, spacing, and visual tone with clarity.

Each entry is short, practical, and focused on meaning.
Together, they form a common language for shaping interfaces with intention.

• Essential Concepts
  The foundational ideas — flow, containment, hierarchy, rhythm.
  They help us describe how a layout behaves.
• Units of Measure
  The scales and proportions we use
  to express size, distance, and responsiveness.
• Layout Patterns
  The structural shapes — wrappers, grids, tracks, gutters —
  that define how elements relate to one another.
• Visual Vocabulary
  The emotional and perceptual dimensions of design
  — tone, contrast, softness, weight, expression.
• Communication Phrases
  A cross‑topic index of the small phrases we use
  to guide AI with clarity and restraint.

Vocabulary here is about giving us precision
— a way to describe intention
without over‑specifying implementation.

Vocabulary is the bridge
between what we mean
and what AI can safely change.

Start with the Subtopic List just above ↑

_{Tony de Araujo —New York | Lisbon}

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