One pink block

Clean Girl Brutalism

A lot of white, stark black grotesk, and a single soft pink block on a raw grid.

What defines it

Clean girl brutalism keeps the blunt grid of brutalist web design and throws away the loud colour. What remains is white space, black type and one pink rectangle.

Raw grid

Lines stay visible. Sections are cells, not floating cards with gaps.

Stark grotesk

Black, tight, heavy. One family for the headline and the note.

One pink block

A single soft pink rectangle. It is the only colour on the page.

Empty space

Most cells are white. Filling them is how the style fails.

Where it came from

It borrows the Swiss grid and the bluntness of brutalist websites, then quiets the colour down to one blush block.

  1. 1950s

    The grid shows

    Swiss posters let the measurement stay visible.

  2. 2000s

    Fashion sites

    Clothing brands use huge type and almost empty pages.

  3. 2018

    Loud brutalism

    Web brutalism adds thick outlines, hard shadows and many colours.

  4. 2022

    A quieter branch

    Some portfolios keep the raw grid but return to white, black and one blush block.

  5. Now

    The name

    People call that branch clean girl brutalism: spare, stark, one soft accent.

Motion study

The pink block steps one cell to the right and stops. No bounce, no fade.

The step should feel like a layout change, not like a toy.

Where you meet it

These three mockups are built only from the kit on this page. Swap the tokens and they change style with it.

Beauty editors

A notes site can be type, a grid and a single blush block.

Portfolios

A portfolio lets the work sit in cells. The pink marks the current one.

Magazines

An issue index can be a table that still shows its lines.

Foundations

Palette, type, layout, texture and the tokens every component reads. Tap a swatch to copy its hex value.

Color

White and black, plus one soft pink block. The pink is a place, not a palette. It does not tint the type.

:root {
  --white: #FFFFFF;
  --ink: #111111;
  --soft-pink: #F4C3CB;
  --hairline: #E4E4E4;
  --paper: #FAFAF8;
  --mute: #5C5C5C;
}

Typography

One stark grotesk, very heavy for the headline and regular for reading. No serif, no script.

Display
clamp(49px, 9vw, 107px)
raw
Heading 1
48.6px

Clean Girl Brutalism heading

Heading 2
37.3px

Clean Girl Brutalism heading

Heading 3
28.7px

Clean Girl Brutalism heading

Heading 4
22.1px

Clean Girl Brutalism heading

Body
17px

Body text carries the explanation. Keep lines under about 75 characters so the eye can find the next line.

Small
13.1px
Captions, helper text and metadata.
Mono
13.1px
--radius: 0px;
:root {
  --font-d: "Inter",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;
  --font-b: "Inter",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;
  --h-weight: 900;
  --h-track: -.05em;
}

Grid

The grid is visible. Lines stay on the page. Columns are raw cells, not floating cards.

Even columns

Equal cards, product tiles, feature lists.

4
4
4

Content and sidebar

Articles, documentation, settings pages.

8
4

Shape and depth

No radius and no shadow. Depth is only the pink block sitting in a cell.

radius: 0px
border: 1px
radius-sm
shadow-sm
shadow
media fill
:root {
  --radius: 0px;
  --radius-sm: 0px;
  --bw: 1px;
  --shadow: none;
  --shadow-sm: none;
  --gap: 0px;
  --pad: 20px;
}

Texture

Almost none. The hairline grid is the texture. Do not add grain, paper or gloss.

Token playground

Change three tokens and the whole page responds, because every component reads from them. Reset brings back the style defaults.

Move a control to see the token change.

Components

Every component below is plain HTML with class names from the kit. Copy the full kit CSS once, then paste any snippet.

/* Clean Girl Brutalism kit · Anti-Boring */
:root{
  --bg:#FFFFFF;
  --surface:#FFFFFF;
  --surface2:#F4F4F4;
  --fg:#111111;
  --muted:#3F3F3F;
  --accent:#111111;
  --accent-fg:#FFFFFF;
  --accent2:#F4C3CB;
  --accent2-fg:#1A1214;
  --border:#111111;
  --bw:1px;
  --radius:0px;
  --radius-sm:0px;
  --shadow:none;
  --shadow-sm:none;
  --font-d:"Inter",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;
  --font-b:"Inter",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;
  --font-m:ui-monospace,Menlo,monospace;
  --h-weight:900;
  --h-track:-.05em;
  --h-case:none;
  --h-style:normal;
  --h-lh:.88;
  --gap:0px;
  --pad:20px;
  --focus:rgba(244,195,203,.95);
  --ok:#111111;
  --warn:#111111;
  --danger:#111111;
  --info:#111111;
  --field-bg:var(--surface);
  --field-shadow:none;
  --media:#F4C3CB;
  --code-bg:#111111;
  --code-fg:#FFFFFF;
  --btn-case:none;
  --btn-track:-.02em;
  --btn-weight:700;
  --badge-radius:0px;
  --maxw:1160px;
  --fs-sm:13.1px;
  --fs-body:17px;
  --fs-4:22.1px;
  --fs-3:28.7px;
  --fs-2:37.3px;
  --fs-1:48.6px;
  --fs-d:clamp(49px, 9vw, 107px);
}

*,*::before,*::after{box-sizing:border-box}
body{margin:0;background:var(--bg);color:var(--fg);font:400 var(--fs-body)/1.6 var(--font-b);-webkit-font-smoothing:antialiased}
h1,h2,h3,h4{font-family:var(--font-d);font-weight:var(--h-weight);letter-spacing:var(--h-track);text-transform:var(--h-case);font-style:var(--h-style);line-height:var(--h-lh);margin:0 0 .4em}
h1{font-size:var(--fs-1)} h2{font-size:var(--fs-2)} h3{font-size:var(--fs-3)} h4{font-size:var(--fs-4)}
p{margin:0 0 1em}
a{color:inherit}
:focus-visible{outline:3px solid var(--accent);outline-offset:3px}
code,pre,kbd{font-family:var(--font-m)}

/* buttons */
.btn{display:inline-flex;align-items:center;justify-content:center;gap:.5em;font:var(--btn-weight) 1rem/1 var(--font-b);text-transform:var(--btn-case);letter-spacing:var(--btn-track);padding:.85em 1.4em;border:var(--bw) solid var(--border);border-radius:var(--radius);background:var(--accent);color:var(--accent-fg);box-shadow:var(--shadow-sm);text-decoration:none;cursor:pointer;transition:transform .12s,box-shadow .12s,background-color .12s,color .12s}
.btn:hover{transform:translateY(-1px)}
.btn:active{transform:translateY(1px)}
.btn-2{background:var(--accent2);color:var(--accent2-fg)}
.btn-ghost{background:transparent;color:var(--fg);box-shadow:none}
.btn-sm{font-size:.85rem;padding:.6em 1em}
.btn-lg{font-size:1.15rem;padding:1em 1.7em}
.btn[disabled]{opacity:.45;cursor:not-allowed;transform:none}

/* forms */
.field{display:grid;gap:.4em;margin-bottom:1.1em}
.label{font-weight:600;font-size:.95rem}
.help{font-size:.85rem;color:var(--muted)}
.input,.select,.textarea{width:100%;font:1rem/1.4 var(--font-b);color:var(--fg);padding:.75em .9em;background:var(--field-bg);border:var(--bw) solid var(--border);border-radius:var(--radius-sm);box-shadow:var(--field-shadow);appearance:none}
.select{background-image:linear-gradient(45deg,transparent 50%,currentColor 50%),linear-gradient(135deg,currentColor 50%,transparent 50%);background-position:calc(100% - 20px) 55%,calc(100% - 14px) 55%;background-size:6px 6px;background-repeat:no-repeat;padding-right:2.4em}
.textarea{min-height:110px;resize:vertical}
.input:focus,.select:focus,.textarea:focus{outline:none;border-color:var(--accent);box-shadow:var(--field-shadow),0 0 0 3px var(--focus)}
.is-error .input{border-color:var(--danger)} .is-error .help{color:var(--danger)}
.choice{display:flex;align-items:center;gap:.6em;margin:.35em 0;cursor:pointer}
.check,.radio{appearance:none;width:1.25em;height:1.25em;margin:0;flex:none;border:var(--bw) solid var(--border);background:var(--field-bg);box-shadow:var(--field-shadow);display:grid;place-items:center;cursor:pointer}
.check{border-radius:calc(var(--radius-sm)/2)} .radio{border-radius:50%}
.check::after{content:"";width:.55em;height:.3em;border-left:2.5px solid var(--accent-fg);border-bottom:2.5px solid var(--accent-fg);transform:rotate(-45deg) translate(1px,-1px);opacity:0}
.radio::after{content:"";width:.5em;height:.5em;border-radius:50%;background:var(--accent-fg);opacity:0}
.check:checked,.radio:checked{background:var(--accent);border-color:var(--border)}
.check:checked::after,.radio:checked::after{opacity:1}
.switch{appearance:none;width:2.8em;height:1.6em;margin:0;flex:none;border-radius:999px;border:var(--bw) solid var(--border);background:var(--surface2);position:relative;cursor:pointer;transition:background .15s;box-shadow:var(--field-shadow)}
.switch::before{content:"";position:absolute;top:50%;left:.18em;width:1.1em;height:1.1em;border-radius:50%;background:var(--fg);transform:translateY(-50%);transition:left .15s}
.switch:checked{background:var(--accent)}
.switch:checked::before{left:calc(100% - 1.28em);background:var(--accent-fg)}
.range{width:100%;accent-color:var(--accent)}

/* surfaces */
.card{background:var(--surface);color:var(--fg);border:var(--bw) solid var(--border);border-radius:var(--radius);box-shadow:var(--shadow);padding:var(--pad);position:relative}
.card-media{aspect-ratio:16/9;border-radius:var(--radius-sm);background:var(--media);margin-bottom:1em}
.badge{display:inline-block;font:600 .75rem/1 var(--font-b);padding:.45em .75em;border-radius:var(--badge-radius);background:var(--accent2);color:var(--accent2-fg);border:var(--bw) solid var(--border)}
.alert{padding:1em 1.2em;border:var(--bw) solid var(--border);border-left:6px solid var(--c,var(--info));border-radius:var(--radius-sm);background:var(--surface);margin-bottom:.8em}
.alert b{color:var(--c,var(--info))}
.alert-ok{--c:var(--ok)} .alert-warn{--c:var(--warn)} .alert-danger{--c:var(--danger)}
.progress{height:.8em;border-radius:999px;background:var(--surface2);border:var(--bw) solid var(--border);overflow:hidden}
.progress i{display:block;height:100%;background:var(--accent)}

/* navigation */
.tabs{display:flex;gap:.25em;border-bottom:var(--bw) solid var(--border);flex-wrap:wrap}
.tab{font:600 .95rem var(--font-b);padding:.7em 1em;background:none;border:0;border-bottom:3px solid transparent;color:var(--muted);cursor:pointer;margin-bottom:calc(var(--bw) * -1)}
.tab[aria-selected="true"]{color:var(--fg);border-bottom-color:var(--accent)}
.crumbs{display:flex;gap:.5em;flex-wrap:wrap;font-size:.9rem;color:var(--muted);list-style:none;padding:0;margin:0}
.crumbs li+li::before{content:"/";margin-right:.5em;opacity:.6}
.pager{display:flex;gap:.4em;list-style:none;padding:0;margin:0;flex-wrap:wrap}
.pager a{display:grid;place-items:center;min-width:2.4em;height:2.4em;border:var(--bw) solid var(--border);border-radius:var(--radius-sm);text-decoration:none;background:var(--surface)}
.pager a[aria-current]{background:var(--accent);color:var(--accent-fg)}

/* table */
.table-wrap{overflow-x:auto;border:var(--bw) solid var(--border);border-radius:var(--radius-sm);background:var(--surface)}
.table{width:100%;border-collapse:collapse;font-size:.95rem;min-width:460px}
.table th,.table td{text-align:left;padding:.75em 1em;border-bottom:1px solid color-mix(in srgb,var(--border) 30%,transparent)}
.table th{font-family:var(--font-d);font-weight:var(--h-weight)}

/* grid */
.row{display:grid;grid-template-columns:repeat(12,minmax(0,1fr));gap:var(--gap)}
.col-3{grid-column:span 3}.col-4{grid-column:span 4}.col-5{grid-column:span 5}.col-6{grid-column:span 6}.col-7{grid-column:span 7}.col-8{grid-column:span 8}.col-12{grid-column:span 12}
@media (max-width:760px){.row{grid-template-columns:minmax(0,1fr);gap:min(var(--gap),16px)}.row>*{grid-column:auto!important;grid-row:auto!important}}

/* signature */
.card,.btn,.badge,.input,.alert{border-radius:0;box-shadow:none}
.badge{background:var(--accent2);color:var(--accent2-fg)}
.sec.alt{background:#fff}

/* dark theme: add class="alt" to <html> */
html.alt{
  --bg:#0E0E0E;
  --surface:#161616;
  --surface2:#121212;
  --fg:#F5F5F5;
  --muted:#C8C8C8;
  --accent:#F4C3CB;
  --accent-fg:#1A1214;
  --accent2:#2A2A2A;
  --accent2-fg:#F5F5F5;
  --border:#F5F5F5;
  --code-bg:#0A0A0A;
  --code-fg:#F5F5F5;
}
html.alt .input,html.alt .select,html.alt .textarea{background:var(--surface);color:var(--fg)}

Buttons

Three emphasis levels, three sizes and a disabled state. Keep one primary button per view.

Show HTML
<div class="demo-row">
  <button class="btn">Primary</button>
  <button class="btn btn-2">Secondary</button>
  <button class="btn btn-ghost">Ghost</button>
  <button class="btn" disabled>Disabled</button>
</div>
<div class="demo-row" style="margin-top:14px">
  <button class="btn btn-sm">Small</button>
  <button class="btn">Default</button>
  <button class="btn btn-lg">Large</button>
</div>

Form elements

Text fields, choices and toggles share the same border, radius and focus ring, so a form reads as one family.

As it appears on your ID.
Enter a complete email address.
Interests
Billing
Show HTML
<form class="formgrid" onsubmit="return false">
  <div>
    <div class="field">
      <label class="label" for="f-name">Full name</label>
      <input class="input" id="f-name" placeholder="Ada Lovelace">
      <span class="help">As it appears on your ID.</span>
    </div>
    <div class="field is-error">
      <label class="label" for="f-mail">Email</label>
      <input class="input" id="f-mail" type="email" value="ada@">
      <span class="help">Enter a complete email address.</span>
    </div>
    <div class="field">
      <label class="label" for="f-plan">Plan</label>
      <select class="select" id="f-plan"><option>Starter</option><option>Studio</option><option>Team</option></select>
    </div>
  </div>
  <div>
    <div class="field">
      <label class="label" for="f-msg">Message</label>
      <textarea class="textarea" id="f-msg" placeholder="Tell us about your project"></textarea>
    </div>
    <fieldset class="field" style="border:0;padding:0;margin:0 0 1.1em">
      <legend class="label">Interests</legend>
      <label class="choice"><input type="checkbox" class="check" checked> Typography</label>
      <label class="choice"><input type="checkbox" class="check"> Motion</label>
    </fieldset>
    <fieldset class="field" style="border:0;padding:0;margin:0 0 1.1em">
      <legend class="label">Billing</legend>
      <label class="choice"><input type="radio" name="bill" class="radio" checked> Monthly</label>
      <label class="choice"><input type="radio" name="bill" class="radio"> Yearly</label>
    </fieldset>
    <label class="choice"><input type="checkbox" class="switch" checked> Email me updates</label>
    <div class="field" style="margin-top:1em">
      <label class="label" for="f-range">Budget</label>
      <input class="range" id="f-range" type="range" value="60">
    </div>
    <button class="btn">Send request</button>
  </div>
</form>

Cards

A container for one idea. Media sits on top, then a badge, title, short text and one action.

New

Card title

Short supporting text that explains what this card is about.

Read more
Guide

Second card

Cards in a row share height and spacing, so the grid stays calm.

Open
Show HTML
<div class="auto">
  <article class="card">
    <div class="card-media"></div>
    <span class="badge">New</span>
    <h4 style="margin-top:.6em">Card title</h4>
    <p>Short supporting text that explains what this card is about.</p>
    <a class="btn btn-sm" href="#">Read more</a>
  </article>
  <article class="card">
    <div class="card-media" style="filter:hue-rotate(40deg)"></div>
    <span class="badge">Guide</span>
    <h4 style="margin-top:.6em">Second card</h4>
    <p>Cards in a row share height and spacing, so the grid stays calm.</p>
    <a class="btn btn-sm btn-2" href="#">Open</a>
  </article>
</div>

Feedback

Alerts, badges and progress tell people what just happened and what to do next.

Info. Your draft saves every 30 seconds.
Saved. Changes are live on your site.
Check this. Two images are missing alt text.
Upload failed. Files must be under 10 MB. Try a smaller file.
Default Accent
Show HTML
<div class="alert"><b>Info.</b> Your draft saves every 30 seconds.</div>
<div class="alert alert-ok"><b>Saved.</b> Changes are live on your site.</div>
<div class="alert alert-warn"><b>Check this.</b> Two images are missing alt text.</div>
<div class="alert alert-danger"><b>Upload failed.</b> Files must be under 10 MB. Try a smaller file.</div>
<div class="demo-row" style="margin-top:14px">
  <span class="badge">Default</span>
  <span class="badge" style="background:var(--accent);color:var(--accent-fg)">Accent</span>
</div>
<div style="margin-top:18px"><div class="progress" role="progressbar" aria-valuenow="64" aria-valuemin="0" aria-valuemax="100" aria-label="Upload progress"><i style="width:64%"></i></div></div>

Navigation

Tabs switch views in place. Breadcrumbs show location. Pagination moves through long lists.

  1. Home
  2. Library
  3. This page
Show HTML
<div class="tabs" role="tablist">
  <button class="tab" role="tab" aria-selected="true">Overview</button>
  <button class="tab" role="tab" aria-selected="false">Specs</button>
  <button class="tab" role="tab" aria-selected="false">Reviews</button>
</div>
<ol class="crumbs" style="margin-top:20px">
  <li><a href="#">Home</a></li><li><a href="#">Library</a></li><li aria-current="page">This page</li>
</ol>
<ul class="pager" style="margin-top:20px">
  <li><a href="#">1</a></li><li><a href="#" aria-current="page">2</a></li><li><a href="#">3</a></li><li><a href="#">4</a></li>
</ul>

Data table

Tables scroll sideways on small screens instead of squashing columns.

ProjectOwnerStatusDue
HomepageRūtaReview12 Oct
CheckoutTomasDraft19 Oct
OnboardingIevaLive2 Oct
Show HTML
<div class="table-wrap">
  <table class="table">
    <thead><tr><th>Project</th><th>Owner</th><th>Status</th><th>Due</th></tr></thead>
    <tbody>
      <tr><td>Homepage</td><td>Rūta</td><td><span class="badge">Review</span></td><td>12 Oct</td></tr>
      <tr><td>Checkout</td><td>Tomas</td><td><span class="badge">Draft</span></td><td>19 Oct</td></tr>
      <tr><td>Onboarding</td><td>Ieva</td><td><span class="badge">Live</span></td><td>2 Oct</td></tr>
    </tbody>
  </table>
</div>

Prompt it

A ready prompt for Lovable and Claude Design. It names the palette, type, layout, texture, what to do and what to avoid, so the output keeps this style's point of view.

Style prompt for Lovable and Claude Design. Design a responsive landing page for a beauty editor's notes site in an authentic Clean Girl Brutalism style.

Palette: White #FFFFFF, Ink #111111, Soft pink #F4C3CB, Hairline #E4E4E4. Pink appears once.
Typography: Inter, weight 900 for the headline, 400 to 500 for reading. Tight tracking on titles.
Layout: A visible three-by-three grid. The headline sits in a cell. One cell is the pink block. Most cells stay empty.
Texture: None. Hairline grid only. No grain, no shadow, no blur.
Signature details: Zero radius, zero shadow, 1px black rules, one pink fill.
Components: Black rectangular buttons, white cards with a 1px rule, a pink badge.
Motion: The pink block steps across cells with a steps timing function. It does not bounce.
Do: Leave most of the page white. Use black grotesk. Use the pink once, as a block.
Avoid: Thick meme outlines, hard offset shadows, more than one accent colour, gradients, rounded cards, serifs.
Do not fall back on generic AI defaults: no centered hero with a gradient blob, no identical rounded cards with soft grey shadows, no purple-to-blue gradients, no emoji icons, unless this style explicitly calls for them.
Accessibility: body text contrast of at least 4.5:1, visible keyboard focus on every control, labels on all form fields, and respect prefers-reduced-motion.
Deliver one self-contained HTML file with CSS variables for every color, font, radius and shadow token.

Common mistakes

Where this style usually goes wrong, and how to keep it honest.

Neo-brutalism

Thick black offsets and five bright colours are a different style. This one is quiet.

Pink type

The pink is a block. Painting the headline pink loses the stark black.

Filled grid

If every cell has content, the white space is gone and so is the style.

Soft shadows

A grey shadow makes it look like a template. Keep the edges hard and flat.