---
name: hig-foundations
description: Apple Human Interface Guidelines design foundations.
risk: none
source: community
date_added: '2026-02-27'
---

# Apple HIG: Design Foundations

Check for `.claude/apple-design-context.md` before asking questions. Use existing context and only ask for information not already covered.

## Key Principles

1. **Prioritize content over chrome.** Reduce visual clutter. Use system-provided materials and subtle separators rather than heavy borders and backgrounds.

2. **Build in accessibility from the start.** Design for VoiceOver, Dynamic Type, Reduce Motion, Increase Contrast, and Switch Control from day one. Every interactive element needs an accessible name; reuse the semantic control label and avoid redundant manual labels.

3. **Use system colors and materials.** System colors adapt to light/dark mode, increased contrast, and vibrancy. Prefer semantic colors (`label`, `secondaryLabel`, `systemBackground`) over hard-coded values.

4. **Use platform fonts and icons.** Use the platform system font via semantic text styles. SF Pro, SF Compact, SF Mono and New York are options with platform and licensing constraints; not all are the default on every platform. Follow the type hierarchy at recommended sizes. Use SF Symbols for iconography.

5. **Match platform conventions.** Align look and behavior with system standards. Provide direct, responsive manipulation and clear feedback for every action.

6. **Respect privacy.** Request permissions only when needed, explain why clearly, provide value before asking for data. Design for minimal data collection.

7. **Support internationalization.** Accommodate text expansion, right-to-left scripts, and varying date/number formats. Use Auto Layout for dynamic content sizing.

8. **Use motion purposefully.** Animation should communicate meaning and spatial relationships. Honor Reduce Motion using reduced or static alternatives appropriate to the setting; a crossfade is an option rather than a requirement for every animation.

## Reference Index

| Reference | Topic | Key content |
|---|---|---|
| [accessibility.md](references/accessibility.md) | Accessibility | VoiceOver, Dynamic Type, color contrast, motor accessibility, Switch Control, audio descriptions |
| [app-icons.md](references/app-icons.md) | App Icons | Icon grid, platform-specific sizes, single focal point, opaque backgrounds and platform-specific foreground transparency |
| [branding.md](references/branding.md) | Branding | Integrating brand identity within Apple's design language, subtle branding, custom tints |
| [color.md](references/color.md) | Color | System colors, Dynamic Colors, semantic colors, custom palettes, contrast ratios |
| [dark-mode.md](references/dark-mode.md) | Dark Mode | Elevated surfaces, semantic colors, adapted palettes, vibrancy, testing in both modes |
| [icons.md](references/icons.md) | Icons | Glyph icons, SF Symbols integration, custom icon design, icon weights, optical alignment |
| [images.md](references/images.md) | Images | Image resolution, @2x/@3x assets, vector assets, image accessibility |
| [immersive-experiences.md](references/immersive-experiences.md) | Immersive Experiences | AR/VR design, spatial immersion, comfort zones, progressive immersion levels |
| [inclusion.md](references/inclusion.md) | Inclusion | Diverse representation, non-gendered language, cultural sensitivity, inclusive defaults |
| [layout.md](references/layout.md) | Layout | Margins, spacing, alignment, safe areas, adaptive layouts, readable content guides |
| [materials.md](references/materials.md) | Materials | Vibrancy, blur, translucency, system materials, material thickness |
| [motion.md](references/motion.md) | Motion | Animation curves, transitions, continuity, Reduce Motion support, physics-based motion |
| [privacy.md](references/privacy.md) | Privacy | Permission requests, usage descriptions, privacy nutrition labels, minimal data collection |
| [right-to-left.md](references/right-to-left.md) | Right-to-Left | RTL layout mirroring, bidirectional text, icons that flip, exceptions |
| [sf-symbols.md](references/sf-symbols.md) | SF Symbols | Symbol categories, rendering modes, variable color, custom symbols, weight matching |
| [spatial-layout.md](references/spatial-layout.md) | Spatial Layout | visionOS window placement, depth, ergonomic zones, Z-axis design |
| [typography.md](references/typography.md) | Typography | SF Pro, Dynamic Type sizes, text styles, custom fonts, font weight hierarchy, line spacing |
| [writing.md](references/writing.md) | Writing | UI copy guidelines, tone, capitalization rules, error messages, button labels, conciseness |

## Applying Foundations Together

Consider how principles interact:

1. **Color + Dark Mode + Accessibility** -- Custom palettes must work in both modes while maintaining WCAG contrast ratios. Start with system semantic colors.

2. **Typography + Accessibility + Layout** -- Dynamic Type must scale without breaking layouts. Use text styles and Auto Layout for the full range of type sizes.

3. **Icons + Branding + SF Symbols** -- Custom icons should match SF Symbols weight and optical sizing. Brand elements should integrate without overriding system conventions.

4. **Motion + Accessibility + Feedback** -- Every animation must have a Reduce Motion alternative. Motion should reinforce spatial relationships, not decorate.

5. **Privacy + Writing + Onboarding** -- Permission requests need clear, specific usage descriptions. Time them to when the user will understand the benefit.

## Output Format

1. **Cite the specific HIG foundation** with file and section.
2. **Note platform differences** for the user's target platforms.
3. **Provide concrete code patterns** (SwiftUI/UIKit/AppKit).
4. **Explain accessibility impact** (contrast ratios, Dynamic Type scaling, VoiceOver behavior).

## Questions to Ask

1. Which platforms are you targeting?
2. Do you have existing brand guidelines?
3. What accessibility level are you targeting? (WCAG AA, AAA, Apple baseline?)
4. System colors or custom?

## Related Skills

- **hig-platforms** -- How foundations apply per platform (e.g., type scale differences on watchOS vs macOS)
- **hig-patterns** -- Interaction patterns where foundations like writing and accessibility are critical
- **hig-components-layout** -- Structural components implementing layout principles
- **hig-components-content** -- Content display using color, typography, and images

---

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## When to Use
This skill is applicable to execute the workflow or actions described in the overview.

## Example

**User request:**

> Use @hig-foundations for this task: Apple Human Interface Guidelines design foundations.

## Limitations
- Use this skill only when the task clearly matches the scope described above.
- Do not treat the output as a substitute for environment-specific validation, testing, or expert review.
- Stop and ask for clarification if required inputs, permissions, safety boundaries, or success criteria are missing.

## Reference status

The bundled Markdown references are attributed documentation snapshots, not proof that every quoted specification remains current. Check the linked Apple source and target OS/SDK for icon formats, system colors, symbol availability, font metrics and APIs before implementation. Preserve source attribution; third-party documentation, fonts, media and trademarks do not become freely reusable merely by being linked here. Remote images and videos are referenced, not included or runtime-tested.

Contrast alone does not establish WCAG conformance. Normal text generally requires 4.5:1 at AA, and large text 3:1 (at least 18pt regular or 14pt bold); bold text below the large-text threshold does not get a blanket 3:1 exception. APCA is a separate assessment method and does not replace the WCAG 2.x contrast criterion. Target sizes, typography defaults and platform guidelines also need device/assistive-technology testing.