Buttons
Button components and usage patterns
Buttons
Buttons in ForgeUI are intentionally simple.
They exist to communicate intent and trigger actions—nothing more.
Visual treatment is restrained so hierarchy and behavior remain clear across different contexts.
ForgeUI buttons are designed to work reliably in dense interfaces, not just isolated demos.
Design goals
Buttons in ForgeUI follow a small set of design goals:
- clear hierarchy
- predictable behavior
- no visual noise
These goals ensure that buttons remain easy to scan, easy to understand, and easy to use—even as interfaces grow more complex.
If a button needs explanation, it is probably doing too much.
Clear hierarchy
Buttons should clearly communicate their relative importance.
Primary actions should be obvious.
Secondary and tertiary actions should be visually quieter.
ForgeUI avoids excessive variants and instead relies on:
- spacing
- placement
- subtle visual contrast
Hierarchy is established through context, not decoration.
Predictable behavior
Buttons behave consistently across the system.
This includes:
- consistent hover and active states
- clear disabled behavior
- reliable keyboard and focus handling
Users should never have to guess what will happen when a button is pressed.
Predictability builds trust, especially in interfaces that are used repeatedly.
Minimal visual treatment
ForgeUI buttons avoid:
- heavy gradients
- complex shadows
- animated embellishments
Visual restraint keeps buttons from competing with content and allows them to blend naturally into a wide range of layouts.
Styling is explicit and visible in the markup, making customization straightforward.
Usage guidelines
Buttons should communicate intent clearly without relying on heavy styling or animation.
Good usage patterns include:
- pairing buttons with concise labels
- placing actions near the content they affect
- avoiding excessive button density in a single view
If multiple actions exist, consider whether all of them need to be buttons.
Buttons vs links
ForgeUI encourages a clear distinction between buttons and links.
Buttons:
- trigger actions
- submit forms
- change application state
Links:
- navigate between pages
- change routes
- reference external resources
Using the correct element improves accessibility and makes intent clearer to users.
Accessibility considerations
Buttons in ForgeUI are built with accessibility as a baseline.
This includes:
- semantic
<button>elements - keyboard interaction support
- visible focus states
Accessibility behavior should not depend on custom logic or additional configuration.
A button that is not accessible is considered incomplete.
Customizing buttons
Buttons can be customized through:
- utility class overrides
- wrapping for additional behavior
- composing variants locally when needed
ForgeUI avoids shipping many built-in variants to keep the core API stable and predictable.
In practice
When using ForgeUI buttons:
- start with the default style
- introduce variants only when hierarchy demands it
- avoid using buttons purely for decoration
Buttons should feel obvious, reliable, and boring—in the best possible way.
Final thought
Buttons are one of the most interacted-with elements in any interface.
ForgeUI treats them as a fundamental building block that should:
- do one thing well
- behave consistently
- stay out of the way
A good button never draws attention to itself—it draws attention to the action.