Elevation

Say it to an AI

Itinerary with a light grey page and white booking cards on top, so the surfaces separate through background contrast. Give each card a hairline border and a barely-there shadow for elevation; don't rely on white-on-white.

How an expert would brief the stronger version of “Trip itinerary”.

Upcoming trip overview in a travel booking app, light mode.

Why: A's 1px border and faint shadow lift each booking slightly; B's cards are flat and invisible.

More ways experts use it

• Dark-theme post-run summary card. Use dark grey surface colors, not pure black, and show elevation by making each layer lighter (page, card, stat tiles) instead of outlines. Off-white text, and one desaturated accent, a soft mint, for the distance, progress bar and button.

  Workout summary (dark) · UI design

• Two-column kanban board with a card's action menu open. Use one light source from straight above and a tiny shadow scale: columns stay flat, every card gets the same subtle shadow, and the dropdown menu sits at the highest elevation with a larger, softer shadow and a hairline border.

  Kanban board · UI design

Related words

• Accent color
• Surface
• Focal point
• Vibrating colors
• Luminance contrast
• Saturation
• Brand color
• Selected state