The Terminal Aesthetic: Why Everything Should Glow Green

Let’s talk about something that serves no practical purpose whatsoever: making your UI look like a terminal from the 1980s, complete with green glow effects and scan lines.

Why Green?

Because #00ff00 is objectively the best color. Fight me.

But seriously, there’s something deeply satisfying about the terminal aesthetic:

  • It’s nostalgic without being dated
  • It’s distinctive in a sea of rounded corners
  • It makes every interaction feel intentional
  • It just looks cool

The Color Palette

:root {
  --terminal-primary: #00ff00;
  --terminal-secondary: #00cc00;
  --terminal-tertiary: #009900;
  --terminal-dim: #006600;
  --black: #000000;
}

Four shades of green. That’s it. That’s the palette. Simple, distinctive, effective.

The Glow Effect

The secret sauce is in the text-shadow:

.glow-sm {
  text-shadow: 0 0 10px rgba(0, 255, 0, 0.3);
}

.glow-md {
  text-shadow: 0 0 20px rgba(0, 255, 0, 0.4);
}

.glow-lg {
  text-shadow: 0 0 30px rgba(0, 255, 0, 0.5);
}

Layer these with box-shadow on hover states, and everything pulses with life.

The Scan Line

This is my favorite part - a completely unnecessary scan line that sweeps across the screen every 8 seconds:

.scan-line {
  position: fixed;
  height: 2px;
  background: linear-gradient(
    to bottom,
    transparent,
    var(--terminal-primary),
    transparent
  );
  animation: scan 8s linear infinite;
}

Does it serve a purpose? No. Does it make me smile every time I see it? Yes.

The Art of the 300ms Transition

Everything transitions in 300ms. Not 250ms. Not 350ms. Exactly 300ms.

transition: all 300ms ease;

It’s fast enough to feel responsive, slow enough to feel intentional. It’s the perfect duration for hover states, color changes, and transform effects.

Making Buttons Spark Joy

A button should do more than just… button. It should:

  1. Respond to your hover with a glow
  2. Transform slightly on click
  3. Feel satisfying to interact with
.button:hover {
  box-shadow: var(--glow-md);
  transform: translateY(-2px);
}

.button:active {
  transform: scale(0.95);
}

That’s it. That’s the difference between a button that works and a button that sparks joy.

The Philosophy

The terminal aesthetic isn’t just about looking cool (though it does). It’s about:

  • Intentionality - Every pixel is chosen
  • Personality - Your tools should have character
  • Joy - Details matter, even if they serve no purpose

Implementing It Yourself

Start with:

  1. Black background
  2. Green text
  3. Monospace font (JetBrains Mono is my choice)
  4. Add glow effects on hover
  5. Throw in a scan line because why not
  6. Use 300ms transitions everywhere

Then iterate. Add animations. Make things pulse. Add that cursor that blinks just right.

The Result

Every time I open my admin interface, I smile. Not because of what it does, but because of how it looks while doing it.

And isn’t that the point?

Commit #577 was when I added the scan line. Best commit of the project.