---
title: "Gradient-filled heading text (design/gradient-text)"
description: "design/gradient-text: background-clip: text gradients on headlines are a strong generic 'AI template' tell and often fail contrast at one end of the gradient."
canonical: https://void-design.vercel.app/rules/design/gradient-text
lastModified: 2026-09-16
---

# Gradient-filled heading text

`design/gradient-text` · severity **info** · category Design · detected by `void design` and `void audit`

## Why it matters

background-clip: text gradients on headlines are a strong generic 'AI template' tell and often fail contrast at one end of the gradient.

## How to fix it

Use a solid --fg color for headlines; get emphasis from weight, size or a single accent word.

## More design rules

`void design` reports 19 rules in this category. Measured design heuristics from computed styles: font families, type scale, line length, palette and accent sprawl, spacing grid, radius sprawl, dark mode and the tells of generated UI.

- `heading-tracking` Large headings use default letter-spacing — [design/heading-tracking](https://void-design.vercel.app/rules/design/heading-tracking)
- `heading-no-balance` Headings do not use text-wrap: balance — [design/heading-no-balance](https://void-design.vercel.app/rules/design/heading-no-balance)
- `palette-sprawl` Too many distinct colors — [design/palette-sprawl](https://void-design.vercel.app/rules/design/palette-sprawl)
- `multiple-accents` More than one accent hue — [design/multiple-accents](https://void-design.vercel.app/rules/design/multiple-accents)
- `purple-gradient` Purple/indigo gradient background — [design/purple-gradient](https://void-design.vercel.app/rules/design/purple-gradient)
- `emoji-icons` Emoji used as icons — [design/emoji-icons](https://void-design.vercel.app/rules/design/emoji-icons)
- `spacing-off-grid` Spacing values are off the 4px grid — [design/spacing-off-grid](https://void-design.vercel.app/rules/design/spacing-off-grid)
- `radius-sprawl` Too many different corner radii — [design/radius-sprawl](https://void-design.vercel.app/rules/design/radius-sprawl)

Detected by `void design` and `void audit`. Explain it in a terminal: `void rules design/gradient-text`