Abstract | Yield Frequency Spectra (YFS) are employed to enable the direct seismic design of a 4-story steel moment-resisting frame subject to a set of performance objectives. YFS offer a unique view of the entire solution space for structural performance. This is measured in terms of the mean annual frequency (MAF) of exceeding arbitrary ductility (or displacement) thresholds, versus the base shear strength of a structural system with given yield displacement and backbone capacity curve. Using publicly available software tools or closed-form solutions, YFS can be rapidly computed for any system that is satisfactorily approximated by a single-degree-of-freedom oscillator, e.g., as in any nonlinear static procedure application. Thus, stated performance objectives can be directly related to the strength and stiffness of the structure. The combination of ductility (or displacement)demand and mean annual frequency of exceedance that governs the design is readily determined, allowing either a code-compatible or code-exceeding design to be realized.