Skill v1.0.1
currentAutomated scan100/100+1 new
version: "1.0.1"
name: brand-design description: Generate brand guidelines, design systems with design tokens (W3C format), creative direction (SCAMPER, Design Thinking, TRIZ), and design briefs with scope and success criteria. triggers:
- "brand guidelines"
- "style guide"
- "design brief"
- "creative brief"
- "campaign concept"
- "brand identity"
- "visual identity"
- "design system"
- "creative direction"
- "brand strategy"
negatives:
- "UI component design patterns" # use ui-ux-pro-max
- "landing page layout" # use landing-craft
- "responsive design" # use responsive-engine
- "icon set creation" # use component-forge
- "color palette generation" # use ui-ux-pro-max
license: MIT compatibility: opencode metadata: workflow: productivity audience: developers version: "3.0.0"
Brand Design Skill v3.0
Brand identity, design systems, creative direction, and project briefs.
Workflow: Brand / Design System Creation
Follow this numbered process. Do not skip steps.
| Step | Action | Output | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gather inputs: brand story, competitors, audience research, technical constraints | Brief document | |
| 2 | Define brand strategy: positioning, personality (3-5 adjectives), tone of voice | Brand strategy doc | |
| 3 | Build color system: primary, neutral, semantic palettes + WCAG AA checks | Color tokens + palette | |
| 4 | Select typography: headline/body pairing, scale, line-height, responsive sizing | Typography tokens | |
| 5 | Define spacing, radius, shadow, motion tokens (W3C format) | Design tokens JSON | |
| 6 | Create logo variations + usage guidelines | Logo guidelines | |
| 7 | Apply to 3+ touchpoints: web, print, social, or environmental | Application mockups | |
| 8 | Run design system audit (see checklist below) | Audit report | |
| 9 | Document anti-patterns and error states | Error + anti-pattern docs | |
| 10 | Stakeholder review + alignment sign-off | Approved design system v1.0 |
Error Handling
| Error | Cause | Fix | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Color contrast fails WCAG AA | Luminance ratio < 4.5:1 for text | Darken or lighten until ratio passes. Use contrastRatio in tokens. | |
| Token mismatch across platforms | Figma tokens != code tokens | Single source of truth: W3C JSON. Export from design tool. | |
| Typography scale gaps | Missing intermediate sizes | Build scale with modular scale (1.25 or 1.333 ratio). | |
| Logo illegible at min size | Too much detail in icon | Use simplified lockup or separate wordmark + icon variants. | |
| Design brief scope creep | Unclear out-of-scope list | Explicit "what's NOT included" section. Reference during reviews. | |
| Stakeholder disagreement | No clear decision authority | Identify single approver in brief. Escalate to DRI. | |
| Campaign fails originality axis | Cliché or derivative idea | Force 5+ directions. Run through SCAMPER/TRIZ. Reference culture, not competitors. |
Brand Guidelines
A complete brand system has 9 sections: brand story, logo, color, typography, spacing, imagery, voice, application, anti-patterns.
Color Palette
Primary (2-4 colors, 60%+ of touchpoints):
| Role | Hex | Usage | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Primary | #1B365D | Headlines, primary buttons | |
| Accent | #F5BD47 | CTAs, highlights |
Neutral (grays for UI):
| Name | Hex | Usage | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dark | #080808 | Headings | |
| Mid | #666666 | Body text | |
| Light | #E0E0E0 | Borders | |
| Surface | #F5F5F5 | Backgrounds |
Semantic: Success #2ECC71, Warning #F39C12, Error #E74C3C, Info #3498DB
Design Tokens (W3C Format)
{"color": {"primary": { "$value": "#1B365D", "$type": "color" },"accent": { "$value": "#F5BD47", "$type": "color" },"surface": { "$value": "#F5F5F5", "$type": "color" }},"spacing": {"xs": { "$value": "4px", "$type": "dimension" },"sm": { "$value": "8px", "$type": "dimension" },"md": { "$value": "16px", "$type": "dimension" },"lg": { "$value": "32px", "$type": "dimension" }},"borderRadius": {"sm": { "$value": "4px", "$type": "dimension" },"md": { "$value": "8px", "$type": "dimension" },"full": { "$value": "9999px", "$type": "dimension" }}}
Typography
| Element | Weight | Size | Line Height | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Display H1 | Bold | clamp(2.5rem,5vw,4.5rem) | 1.1 | |
| H2 | Bold | clamp(1.75rem,3vw,2.5rem) | 1.2 | |
| H3 | Semibold | clamp(1.25rem,2vw,1.75rem) | 1.25 | |
| Body | Regular | 1rem (16px) | 1.6 | |
| Caption | Regular | 0.75rem | 1.4 |
Body text minimum 16px. Line length 45-75 chars. Contrast min 4.5:1 (WCAG AA).
Font Pairing Examples:
| Style | Headline | Body | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Premium editorial | Playfair Display | Source Sans Pro | |
| Modern SaaS | Inter | Inter | |
| Creative agency | Syne | Plus Jakarta Sans | |
| Luxury | Cormorant Garamond | Proxima Nova |
Logo Guidelines
- Variations: primary, secondary, icon (32x32), wordmark
- Clear space = height of "H" on all sides
- Min size: 80px digital, 1.5in print
- Never stretch, recolor, rotate, add effects, or use on low-contrast backgrounds
Tone of Voice
| Dimension | Rule | |
|---|---|---|
| Personality | 3-5 adjectives (e.g. confident, warm, precise) | |
| Vocabulary | Use "we/you". Avoid "one/our users" | |
| Formality | Casual for social, formal for investor comms | |
| Humor | In social/email. Never in legal, support, or crisis |
Design System Audit Checklist
- [ ] All colors have hex/RGB/HSL values and usage guidelines
- [ ] Typography scale covers 6+ sizes with line-height
- [ ] Spacing scale (4/8/16/24/32/48/64px)
- [ ] Component library matches design tokens
- [ ] Dark mode variants defined
- [ ] Accessibility: all color combos pass WCAG AA 4.5:1
- [ ] Icons: consistent stroke width, corner radius, size grid
- [ ] Shadow/elevation system defined
- [ ] Motion: duration, easing, reduced-motion alternative
- [ ] Form elements: all states (default, hover, focus, error, disabled)
- [ ] Breakpoints match design tool
- [ ] Figma component properties mapped to code props
Production Checklist
Before shipping any design system or brand guidelines:
| Check | Criteria | Owner | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Color parity | Hex values match exactly between Figma + code + docs | Design + Dev | |
| Token export | W3C JSON exported and imported into codebase | Design | |
| Font licensing | All typefaces have valid web + print licenses | Prod Mgr | |
| Logo rasterization | Vector + PNG + favicon exported at all required sizes | Design | |
| Accessibility audit | Automated + manual passes (axe, color contrast, keyboard nav) | QA | |
| Dark mode | All colors have dark mode variants, no hardcoded values | Design | |
| Responsive breakpoints | Layout tested at mobile, tablet, desktop | Dev | |
| Motion reduced | prefers-reduced-motion respected for all animations | Dev | |
| Component states | All interactive elements defined: default, hover, focus, active, error, disabled | Design | |
| Figma dev handoff | Components published with props, variants, and descriptions | Design |
Creative Direction
Ideation Methodologies
| Methodology | Best for | |
|---|---|---|
| SCAMPER | Product innovation, rebranding | |
| Design Thinking | Human-centered problem solving | |
| TRIZ (40 principles) | Technical problem solving | |
| Bisociation | Connecting two unrelated frameworks | |
| Synectics (analogies) | Creative campaigns | |
| SIT | Innovation with constraints | |
| Blue Ocean Strategy | Market differentiation |
Campaign Architecture
| Level | Timeframe | What | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brand platform | 3-5 years | Positioning | |
| Campaign theme | Annual | What we say this year | |
| Creative executions | Per asset | How we bring it to life | |
| Tactical adaptations | Per channel | How it works in this medium |
Campaign Idea Evaluation (5-axis)
| Axis | Passing | Fail | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Originality (1-10) | 7+ | Below 5 | |
| Relevance (1-10) | 8+ | Below 6 | |
| Impact (1-10) | 7+ | Below 5 | |
| Feasibility (1-10) | 6+ | Below 4 | |
| Durability (1-10) | 6+ | Below 4 |
Score min 3 axes at 7+ to proceed.
Design Brief
Structure
- Project overview: what and why (2-3 sentences)
- Problem statement: "[User] cannot [goal] because [barrier]"
- Objectives: SMART
- Target audience: demographics, behaviors, goals, pain points, anti-audience
- Scope: what's in and explicitly out
- Deliverables: format, quantity, specs, revision rounds
- Timeline: phases, milestones, review points, buffer
- Success criteria: testable, with metrics and targets
- Constraints: budget, technology, brand, legal, timeline
Stakeholder Alignment Questions
- Who has final approval?
- What's the single most important metric?
- What can we deprioritize if scope shrinks?
- Who are we NOT designing for?
- What are the non-negotiables (legal, brand, technical)?
Anti-Patterns
| Anti-Pattern | Why It Fails | Fix | |
|---|---|---|---|
| No single-minded proposition | Message dilutes, audience confused | Force one idea. Kill the rest. | |
| Problem stated as solution | Brief prescribes fix instead of framing the real issue | Describe the problem, not the fix | |
| Vague success criteria | Cannot measure success or failure | Define specific, testable criteria with targets | |
| No constraints given | Design that looks great but can't be built or shipped | Add budget, tech, timeline constraints upfront | |
| Too many stakeholders | Design by committee produces mediocrity | Identify single DRI per decision type | |
| Skipping audience insight | Design solves wrong problem | Research first. Find a non-obvious truth. | |
| Chasing trends | Looks dated in 6 months, no differentiation | Reference culture, not competitors | |
| Falling in love with first idea | Biased evaluation, better solutions missed | Force 5+ directions before selecting | |
| Designing for yourself | End-user needs subordinated to designer preferences | User test with real audience segments | |
| No error states defined | UI breaks silently, bad UX | Define error, empty, loading states for every component |
Design Token Architecture
{"color": {"primary": { "value": "#1B365D", "type": "color" },"primary-light": { "value": "#2D5A8A", "type": "color" }},"spacing": {"xs": { "value": "4px", "type": "spacing" },"sm": { "value": "8px" }, "md": { "value": "16px" }, "lg": { "value": "24px" }},"typography": {"heading": { "value": { "fontFamily": "Charter", "fontWeight": 500, "fontSize": "clamp(32px,5vw,56px)" } }}}
Export as W3C Design Token format for Figma Tokens plugin, Style Dictionary, or token-transformer.
Figma-to-Code Handoff
- Dev Mode: inspect spacing (8px grid), colors (variables), typography (named styles)
- Export assets: SVG for icons, PNG @2x for raster
- Component mapping:
FigmaComponent → ReactComponentdocumented before build - Responsive: Figma frames at 375px (mobile), 768px (tablet), 1440px (desktop)
Sources
- Pentagram — brand identity project standards
- NASA Graphics Standards Manual
- Stripe Brand Guidelines
- W3C Design Tokens Format
- IDEO design thinking methodology
- Ogilvy "On Advertising"
- Design Council UK "Double Diamond"
- NN Group "How to Write a Design Brief"
- Figma Design Tokens plugin
Checklist
- [ ] Skill loads without errors in the AI agent
- [ ] YAML frontmatter is valid (description, compatibility, audience)
- [ ] Workflow section provides clear step-by-step instructions
- [ ] Error handling section covers common failure modes
- [ ] All referenced files (references/, scripts/, assets/) exist
- [ ] Skill triggers correctly for intended use cases
- [ ] No broken links or missing resources