design-context

Design Context

The foundational skill for all design work. Every other design skill checks this context first. This skill gathers, stores, and serves brand identity, color systems, typography, and design preferences so that all generated visuals are cohesive and on-brand.

Context is saved to .agents/design-context.md for reuse across sessions.

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Step 1: Check for Existing Context

Before gathering new information, check for existing design context.

Auto-Detection Sources

Scan the codebase for existing design tokens in this priority order:

1. .agents/design-context.md -- previously saved context (highest priority)
2. tailwind.config.js / tailwind.config.ts -- theme.extend.colors, fontFamily, spacing (Tailwind v3)
3. CSS @theme block -- Tailwind v4 defines tokens in CSS: @theme { --color-primary: ...; --font-sans: ...; }
4. CSS custom properties -- --color-primary, --font-heading, etc. in :root or globals.css. shadcn/ui projects use --primary, --secondary, --accent, --muted, --destructive, --radius, often as bare HSL components (222 47% 11%) or oklch(...) -- convert to hex when saving
5. package.json -- project name, description
6. Design token files -- tokens.json (W3C DTCG $value/$type), theme.js, design-system.*
7. Font loading -- next/font imports, Google Fonts <link> tags, @font-face rules
8. Existing components -- scan for recurring color values, font stacks, spacing patterns
9. manifest.json / site.webmanifest -- theme_color, name
10. Brand assets -- logo.svg, public/, assets/, brand/ folders, favicon
11. Figma variables -- if Figma MCP is available, pull variables from connected files

Auto-Detection Logic

When scanning Tailwind config, extract:

colors.primary -> Brand primary color
colors.secondary -> Brand secondary color
colors.accent -> Accent color
fontFamily.sans -> Body font
fontFamily.heading or fontFamily.display -> Heading font

When scanning CSS variables, map:

--color-primary, --primary -> Primary color
--color-secondary, --secondary -> Secondary color
--color-accent, --accent -> Accent color
--font-heading, --font-display -> Heading font
--font-body, --font-sans -> Body font
--radius, --border-radius -> Border radius preference

If context is found, present it to the user for confirmation before proceeding.

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Step 2: Gather Brand Identity

If no existing context is found, gather the following conversationally. Ask in natural groupings, not as a checklist dump.

Brand Core

Field	Description	Example
Brand Name	Official name	"Acme Studio"
Tagline	Short brand tagline	"Design without limits"
Mission	One-sentence mission	"Empower creators with professional tools"
Industry	Primary industry/sector	"SaaS / Creative Tools"

Color System

Gather a minimum of 4 color groups. Store as hex codes.

Role	Purpose	Example
Primary	Main brand color, CTAs, key UI	#2563EB
Primary Light	Hover states, backgrounds	#3B82F6
Primary Dark	Active states, text on light	#1D4ED8
Secondary	Supporting color, secondary actions	#7C3AED
Accent	Highlights, badges, notifications	#F59E0B
Neutral 50	Lightest background	#FAFAFA
Neutral 100	Card backgrounds	#F5F5F5
Neutral 200	Borders, dividers	#E5E5E5
Neutral 500	Placeholder text	#737373
Neutral 800	Body text	#262626
Neutral 900	Headings	#171717
Success	Positive states	#10B981
Warning	Caution states	#F59E0B
Error	Error states	#EF4444

Typography

Field	Description	Example
Heading Font	Display/heading typeface	"Inter, sans-serif"
Body Font	Body text typeface	"Inter, sans-serif"
Mono Font	Code/technical typeface	"JetBrains Mono, monospace"
Base Size	Root font size	16px
Scale Ratio	Type scale multiplier	1.25 (Major Third)
Heading Weight	Default heading weight	700
Body Weight	Default body weight	400

Type Scale Reference

Default scale (Tailwind's hand-tuned sizes, base 16px -- roughly, not exactly, a 1.25 ratio). If the user wants a true modular scale, compute it with the typography skill instead:

xs:   12px / 0.75rem
sm:   14px / 0.875rem
base: 16px / 1rem
lg:   18px / 1.125rem
xl:   20px / 1.25rem
2xl:  24px / 1.5rem
3xl:  30px / 1.875rem
4xl:  36px / 2.25rem
5xl:  48px / 3rem
6xl:  60px / 3.75rem
7xl:  72px / 4.5rem

Design Style

Identify the primary style from these archetypes:

Style	Characteristics
Minimal	Generous whitespace, restrained palette, clean lines, subtle shadows
Bold	Saturated colors, large typography, strong contrast, geometric shapes
Playful	Bright colors, rounded corners, illustrations, casual tone
Corporate	Structured grids, blue/gray palette, professional imagery, formal
Luxurious	Dark backgrounds, metallic accents, serif fonts, fine details
Retro	Vintage palettes, halftone textures, serif/slab type, warm tones
Brutalist	Raw aesthetic, high contrast, monospace type, unconventional layout
Organic	Earth tones, natural textures, flowing shapes, warm neutrals

Audience and Tone

Field	Description	Example
Primary Audience	Who sees these designs	"Tech-savvy professionals 25-40"
Aesthetic Preferences	What resonates with them	"Clean, modern, data-driven"
Tone	Communication style	"Professional but approachable"
Formality	Scale of 1-5	3 (balanced)

Brand Marks

Field	Description	Example
Logo Description	Describe the logo visually	"Geometric 'A' mark in primary blue"
Logo Usage	Where/how to use it	"Top-left, min 32px height"
Icon Style	Preferred icon style	"Outlined, 2px stroke, rounded caps"
Logo Files	Paths to real logo files	public/logo.svg, brand/logo-white.png
Reference Images	Product photos, past designs the user likes	assets/product-hero.png

Record file paths, not just descriptions. Image-generation skills pass these files as --image references, which reproduces a logo or product far more faithfully than a text description.

Brand Rules

Field	Description	Example
Always	Non-negotiables	"Logo on white or primary only", "Sentence case headlines"
Never	Things to avoid	"No gradients on the logo", "No stock photos of handshakes"
Voice samples	2-3 real headlines or taglines	"Ship faster. Sleep better."

Platform Preferences

Platform	Priority	Notes
Web	High/Medium/Low	Responsive, modern browsers
Mobile	High/Medium/Low	Touch-friendly, safe areas
Print	High/Medium/Low	CMYK considerations
Social	High/Medium/Low	Platform-specific sizes

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Step 3: Save Context

Save the gathered context to .agents/design-context.md using this template:

# Design Context

## Brand Identity
- **Name:** [Brand Name]
- **Tagline:** [Tagline]
- **Mission:** [Mission]
- **Industry:** [Industry]

## Color System
| Role | Hex | Usage |
|------|-----|-------|
| Primary | #XXXXXX | CTAs, key elements |
| Primary Light | #XXXXXX | Hover, backgrounds |
| Primary Dark | #XXXXXX | Active, dark text |
| Secondary | #XXXXXX | Supporting elements |
| Accent | #XXXXXX | Highlights, badges |
| Neutral 50 | #XXXXXX | Light backgrounds |
| Neutral 100 | #XXXXXX | Card backgrounds |
| Neutral 200 | #XXXXXX | Borders |
| Neutral 500 | #XXXXXX | Muted text |
| Neutral 800 | #XXXXXX | Body text |
| Neutral 900 | #XXXXXX | Headings |
| Success | #XXXXXX | Positive |
| Warning | #XXXXXX | Caution |
| Error | #XXXXXX | Error |

## Typography
- **Heading Font:** [Font stack]
- **Body Font:** [Font stack]
- **Mono Font:** [Font stack]
- **Base Size:** [size]
- **Scale Ratio:** [ratio]
- **Heading Weight:** [weight]
- **Body Weight:** [weight]

## Design Style
- **Primary Style:** [Style archetype]
- **Border Radius:** [value]
- **Shadow Style:** [subtle/medium/dramatic/none]
- **Spacing System:** [4px/8px base grid]

## Audience
- **Primary:** [Description]
- **Aesthetic:** [Preferences]
- **Tone:** [Tone description]

## Brand Marks
- **Logo:** [Description]
- **Logo Files:** [paths]
- **Reference Images:** [paths]
- **Icon Style:** [Description]

## Brand Rules
- **Always:** [rules]
- **Never:** [rules]
- **Voice samples:** [examples]

## Platform Priority
- Web: [priority]
- Mobile: [priority]
- Social: [priority]
- Print: [priority]

Validate Before Saving

Check the palette before writing it, and tell the user about any failures (don't silently change their brand colors -- propose the nearest passing shade):

• Body text (Neutral 800) on Neutral 50 and on white: >= 4.5:1
• Primary as a button background with white text: >= 4.5:1 (if it fails, use Primary Dark for text-bearing buttons)
• Primary as link text on white: >= 4.5:1
• Neutral 500 placeholder/muted text on white: >= 4.5:1 if it carries meaning
• Borders and focus rings (Neutral 200 is decorative only; focus rings need >= 3:1 against their background)

Run the bundled checker rather than estimating by eye (<design-context> is this skill's directory):

python <design-context>/scripts/contrast.py --context .agents/design-context.md   # all pairings above
python <design-context>/scripts/contrast.py "#737373" "#ffffff"                     # any single pair

It exits 1 on any failure and suggests the nearest passing shade for each one (same hue and chroma, adjusted lightness). Other skills can use it the same way for any foreground/background pair.

Add a Last updated: YYYY-MM-DD line and the detection source (e.g. "from tailwind.config.ts") at the top of the file so later sessions know how fresh it is.

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Step 4: Using Context in Other Skills

When any other design skill activates, it must:

1. Read .agents/design-context.md first
2. Apply the color system -- never use arbitrary colors
3. Use the specified typography -- load Google Fonts if needed via <link> tag
4. Match the design style archetype
5. Respect the tone and audience preferences

Quick Context Snippet for Other Skills

Other skills should include this check at the top of their workflow:

Before generating any visual:
1. Read .agents/design-context.md
2. Extract: primary color, secondary color, accent, heading font, body font, style archetype
3. If no context file exists, ask the user to run the design-context skill first,
   or use sensible defaults and note that output may not be on-brand

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Step 5: Context Updates

When the user wants to update context:

1. Read the existing .agents/design-context.md
2. Ask what they want to change
3. Update only the changed fields
4. Confirm the changes
5. Save the updated file

Never overwrite the entire file for a single field change.

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Default Fallbacks

If no context is set and the user wants to proceed anyway, use these defaults:

Primary: #2563EB (blue-600)
Secondary: #7C3AED (violet-600)
Accent: #F59E0B (amber-500)
Neutral: Tailwind gray scale
Heading Font: Inter
Body Font: Inter
Success: #10B981 (fills/icons) / #047857 (text)
Warning: #F59E0B (fills/icons) / #B45309 (text)
Error:   #EF4444 (fills/icons) / #B91C1C (text)
Style: Minimal
Tone: Professional

The lighter semantic shades fail 4.5:1 as text on white (2.5:1, 2.2:1, 3.8:1) -- use them for backgrounds, badges with dark text, and icons; use the darker shades for text.

Always note in the output that defaults were used and recommend setting up proper design context.

Note: Inter everywhere plus blue-600 is the most common "AI-generated" look. When using defaults for anything expressive (posters, social graphics, landing pages), ask one quick question -- "any colors, fonts, or sites you like the feel of?" -- before falling back.