frontend-design

name	frontend-design
version	1.0.0
description	[Frontend] Use when you need to create distinctive, production-grade frontend interfaces with high design quality.
license	Complete terms in LICENSE.txt

[BLOCKING] Execute skill steps in declared order. NEVER skip, reorder, or merge steps without explicit user approval. [BLOCKING] Before each step or sub-skill call, update task tracking: set in_progress when step starts, set completed when step ends. [BLOCKING] Every completed/skipped step MUST include brief evidence or explicit skip reason. [BLOCKING] If Task tools are unavailable, create and maintain an equivalent step-by-step plan tracker with the same status transitions.

Quick Summary

Goal: Create distinctive, production-grade frontend interfaces with high design quality, avoiding generic AI aesthetics.

Workflow:

1. Detect Input Type — Screenshot/image provided vs building from scratch
2. Extract Design Guidelines — For screenshots: analyze colors, typography, spacing, layout via visual analysis tooling
3. Design Thinking — Choose bold aesthetic direction (tone, differentiation, constraints)
4. Implement Code — Production-grade, visually striking, cohesive code
5. Verify Quality — Compare implementation to original design/vision

Key Rules:

Frontend/UI Context (if applicable)

When this task involves frontend or UI changes,

• Component patterns: docs/project-reference/frontend-patterns-reference.md
• Styling/BEM guide: docs/project-reference/scss-styling-guide.md
• Design system tokens: docs/project-reference/design-system/README.md

SCSS/BEM rules (canonical): BEM classes on ALL template elements (block__element--modifier). No magic numbers — use variables / design tokens. Max 3 nesting levels.

• For screenshot inputs, extract design guidelines FIRST before coding
• Choose distinctive, characterful fonts and a bold cohesive palette — never use generic fonts (Inter, Roboto, Arial) or cliched color schemes
• Match implementation complexity to aesthetic vision (maximalist = elaborate, minimalist = precise)

Be skeptical. Apply critical thinking, sequential thinking. Every claim needs traced proof, confidence percentages (Idea should be more than 80%).

This skill guides creation of distinctive, production-grade frontend interfaces that avoid generic "AI slop" aesthetics. Implement real working code with exceptional attention to aesthetic details and creative choices.

The user provides frontend requirements: a component, page, application, or interface to build. They may include context about the purpose, audience, or technical constraints.

Prerequisites

⚠️ MUST ATTENTION READ references/design-extraction-overview.md before executing screenshot-based workflows — contains design guideline extraction protocols, analysis prompts, and visual verification methods required by the screenshot/image input workflow below. For asset generation workflows, also ⚠️ MUST ATTENTION READ references/asset-generation.md.

Input Types & Workflows

When User Provides Screenshot/Image/Design Reference

MANDATORY workflow for screenshot/image/design inputs:

1. Extract Design Guidelines using ./references/design-extraction-overview.md:

   • Analyze screenshot/image with visual analysis tooling
   • Extract: colors (hex codes), typography (fonts, sizes, weights), spacing scale, layout patterns, visual hierarchy
   • Document findings in project docs/design-guidelines/extracted-design.md
   • See ./references/extraction-prompts.md for comprehensive analysis prompts

2. Implement Code following extracted guidelines:

   • Use exact colors from extraction (hex codes)
   • Match typography specifications (fonts, sizes, weights, line-heights)
   • Replicate layout structure and spacing system
   • Maintain visual hierarchy and component patterns
   • Preserve aesthetic direction and mood

3. Verify Quality using ./references/visual-analysis-overview.md:

   • Compare implementation to original screenshot
   • Check color accuracy, spacing consistency, typography matching
   • Ensure all design elements preserved

Important: Do NOT skip to implementation. Extract design guidelines FIRST, then code.

When Building from Scratch (No Screenshot Provided)

Follow "Design Thinking" process below to create original design.

Design Thinking

Before coding, understand the context and commit to a BOLD aesthetic direction:

• Purpose: What problem does this interface solve? Who uses it?
• Tone: Pick an extreme: brutally minimal, maximalist chaos, retro-futuristic, organic/natural, luxury/refined, playful/toy-like, editorial/magazine, brutalist/raw, art deco/geometric, soft/pastel, industrial/utilitarian, etc. There are so many flavors to choose from. Use these for inspiration but design one that is true to the aesthetic direction.
• Constraints: Technical requirements (framework, performance, accessibility).
• Differentiation: What makes this UNFORGETTABLE? What's the one thing someone will remember?

CRITICAL: Choose a clear conceptual direction and execute it with precision. Bold maximalism and refined minimalism both work - the key is intentionality, not intensity.

Then implement working code (HTML/CSS/JS, React, Vue, etc.) that is:

• Production-grade and functional
• Visually striking and memorable
• Cohesive with a clear aesthetic point-of-view
• Meticulously refined in every detail

Frontend Aesthetics Guidelines

Focus on:

• Typography: Choose fonts that are beautiful, unique, and interesting. Avoid generic fonts like Arial and Inter; opt instead for distinctive choices that elevate the frontend's aesthetics; unexpected, characterful font choices. Pair a distinctive display font with a refined body font.
• Color & Theme: Commit to a cohesive aesthetic. Use CSS variables for consistency. Dominant colors with sharp accents outperform timid, evenly-distributed palettes.
• Motion: Use animations for effects and micro-interactions. Prioritize CSS-only solutions for HTML. Use Motion library for React when available (Use anime.js for animations: ./references/animejs.md). Focus on high-impact moments: one well-orchestrated page load with staggered reveals (animation-delay) creates more delight than scattered micro-interactions. Use scroll-triggering and hover states that surprise.
• Spatial Composition: Unexpected layouts. Asymmetry. Overlap. Diagonal flow. Grid-breaking elements. Generous negative space OR controlled density.
• Backgrounds & Visual Details: Create atmosphere and depth rather than defaulting to solid colors. Add contextual effects and textures that match the overall aesthetic. Apply creative forms like gradient meshes, noise textures, geometric patterns, layered transparencies, dramatic shadows, decorative borders, custom cursors, and grain overlays.
• Visual Assets: Use visual analysis tooling skills to generate the assets and media processing tooling to remove the background of generated assets if needed

Working with Visual Assets

Quick Start: ./references/visual-tooling-overview.md

Generating New Visual Assets

When GENERATE new hero images, backgrounds, textures, or decorative elements that match the design aesthetic, use the visual analysis tooling skill. This ensures generated assets align with the design thinking and aesthetics guidelines rather than producing generic imagery.

Analyzing Provided Screenshots/Images/Designs

When user provides screenshots, photos, or design references to analyze or replicate, use ./references/design-extraction-overview.md to extract design guidelines BEFORE implementation. This is MANDATORY for screenshot inputs (see "Input Types & Workflows" above).

Workflows:

• ./references/asset-generation.md - Generate design-aligned visual assets
• ./references/visual-analysis-overview.md - Analyze and verify asset quality (modular)
• ./references/design-extraction-overview.md - Extract guidelines from inspiration (modular)
• ./references/technical-overview.md - Optimization and best practices (modular)

Each overview references detailed sub-modules for progressive disclosure.

NEVER use generic AI-generated aesthetics like overused font families (Inter, Roboto, Arial, system fonts), cliched color schemes (particularly purple gradients on white backgrounds), predictable layouts and component patterns, and cookie-cutter design that lacks context-specific character.

Interpret creatively and make unexpected choices that feel genuinely designed for the context. No design should be the same. Vary between light and dark themes, different fonts, different aesthetics. NEVER converge on common choices (Space Grotesk, for example) across generations.

IMPORTANT: Match implementation complexity to the aesthetic vision. Maximalist designs need elaborate code with extensive animations and effects. Minimalist or refined designs need restraint, precision, and careful attention to spacing, typography, and subtle details. Elegance comes from executing the vision well.

Remember: Claude is capable of extraordinary creative work. Don't hold back, show what can truly be created when thinking outside the box and committing fully to a distinctive vision.

Related

• interface-design — Product UIs (dashboards, admin panels, SaaS apps)
• ui-ux-pro-max
• shadcn-tailwind

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[IMPORTANT] Use TaskCreate to break ALL work into small tasks BEFORE starting — including tasks for each file read. This prevents context loss from long files. For simple tasks, AI MUST ATTENTION ask user whether to skip.

AI Mistake Prevention — Failure modes to avoid on every task:

Re-read files after context changes. Context compaction, resume, or long-running work can make memory stale; verify current files before acting. Verify generated content against source evidence. AI hallucinates APIs, names, claims, and document facts. Check the relevant source before documenting or referencing. Check downstream references before deleting or renaming. Removing an artifact can stale docs, generated mirrors, configs, and callers; map references first. Trace the full impact chain after edits. Changing a definition can miss derived outputs and consumers. Follow the affected chain before declaring done. Verify ALL affected outputs, not just the first. One green check is not all green checks; validate every output surface the change can affect. Assume existing values are intentional — ask WHY before changing. Before changing a constant, limit, flag, wording, or pattern, read nearby context and history. Surface ambiguity before acting — don't pick silently. Multiple valid interpretations require an explicit question or stated assumption with risk. Keep shared guidance role-relevant. Universal guidance must help every receiving skill or agent; code-specific obligations belong only in code-specific protocols.

UI System Context — For ANY task touching .ts, .html, .scss, or .css files:

MUST ATTENTION READ before implementing:

1. docs/project-reference/frontend-patterns-reference.md — component base classes, stores, forms
2. docs/project-reference/scss-styling-guide.md — BEM methodology, SCSS variables, mixins, responsive
3. docs/project-reference/design-system/README.md — design tokens, component inventory, icons

Reference docs/project-config.json for project-specific paths.

Critical Thinking Mindset — Apply critical thinking, sequential thinking. Every claim needs traced proof, confidence >80% to act. Anti-hallucination: Never present guess as fact — cite sources for every claim, admit uncertainty freely, self-check output for errors, cross-reference independently, stay skeptical of own confidence — certainty without evidence root of all hallucination.

• MANDATORY IMPORTANT MUST ATTENTION read frontend-patterns-reference, scss-styling-guide, design-system/README before any UI change.

MUST ATTENTION apply critical + sequential thinking — every claim needs appropriate traced evidence (file:line for repo/code claims; source URL or artifact section for research, product, content, and docs claims); confidence >80% to act, <60% DO NOT recommend. Anti-hallucination: never present guess as fact, admit uncertainty freely, cross-reference independently, stay skeptical of own confidence.

MUST ATTENTION apply AI mistake prevention — verify generated content against evidence, trace downstream references before deleting or renaming, verify all affected outputs, re-read files after context loss, and surface ambiguity before acting.

Prompt-Enhance Closing Anchors

IMPORTANT MUST ATTENTION follow declared step order for this skill; NEVER skip, reorder, or merge steps without explicit user approval IMPORTANT MUST ATTENTION for every step/sub-skill call: set in_progress before execution, set completed after execution IMPORTANT MUST ATTENTION every skipped step MUST include explicit reason; every completed step MUST include concise evidence IMPORTANT MUST ATTENTION if Task tools unavailable, maintain an equivalent step-by-step plan tracker with synchronized statuses

Closing Reminders

IMPORTANT MUST ATTENTION Protocols in force (concise digest of the SYNC/shared blocks this skill carries):

• AI Mistake Prevention: verify generated content against evidence, trace downstream references, verify all affected outputs, re-read after context loss, surface ambiguity.

• UI System Context: read frontend-patterns, scss-styling, design-system docs before any UI change.

• Critical Thinking: every claim needs traced file:line proof; confidence >80% to act.

• MANDATORY IMPORTANT MUST ATTENTION break work into small todo tasks using TaskCreate BEFORE starting

• MANDATORY IMPORTANT MUST ATTENTION search codebase for 3+ similar patterns before creating new code

• MANDATORY IMPORTANT MUST ATTENTION cite file:line evidence for every claim (confidence >80% to act)

• MANDATORY IMPORTANT MUST ATTENTION add a final review todo task to verify work quality MANDATORY IMPORTANT MUST ATTENTION READ the following files before starting:

• MANDATORY IMPORTANT MUST ATTENTION READ references/design-extraction-overview.md before starting

• MANDATORY IMPORTANT MUST ATTENTION READ references/asset-generation.md before starting

[TASK-PLANNING] Before acting, analyze task scope and systematically break it into small todo tasks and sub-tasks using TaskCreate.

[IMPORTANT] Analyze how big the task is and break it into many small todo tasks systematically before starting — this is very important.