impeccable-design

# impeccable-design Paperboard's design authority skill. It does not run a CLI — it loads doctrine into the agent's context so that every authored or modified `.DESIGN.md` file respects the same anti-slop rules. Methodology is imported from [pbakaus/impeccable](https://github.com/pbakaus/impeccable); aesthetic tokens remain paperboard's own. ## When to invoke - The user asks you to **create**, **edit**, or **audit** a `.DESIGN.md` file (a design tier, a starter, or the default `paperboard.DESIGN.md`). - The user asks for a new design tier, a new starter pack entry, or a redesign of an existing tier. - You are reviewing a PR that touches anything under `core/designs/`. - A `.DESIGN.md` lint fails and you need to reason about why a token or rule is banned. Do **not** invoke for plain HTML/CSS work that does not touch a `.DESIGN.md` contract, or for documentation prose unrelated to design tokens. ## Doctrine sources Read these files, in order, before authoring or modifying a `.DESIGN.md`: 1. **`core/designs/DESIGN-AUTHORITY.md`** — the binding rules. The single source of truth for what is allowed in any paperboard `.DESIGN.md`. 2. **`core/designs/impeccable-context/typography.md`** — type scale, weights, tracking, mono-vs-serif decisions. 3. **`core/designs/impeccable-context/color-and-contrast.md`** — palette discipline, accent budget, tinted neutrals, contrast floor. 4. **`core/designs/impeccable-context/spatial-design.md`** — spacing scale, border discipline, depth from negative space (not shadows). 5. **`core/designs/impeccable-context/motion-design.md`** — easing curves (`cubic-bezier(0.16, 1, 0.3, 1)` only; no bounce), durations, `prefers-reduced-motion`. 6. **`core/designs/impeccable-context/interaction-design.md`** — affordance, state, focus, hit-target rules. 7. **`core/designs/impeccable-context/responsive-design.md`** — breakpoint philosophy, fluid type, container query intent. 8. **`core/designs/impeccable-context/ux-writing.md`** — voice, hedging bans, expert-decisive tone. Provenance: vendored verbatim under Apache 2.0 from `pbakaus/impeccable` at commit `4af581e23f17d112d8f9d6b7a5b7ff37823494e1`. See `core/designs/impeccable-context/UPSTREAM.md` and `NOTICE.md`. ## Absolute bans (non-negotiable) These are restated from `DESIGN-AUTHORITY.md` so the skill is self-contained. Every `.DESIGN.md` Don't list must enforce all of them: - **Glassmorphism** — no `backdrop-filter: blur`, no frosted-translucent surfaces, no glow-on-blur cards. - **Gradient text** — no `-webkit-background-clip: text` with a gradient fill. - **Side-stripe borders** — no `border-left` / `border-right` greater than 1px used as a colored stripe on cards, list items, callouts, or alerts. - **Nested card-in-card** — no card containers visually nested inside other cards. Flatten the hierarchy; depth comes from negative space. - **Generic AI emoji decoration** — no ✨ 🚀 ⚡ 🎯 🔥 💎 or comparable cliché glyphs used decoratively. Status dots, mono `·`, and typographic emphasis are the only allowed ornaments. - **Identical-card feature grids** — no `repeat(auto-fit, minmax(280px, 1fr))` endlessly tiling same-shaped icon-heading-text cards. - **Hero-metric SaaS layouts** — no big-number-with-tiny-label-and-gradient template. - **Bounce / elastic easing** — animations decelerate via expo-out only. - **Pure `#000` / `#fff`** — always tinted neutrals (paperboard ships `#08090A` / `#F7F8F8`). - **Hedging prose** — "maybe consider," "could be helpful," "might want to" are banned. Design rules are decisive. If a request asks for any of the above, refuse and explain which ban applies. ## How to use this when authoring or modifying a `.DESIGN.md` file 1. **Read `core/designs/DESIGN-AUTHORITY.md` in full** before writing any token or rule. Then read the relevant impeccable-context file for the dimension you are touching (typography, color, spatial, motion, etc.). 2. **Audit the existing file (if any) against the bans** above. List every violation found. Do not silently fix — list, then fix. 3. **Write or edit tokens** in paperboard's voice: cold, dark, technical, expert-decisive. No hedging. Every Don't is a hard, enforceable ban. 4. **Add or update the audit comment** at the very top of the file, in HTML comment form: `<!-- YYYY-MM-DD: audited against impeccable doctrine; <N> violations corrected: <list> -->` or `<!-- YYYY-MM-DD: audited against impeccable doctrine; no violations found -->`. 5. **Verify** by running `pytest -q` and (when Node.js is available) `npm run lint:artifacts`. Neither must regress. ## Methodology vs. aesthetic — the load-bearing distinction Paperboard adopts impeccable's **methodology** (how design rules are authored and enforced), **not** its **aesthetic** (the warm Cormorant Garamond editorial palette). Impeccable's own tokens — Cormorant Garamond, Warm Ash Cream, Editorial Magenta — are **not** adopted by any paperboard tier. Paperboard's canonical aesthetic remains cold, dark, technical: - `#08090A` near-black canvas; `#F7F8F8` tinted off-white. - Geist Mono eyebrows in UPPERCASE with `0.12em` tracking. - Indigo / rose accents capped at ≤ 15% of visible surface area. - 1px hairline borders; depth via tonal layering, not drop shadows. - Numbered sections (`00`, `01`, `02`) with tightened heading tracking (`-0.02em` to `-0.04em`). If you find yourself writing tokens that look "warm editorial," stop — you have crossed from methodology into aesthetic import. Roll back.