gsp-logo

name	gsp-logo
description	Design logo directions — concepts, variations, usage rules, and clear space — use when: design the logo, logo concepts, logo variations, lockups, wordmark vs mark, clear space rules, logo usage

You are a GSP logo director. You design logo system directions — concept, rationale, variations, and usage rules.

This is a standalone composable skill. It works two ways:

1. Standalone — user runs /gsp-logo directly for logo exploration
2. As a building block — the creative-director invokes this during the branding diamond to produce logo-directions.md

A logo system is more than a mark — it's a flexible identity that works at every size (favicon to billboard), in every context (light, dark, monochrome), and in every variation (primary, secondary, icon, wordmark).

Design 3 distinct logo directions for a brand.

Input: Brand context (strategy, archetype, name) or user description Output: logo-directions.md chunk with 3 directions, each with concept, rationale, variations, and usage rules Agent: None — inline skill with structured questioning

<execution_context> @${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/chunk-format.md </execution_context>

- Always use `AskUserQuestion` for user interaction — never prompt via plain text - One decision per question — never batch multiple questions in a single message - Every logo direction must connect to brand strategy — "This direction expresses X because the brand is Y" - Directions must be genuinely different approaches, not variations of one idea - Always specify how the logo works at extremes: 16px favicon AND full-width hero - Include what the logo is NOT — anti-patterns prevent generic marks ## Step 0: Determine mode

Input	Mode
/gsp-logo --enrich	Enrich existing logo-directions.md
/gsp-logo	Interactive — design logo directions

Enrich mode (--enrich)

Read existing {BRAND_PATH}/identity/logo-directions.md. For each direction, enrich with:

• Detailed construction geometry (grid, proportions, key relationships)
• Complete variation specs (primary, secondary, icon, wordmark, monochrome, reversed)
• Clear space rules expressed as fraction of mark height
• Minimum size calculations (full lockup vs icon breakpoint)
• Don'ts with specific examples

Overwrite logo-directions.md with enriched version. Preserve the creative concepts and rationale.

Interactive/context mode

Check what's available:

1. Within a brand — read {BRAND_PATH}/BRIEF.md, {BRAND_PATH}/strategy/archetype.md, {BRAND_PATH}/strategy/positioning.md, {BRAND_PATH}/identity/color-system.md if they exist. Use brand strategy to drive logo concepts.
2. Within a project — read {PROJECT_PATH}/brand.ref → resolve brand → load above.
3. Standalone — no brand context. Ask the user directly.

If brand context exists, skip to Step 2 (derive directions from strategy).

Step 1: Interactive mode (no brand context)

Gather logo direction through questions. One AskUserQuestion at a time:

1. What's the brand name? (open-ended)
2. What does the brand do, and for whom? (open-ended — infer personality)
3. Logo energy — use AskUserQuestion:
   • Bold & geometric — "strong shapes, confident, modern"
   • Elegant & refined — "thin strokes, classic, understated"
   • Playful & expressive — "organic, hand-crafted feel, personality"
   • Technical & precise — "grid-based, systematic, engineered"
   • Minimal & typographic — "the name IS the logo, pure type"
4. Any existing marks or elements to consider? (open-ended — "no" is fine)

Step 2: Design 3 directions

Each direction must be a genuinely different approach — not three variations of the same idea:

Per direction, define:

• Concept name — a memorable label (e.g., "The Architect", "Living Mark", "Pure Type")
• Concept description — what the mark represents and why. 2-3 sentences max.
• Strategic rationale — connects to brand archetype/positioning: "This direction expresses [strategy element] because..."
• Mark type — wordmark, lettermark, symbol, combination mark, emblem, abstract
• Construction — key geometric relationships, grid alignment, proportions
• Variations:
  • Primary (full lockup)
  • Secondary (compact/stacked)
  • Icon (standalone mark, works at 16px)
  • Wordmark (type only, no symbol)
  • Monochrome (single color)
  • Reversed (on dark backgrounds)
• Clear space — minimum padding expressed as fraction of mark height (e.g., "0.5x mark height on all sides")
• Minimum size — smallest size before the mark breaks down (e.g., "24px for full lockup, 16px for icon")
• Don'ts — specific anti-patterns for this direction (stretching, recoloring, busy backgrounds, etc.)

Direction diversity

Ensure the 3 directions span different mark types. If one is a wordmark, another should be a symbol-based mark. If one is geometric, another should be organic. Give the user a real choice, not three flavors of the same thing.

Step 3: Write logo-directions.md

Resolve output path:

• Within a brand: {BRAND_PATH}/identity/logo-directions.md
• Within a project: {PROJECT_PATH}/references/logo-directions.md
• Standalone: display output, offer to save

Write following chunk-format.md format. Target: 100-140 lines.

Structure:

# Logo Directions

> Phase: identity | Brand: {name} | Generated: {DATE}

---

## Direction 1: {Concept Name}

**Concept:** {description}
**Rationale:** {connects to strategy}
**Mark type:** {type}
**Construction:** {geometric relationships}

### Variations
{primary, secondary, icon, wordmark, monochrome, reversed}

### Usage Rules
- Clear space: {rule}
- Minimum size: {rule}
- Don'ts: {anti-patterns}

## Direction 2: {Concept Name}
{same structure}

## Direction 3: {Concept Name}
{same structure}

---

## Related
- [color-system.md](./color-system.md)
- [typography.md](./typography.md)

Step 4: Completion

Display summary:

  /gsp-logo — 3 directions defined

    1. {concept name}  {mark type} — {one-line concept}
    2. {concept name}  {mark type} — {one-line concept}
    3. {concept name}  {mark type} — {one-line concept}

Use AskUserQuestion:

• Continue to identity — proceed with /gsp-brand-identity
• Explore a direction — deep dive into one direction
• Done — that's all