frontend-design

name	frontend-design
description	Create distinctive, production-grade frontend interfaces with high design quality. Provides analysis tools for auditing existing designs and generation tools for creating color palettes, typography systems, design tokens, and component templates. Supports React, Vue, Svelte, and vanilla HTML/CSS. Use when building web components, pages, or applications. Keywords: design, UI, frontend, CSS, components, palette, typography, tokens, accessibility.
license	MIT
compatibility	Requires Deno with --allow-read, --allow-write permissions
metadata	{"author":"agent-skills","version":"1.0"}

Frontend Design

Create distinctive, production-grade frontend interfaces that avoid generic "AI slop" aesthetics. This skill combines design philosophy guidance with practical TypeScript tooling for analyzing existing designs and generating design system artifacts.

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

When to Use This Skill

Use when:

• Building web components, pages, or applications
• Auditing existing CSS for design inconsistencies
• Extracting design tokens from legacy codebases
• Generating color palettes and typography systems
• Creating component templates across frameworks
• Checking accessibility compliance for design elements

Don't use when:

• Simple text content changes
• Backend-only work
• Non-visual functionality

Prerequisites

• Deno runtime (for script execution)
• Optional: Existing CSS/design files for analysis
• Optional: Design tokens file for reference

Quick Start

This skill operates in three modes:

1. Analyze Mode

Audit existing styles, extract tokens, check accessibility.

# Audit CSS for design patterns and inconsistencies
deno run --allow-read scripts/analyze-styles.ts styles.css

# Extract design tokens from existing CSS
deno run --allow-read scripts/extract-tokens.ts ./src --format css

# Check accessibility (contrast, focus states)
deno run --allow-read scripts/analyze-accessibility.ts component.tsx

2. Specify Mode

Create JSON specifications defining what to generate. See assets/ for schema examples.

3. Generate Mode

Create palettes, typography systems, tokens, and components.

# Generate a color palette
deno run --allow-read --allow-write scripts/generate-palette.ts --seed "#2563eb" --theme warm

# Generate typography system
deno run --allow-read --allow-write scripts/generate-typography.ts --display "Playfair Display" --body "Source Sans Pro"

# Generate design tokens file
deno run --allow-read --allow-write scripts/generate-tokens.ts tokens-spec.json ./output/

# Generate a component
deno run --allow-read --allow-write scripts/generate-component.ts --name Button --framework react --styling tailwind

---

Instructions

Phase 1: Analysis (Optional but Recommended)

Before creating new designs, audit existing code to understand current patterns.

1a. Style Analysis

Analyze CSS files to identify colors, typography, spacing, and inconsistencies:

deno run --allow-read scripts/analyze-styles.ts <input> [options]

Options:
  --tokens <file>    Compare against existing design tokens
  --pretty           Pretty-print JSON output
  --format <type>    Output format: json (default), summary

Output includes:

• Color usage inventory with hex normalization
• Typography patterns (fonts, sizes, weights)
• Spacing value distribution
• Inconsistencies and recommendations

1b. Token Extraction

Extract design tokens from CSS files into standardized formats:

deno run --allow-read scripts/extract-tokens.ts <input> [options]

Options:
  --format <type>    Output: css, scss, tailwind, style-dictionary, tokens-studio
  --output-css       Also output CSS variables file

1c. Accessibility Audit

Check design-related accessibility issues:

deno run --allow-read scripts/analyze-accessibility.ts <input> [options]

Options:
  --format <type>    Output: json, summary
  --level <AA|AAA>   WCAG conformance level (default: AA)

Checks include:

• Color contrast ratios
• Focus indicator presence
• Touch target sizes
• Motion preference respect

---

Phase 2: Generation

2a. Color Palette Generation

Generate cohesive color palettes from seed colors or themes:

deno run --allow-read --allow-write scripts/generate-palette.ts [options] <output>

Options:
  --seed <color>     Primary seed color (hex)
  --theme <type>     warm, cool, neutral, vibrant, muted, dark, light
  --style <type>     minimalist, bold, organic, corporate, playful
  --shades           Generate 50-950 shade scale
  --semantic         Generate success/warning/error colors
  --contrast <lvl>   Target contrast: AA (default), AAA
  --format <type>    css, scss, tailwind, tokens, json

Example specification (palette-spec.json):

{
  "seedColors": {
    "primary": "#2563eb",
    "accent": "#f59e0b"
  },
  "theme": "cool",
  "generateShades": true,
  "generateSemantics": true,
  "contrastTarget": "AA",
  "outputFormat": "css"
}

2b. Typography System Generation

Generate typography systems with font stacks and scales:

deno run --allow-read --allow-write scripts/generate-typography.ts [options] <output>

Options:
  --display <font>   Display/heading font family
  --body <font>      Body text font family
  --mono <font>      Monospace font family
  --scale <type>     minor-second, major-second, minor-third, major-third, perfect-fourth, golden-ratio
  --base <px>        Base font size (default: 16)
  --line-height      tight, normal, relaxed
  --responsive       Generate responsive breakpoints
  --format <type>    css, scss, tailwind, tokens

Type scales:

Scale	Ratio	Character
minor-second	1.067	Subtle, conservative
major-second	1.125	Balanced, professional
minor-third	1.200	Clear hierarchy
major-third	1.250	Strong presence
perfect-fourth	1.333	Bold, impactful
golden-ratio	1.618	Dramatic, artistic

2c. Design Token Generation

Generate comprehensive design token files in multiple formats:

deno run --allow-read --allow-write scripts/generate-tokens.ts <spec> <output-dir>

Specification structure:

{
  "name": "my-design-system",
  "tokens": {
    "color": { "primary": "#2563eb", "secondary": "#64748b" },
    "spacing": { "xs": "0.25rem", "sm": "0.5rem", "md": "1rem" },
    "typography": {
      "fontFamilies": { "display": "Playfair Display", "body": "Inter" },
      "fontSizes": { "sm": "0.875rem", "base": "1rem", "lg": "1.125rem" }
    },
    "shadow": { "sm": "0 1px 2px rgba(0,0,0,0.05)" },
    "border": { "radius": { "sm": "0.25rem", "md": "0.5rem" } },
    "animation": { "duration": { "fast": "150ms", "normal": "300ms" } }
  },
  "outputFormats": ["css", "scss", "tailwind", "ts"]
}

2d. Component Generation

Generate component templates with design-focused styling:

deno run --allow-read --allow-write scripts/generate-component.ts [options] <output-dir>

Options:
  --name <name>      Component name (required)
  --type <type>      button, card, input, modal, navigation, hero, custom
  --framework <fw>   react, vue, svelte, html
  --styling <type>   css, tailwind, css-modules, styled-components, emotion
  --aesthetic <type> minimal, bold, organic, brutalist, glassmorphism, neumorphism
  --animation <lvl>  none, subtle, expressive
  --dark-mode        Include dark mode support
  --tokens <file>    Use design tokens file

Framework output examples:

React with Tailwind:

export function Button({ variant = 'primary', children }: ButtonProps) {
  return (
    <button className="px-4 py-2 rounded-lg font-medium transition-all">
      {children}
    </button>
  );
}

Vue with scoped CSS:

<template>
  <button :class="['btn', `btn--${variant}`]"><slot /></button>
</template>
<script setup lang="ts">
defineProps<{ variant?: 'primary' | 'secondary' }>();
</script>
<style scoped>.btn { /* styles */ }</style>

Svelte:

<script lang="ts">
  export let variant: 'primary' | 'secondary' = 'primary';
</script>
<button class="btn btn--{variant}"><slot /></button>
<style>.btn { /* styles */ }</style>

---

Examples

Example 1: Audit and Modernize Legacy CSS

# 1. Analyze existing styles
deno run --allow-read scripts/analyze-styles.ts ./legacy/styles.css --pretty > audit.json

# 2. Extract tokens from the analysis
deno run --allow-read scripts/extract-tokens.ts ./legacy/styles.css --format css > tokens.css

# 3. Generate improved palette from dominant color
deno run --allow-read --allow-write scripts/generate-palette.ts --seed "#336699" --shades --format css palette.css

Example 2: Create Design System from Scratch

# 1. Generate color palette
deno run --allow-read --allow-write scripts/generate-palette.ts \
  --seed "#8b5cf6" --theme vibrant --shades --semantic --format css colors.css

# 2. Generate typography system
deno run --allow-read --allow-write scripts/generate-typography.ts \
  --display "Space Grotesk" --body "Inter" --scale major-third --responsive --format css typography.css

# 3. Generate comprehensive tokens
deno run --allow-read --allow-write scripts/generate-tokens.ts design-spec.json ./tokens/

Example 3: Generate Component Library

# Generate button component for React with Tailwind
deno run --allow-read --allow-write scripts/generate-component.ts \
  --name Button --framework react --styling tailwind --aesthetic bold ./components/

# Generate card component for Vue with CSS modules
deno run --allow-read --allow-write scripts/generate-component.ts \
  --name Card --framework vue --styling css-modules --aesthetic glassmorphism ./components/

# Generate input for Svelte
deno run --allow-read --allow-write scripts/generate-component.ts \
  --name Input --framework svelte --styling css --aesthetic minimal ./components/

Example 4: Accessibility Check Before Launch

# Audit all components
deno run --allow-read scripts/analyze-accessibility.ts ./src/components --level AAA --format summary

---

Script Reference

Script	Purpose	Permissions
analyze-styles.ts	Audit CSS for patterns and inconsistencies	--allow-read
extract-tokens.ts	Extract design tokens from CSS	--allow-read
analyze-accessibility.ts	Check design accessibility	--allow-read
generate-palette.ts	Generate color palettes	--allow-read --allow-write
generate-typography.ts	Generate typography systems	--allow-read --allow-write
generate-tokens.ts	Generate multi-format tokens	--allow-read --allow-write
generate-component.ts	Generate framework components	--allow-read --allow-write

---

Design Philosophy

Avoid generic "AI slop" aesthetics. See references/design-philosophy.md for detailed guidance.

Key principles:

• Typography: Choose distinctive fonts, not defaults (avoid Arial, Inter, Roboto)
• Color: Dominant colors with sharp accents, not timid palettes
• Motion: Orchestrated reveals over scattered micro-interactions
• Composition: Asymmetry, overlap, grid-breaking elements
• Texture: Gradients, noise, patterns - not flat solid colors

Never converge on:

• Purple gradients on white backgrounds
• System fonts or overused families
• Predictable card-based layouts
• Cookie-cutter Bootstrap aesthetics

---

Common Issues

"CSS parsing failed"

• Ensure valid CSS syntax
• SCSS/PostCSS may need preprocessing first

"Color contrast check failed"

• Check for CSS variables that couldn't be resolved
• Provide the actual color values or tokens file

"Unknown framework"

• Supported: react, vue, svelte, html
• Check spelling and lowercase

"Token format not supported"

• Supported: css, scss, tailwind, style-dictionary, tokens-studio, json, ts

---

Additional Resources

• references/design-philosophy.md - Detailed anti-slop aesthetics guide
• references/token-formats.md - Design token format specifications
• references/framework-templates.md - Framework-specific patterns
• assets/*.json - JSON schema files for specifications

---

Related Skills

• web-search - Research design inspiration and trends
• research-workflow - Deep dive into design systems