Frontend Design Skill

This skill steers the model away from generic AI aesthetics toward distinctive, production-grade frontend. Pair with design-taste for architecture-level decisions.

Arguments & Stack Detection

$ARGUMENTS = raw user input after skill name

Parse first:

• --files path1,path2 — scope to specific files
• --stack react|vue|svelte|vanilla — override auto-detection
• --single — skip multi-variation, build one design
• --iterate — refine existing designs from user feedback
• Remaining text = the design brief

Auto-detect stack (don't assume React + Tailwind):

1. Check package.json for framework (next, nuxt, svelte, astro, vite)
2. Check for Tailwind config → use Tailwind classes. No config → use CSS modules or vanilla CSS
3. Check for existing component library (shadcn, radix, vuetify) → extend it, don't fight it
4. No package.json → plain HTML/CSS

Time budget: 25 min for multi-variation. 10 min for single component. If >15 files touched, stop and confirm scope.

Error Handling

• No frontend project detected: "This directory has no frontend files. Point me at the right directory or describe what to create."
• Existing design system found: Respect it. Don't override brand colors/fonts with recommendations below. Extend, don't replace.
• Dev server won't start: Build the files anyway. Note: "Dev server failed — files are written, start manually."
• User wants something banned below: Bans are defaults, not laws. If the user explicitly wants glassmorphism or blue buttons, do it well.

Multi-Variation Technique

For landing pages or aesthetic-focused UI, generate 5 distinct designs on routes /1-/5 with navigation bar.

How to set up routes: Create 5 page files (e.g., Next.js app/1/page.tsx through app/5/page.tsx, or Vite with react-router). Add a sticky nav with links between them.

Why this works:

• Within context, the model knows the other 4 designs
• It actively makes each one unique from the others
• Roll enough times, steer to what you like

Skip for: bug fixes, existing design systems, --single flag, or explicitly conservative requests.

What "Distinct" Means

Each variation must differ in AT LEAST 3 dimensions:

NEVER submit variations with same layout, different colors. That's lazy.

Iteration Workflow (The Core Value)

After initial 5 designs:

1. User identifies favorites — "I like #2 and #4"
2. User explains what resonated — "The chunky type on #2, the color blocking on #4"
3. Generate 5 more inspired by those elements
4. Repeat until you have a solid starting point

Font Recommendations

Use these for NEW projects without an existing design system. If the project already has fonts, keep them.

Display / Headers

Body Text

Pairings That Work

/* Elegant editorial */
--font-display: 'Fraunces', serif;
--font-body: 'Source Sans 3', sans-serif;

/* Bold modern */
--font-display: 'Bebas Neue', sans-serif;
--font-body: 'Outfit', sans-serif;

/* Technical/dev */
--font-display: 'Space Mono', monospace;
--font-body: 'Manrope', sans-serif;

/* Warm and approachable */
--font-display: 'Syne', sans-serif;
--font-body: 'Plus Jakarta Sans', sans-serif;

Color Palettes

Dark Mode

/* Deep navy + bright accent */
--bg: #0a0f1a; --surface: #141b2d; --text: #e4e8f0; --accent: #00d4aa;

/* True black + gold */
--bg: #000000; --surface: #111111; --text: #ffffff; --accent: #c9a227;

/* Warm dark */
--bg: #1a1612; --surface: #2d2620; --text: #f5f0eb; --accent: #e07a5f;

Light Mode

/* Warm cream */
--bg: #faf6f1; --surface: #ffffff; --text: #1a1612; --accent: #c25b3f;

/* Cool minimal */
--bg: #f8fafc; --surface: #ffffff; --text: #0f172a; --accent: #0ea5e9;

/* High contrast */
--bg: #ffffff; --surface: #f1f5f9; --text: #000000; --accent: #dc2626;

Distinctive Accent Colors

Warm terracotta (#c25b3f), Deep teal (#0d9488), Burnt orange (#ea580c), Gold/ochre (#c9a227), Coral (#f97316), Deep purple (#7c3aed — only if intentional).

Layout Patterns

Adapt these to the detected stack. Examples shown in JSX + Tailwind — translate to Vue templates, Svelte markup, or plain HTML as needed.

Asymmetric Hero

12-col grid: 5-col text left, 7-col visual right, min-h-screen

Split Screen

flex row, each half w-1/2, min-h-screen, contrasting backgrounds

Offset Grid

3-col grid with staggered mt offsets for visual rhythm

Overlap Elements

relative container + absolute decorative element + z-indexed content

Motion

Don't scatter micro-interactions. Do one orchestrated page-load animation with staggered entrance (opacity 0→1, y 20→0, 0.1s delay per item).

Stack-aware implementation:

• React: framer-motion variants if already installed, CSS keyframes if not
• Vue: <Transition> / <TransitionGroup> built-ins
• Svelte: transition:fly / transition:fade built-ins
• Vanilla: CSS @keyframes + animation-delay with intersection observer

Don't add framer-motion as a new dependency just for entrance animations — CSS handles it fine.

Accessibility Pre-Flight

Before delivering any design, verify:

1. Color contrast — WCAG AA minimum (4.5:1 body text, 3:1 large text)
2. Focus indicators — visible focus ring on all interactive elements
3. Semantic HTML — headings in order, buttons for actions, links for navigation
4. Reduced motion — wrap animations in prefers-reduced-motion media query

See design-taste for the full a11y checklist.

Execution Principles

1. Commit to a direction — Restrained precision is as bold as maximalist chaos
2. Intentionality over intensity — Every choice should feel purposeful
3. Space is a design element — Use generous whitespace
4. Hierarchy through size — Big headlines, readable body
5. One accent, not five — Pick one color, use it sparingly
6. Responsive by default — Verify mobile unless told otherwise

Defaults to Avoid

These are defaults, not absolutes. If the user explicitly requests one, do it well.

Fonts (avoid for new projects):

• Inter, Roboto, Arial as display fonts (fine as body text in apps with existing systems)

Colors (avoid):

• Purple/pink/blue gradients on white (#1 AI slop indicator)

Patterns (avoid):

• Hero → features grid → pricing → footer (predictable)
• Card grids with uniform rounded corners
• Glassmorphism everywhere
• 3 centered feature cards
• Blue primary buttons
• Geometric blob SVGs
• Shadcn defaults unchanged

When User Says "Make It Look Good"

1. Ask: "What vibe? Minimal/bold/playful/professional?"
2. Generate 5 variations on /1-/5 (unless --single)
3. Wait for feedback on favorites
4. Iterate with steering
5. Don't converge on safe choices

Integration

• design-taste: Use for architecture-level design decisions, design system creation, visual identity. frontend-design is for building; design-taste is for deciding.
• redesign: Use when upgrading existing UI. frontend-design is for new builds.
• pp3p: Run after building to polish the output.

Output Format

After generating designs:

SUCCESS: Generated [N] design variations on routes /1-/[N]
METRIC: variations=[count] dimensions_varied=[list]
Navigation: [localhost URL]
Ready for feedback — which designs resonate?

For single components:

SUCCESS: Created [component type] with [key characteristics]
METRIC: files=[paths]