Design Register Bootstrap

Set the design register before styling anything substantial.

This skill exists for cases where the model is about to generate UI from vague vibes, default templates, or half-remembered brand intent.

Use For

• new frontend projects without PRODUCT.md or DESIGN.md;
• redesigns where the surface is unclear: marketing brand page vs. app/product UI;
• teams that keep getting mismatched typography, palette, density, or motion across tasks;
• sessions where the agent should create or refresh design context before implementation.

Core Rule

Classify the surface first:

• brand: marketing site, landing page, portfolio, campaign, editorial page, investor page, event page;
• product: dashboard, admin UI, internal tool, settings, onboarding flow, forms, data-heavy app shell.

Do not treat these as interchangeable. Brand surfaces can lead with identity and emotion. Product surfaces must optimize comprehension, workflow, and control clarity.

Workflow

1. Read current evidence:
   • project files, CSS tokens, component library, screenshots, references, user brief;
   • any existing PRODUCT.md, DESIGN.md, brand notes, or design tokens.
2. Write a compact design register:
   • surface type: brand or product;
   • audience;
   • first-screen job;
   • creator intent: what the person is actually trying to make possible;
   • preserve-theirs: what must remain recognizably theirs;
   • brand/product lane;
   • anti-references: what this should explicitly not resemble;
   • color strategy: restrained, committed, full palette, or drenched;
   • typography direction;
   • motion tolerance;
   • density and radius rules.
3. If context files are missing, create or update:
   • PRODUCT.md for audience, product lane, workflow, tone, creator intent, preserve-theirs, and anti-references;
   • DESIGN.md for colors, typography, spacing, component patterns, creator intent, preserve-theirs, and do/don't rules.
4. Ask one clarifying question only when either the branch between brand and product is genuinely unclear or creator intent is too vague to guide a real design choice. If neither blocks a real choice, move.
5. Use the register as a constraint system for later frontend work. Do not restyle pages in the same pass unless the task explicitly includes implementation.

Output Shape

When working inline, summarize:

• register
• audience
• creator intent
• design thesis
• preserve-theirs
• anti-references
• color strategy
• typography direction
• motion and density

When creating files, prefer concise machine-usable docs over long essays.

Guardrails

• Skip this skill when an existing design register is coherent and the task only needs implementation or a narrow visual fix; preserve the existing context instead of recreating it.
• Do not default every warm or “premium” brief to beige paper backgrounds.
• Do not default every technical product to dark mode.
• Do not choose palette or typography before writing the surface classification.
• If existing project tokens are coherent, preserve them and document them instead of replacing them.
• If the repo already has a stable design system, this skill should describe and reinforce it, not invent a second one.

Final Report

Include:

• whether the surface was classified as brand or product;
• files created or updated;
• unresolved uncertainty;
• downstream skills recommended, such as frontend-taste-layer, frontend-product-builder, or web-quality-audit.