Brand Setup

Research and establish brand identity for a venture. This skill is run during VALIDATION stage (or when transitioning to MVP).

Input

Venture slug: $ARGUMENTS

Step 1: Read Context

1. Read the venture's CLAUDE.md for name, one-liner, target audience
2. Read docs/market-research.md for competitive landscape
3. Read docs/gtm-strategy.md if it exists for positioning

Step 2: Name Validation

Research whether the venture name works:

1. Trademark search: WebSearch for "[name] trademark" and "[name] software" to check for conflicts
2. Competitor conflict: Check if any direct competitor uses a similar name
3. Pronunciation/spelling: Is it easy to say, spell, and remember?
4. SEO potential: WebSearch the name — how crowded are the results?
5. If the current name has issues, propose 3-5 alternatives with pros/cons

Step 3: Domain Research

Check domain availability and alternatives:

1. Primary domain: Check [name].com, [name].ai, [name].io, [name].co using WebFetch to check DNS/WHOIS
2. Alternative domains: Try variations — get[name].com, use[name].com, try[name].com, [name]app.com, [name]hq.com
3. Social handle availability: WebSearch for the name on Twitter/X, LinkedIn, GitHub
4. Recommendations: Rank top 3 domain options by preference with estimated cost

Use this approach to check domains:

WebFetch: https://rdap.verisign.com/com/v1/domain/[name].com

If it returns domain data = taken. If 404 = likely available.

For .ai/.io domains:

WebSearch: "[name].ai domain" OR check via WebFetch to a WHOIS API

Step 4: Brand Kit Generation

Create docs/brand-kit.md in the venture repo with:

Identity

• Name: [Final name]
• Tagline: [Short tagline, 5-8 words]
• One-liner: [Elevator pitch, 1 sentence]
• Boilerplate: [2-3 sentence company description for bios, footers, etc.]

Voice & Tone

• We sound like: [3 adjectives — e.g., confident, knowledgeable, approachable]
• We don't sound like: [3 things to avoid — e.g., corporate, salesy, condescending]
• Audience language: [Key terms the target audience uses naturally]
• Example sentences: [3 examples of on-brand copy vs off-brand copy]

Visual Identity

• Primary color: [Hex code + name — based on industry/audience psychology]
• Secondary color: [Hex code]
• Accent color: [Hex code — for CTAs, highlights]
• Background: [Light/dark preference with hex]
• Typography: [Font recommendations — heading + body]
• Icon style: [Lucide/outline, filled, etc.]

Domain & Handles

• Recommended domain: [Top pick with reasoning]
• Alternative domains: [2-3 backup options]
• Social handles: [Availability status for Twitter, LinkedIn, GitHub]
• Email: hello@[domain]

Stage-Based Rollout

Step 5: Update Venture Docs

1. Add brand kit reference to venture's CLAUDE.md
2. Update the venture's landing page CSS variables if colors differ from current