claudetools/.claude/skills/frontend-design/SKILL.md

name: frontend-design description: Create distinctive, production-grade frontend interfaces with high design quality. MANDATORY AUTOMATIC INVOCATION: Use this skill whenever ANY action affects a UI element to validate visual correctness, functionality, and user experience. Also use when the user asks to build web components, pages, artifacts, posters, or applications (examples include websites, landing pages, dashboards, React components, HTML/CSS layouts, or when styling/beautifying any web UI). Generates creative, polished code and UI design that avoids generic AI aesthetics. license: Complete terms in LICENSE.txt

This skill guides creation of distinctive, production-grade frontend interfaces that avoid generic "AI slop" aesthetics. Implement real working code with exceptional attention to aesthetic details and creative choices.

The user provides frontend requirements: a component, page, application, or interface to build. They may include context about the purpose, audience, or technical constraints.

CRITICAL: Automatic Invocation Triggers

This skill MUST be invoked automatically whenever ANY action affects a UI element.

When to Invoke This Skill

MANDATORY Triggers - Invoke this skill for:

1. UI Creation

   • Creating new web pages, components, or interfaces
   • Building dashboards, forms, or layouts
   • Designing landing pages or marketing sites
   • Generating HTML/CSS/React/Vue code

2. UI Modification

   • Changing styles, colors, fonts, or layouts
   • Updating component appearance or behavior
   • Refactoring frontend code
   • Adding animations or interactions

3. UI Validation (CRITICAL)

   • After ANY code change that affects UI
   • After updating styles or markup
   • After adding features to UI components
   • After refactoring frontend code
   • After fixing UI bugs

Purpose of Automatic Invocation

When invoked for validation, this skill:

1. Verifies Visual Correctness

   • Layout renders as expected
   • Spacing and alignment are correct
   • Colors and fonts display properly
   • Responsive behavior works

2. Checks Functionality

   • Interactive elements work (buttons, forms, links)
   • Animations trigger correctly
   • State changes reflect visually
   • Event handlers fire properly

3. Validates User Experience

   • Navigation flows logically
   • Feedback is clear (hover states, loading indicators)
   • Accessibility features work
   • Mobile/responsive layout functions

4. Ensures Design Quality

   • Visual hierarchy is clear
   • Aesthetic direction is maintained
   • No generic AI patterns introduced
   • Polished, production-ready appearance

Validation Workflow

When invoked for UI validation after changes:

1. REVIEW: What UI elements were changed?
2. ASSESS: How should they appear/behave?
3. VALIDATE:
   - Visual appearance (layout, colors, fonts, spacing)
   - Interactive behavior (hover, click, focus states)
   - Responsive behavior (mobile, tablet, desktop)
   - Accessibility (keyboard nav, screen readers)
4. REPORT:
   - [OK] Working correctly
   - [WARNING] Minor issues detected
   - [ERROR] Critical issues found
5. FIX: If issues found, provide corrected code

Examples of Automatic Invocation

Example 1: After Adding Button

User: "Add a submit button to the form"
Assistant: [Adds button code]
→ TRIGGER: Invoke frontend-design skill
→ VALIDATE: Button appears correctly, hover states work, accessible
→ REPORT: "[OK] Submit button added and validated"

Example 2: After Styling Update

User: "Change the header background to blue"
Assistant: [Updates CSS]
→ TRIGGER: Invoke frontend-design skill
→ VALIDATE: Blue renders correctly, contrast is readable, responsive
→ REPORT: "[OK] Header background updated and validated"

Example 3: After Component Refactor

User: "Refactor the navigation component"
Assistant: [Refactors code]
→ TRIGGER: Invoke frontend-design skill
→ VALIDATE: Navigation still works, styles intact, mobile menu functions
→ REPORT: "[OK] Navigation refactored and validated" OR "[WARNING] Mobile menu broken - fixing..."

Integration with Other Agents

Coordination with Code Review Agent:

• Code Review Agent checks code quality/security
• Frontend Skill checks visual/UX correctness
• Both must approve before UI changes are final

Coordination with Testing Agent:

• Testing Agent runs automated tests
• Frontend Skill validates visual/UX manually
• Complementary validation approaches

Rule of Thumb

If the change appears in a browser, invoke this skill to validate it.

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Design Thinking

Before coding, understand the context and commit to a BOLD aesthetic direction:

• Purpose: What problem does this interface solve? Who uses it?
• Tone: Pick an extreme: brutally minimal, maximalist chaos, retro-futuristic, organic/natural, luxury/refined, playful/toy-like, editorial/magazine, brutalist/raw, art deco/geometric, soft/pastel, industrial/utilitarian, etc. There are so many flavors to choose from. Use these for inspiration but design one that is true to the aesthetic direction.
• Constraints: Technical requirements (framework, performance, accessibility).
• Differentiation: What makes this UNFORGETTABLE? What's the one thing someone will remember?

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

Then implement working code (HTML/CSS/JS, React, Vue, etc.) that is:

• Production-grade and functional
• Visually striking and memorable
• Cohesive with a clear aesthetic point-of-view
• Meticulously refined in every detail

Frontend Aesthetics Guidelines

Focus on:

• Typography: Choose fonts that are beautiful, unique, and interesting. Avoid generic fonts like Arial and Inter; opt instead for distinctive choices that elevate the frontend's aesthetics; unexpected, characterful font choices. Pair a distinctive display font with a refined body font.
• Color & Theme: Commit to a cohesive aesthetic. Use CSS variables for consistency. Dominant colors with sharp accents outperform timid, evenly-distributed palettes.
• Motion: Use animations for effects and micro-interactions. Prioritize CSS-only solutions for HTML. Use Motion library for React when available. Focus on high-impact moments: one well-orchestrated page load with staggered reveals (animation-delay) creates more delight than scattered micro-interactions. Use scroll-triggering and hover states that surprise.
• Spatial Composition: Unexpected layouts. Asymmetry. Overlap. Diagonal flow. Grid-breaking elements. Generous negative space OR controlled density.
• Backgrounds & Visual Details: Create atmosphere and depth rather than defaulting to solid colors. Add contextual effects and textures that match the overall aesthetic. Apply creative forms like gradient meshes, noise textures, geometric patterns, layered transparencies, dramatic shadows, decorative borders, custom cursors, and grain overlays.

NEVER use generic AI-generated aesthetics like overused font families (Inter, Roboto, Arial, system fonts), cliched color schemes (particularly purple gradients on white backgrounds), predictable layouts and component patterns, and cookie-cutter design that lacks context-specific character.

Interpret creatively and make unexpected choices that feel genuinely designed for the context. No design should be the same. Vary between light and dark themes, different fonts, different aesthetics. NEVER converge on common choices (Space Grotesk, for example) across generations.

IMPORTANT: Match implementation complexity to the aesthetic vision. Maximalist designs need elaborate code with extensive animations and effects. Minimalist or refined designs need restraint, precision, and careful attention to spacing, typography, and subtle details. Elegance comes from executing the vision well.

Remember: Claude is capable of extraordinary creative work. Don't hold back, show what can truly be created when thinking outside the box and committing fully to a distinctive vision.