--- name: taste-design description: Semantic Design System Skill for Google Stitch. Generates agent-friendly DESIGN.md files that enforce premium, anti-generic UI standards — strict typography, calibrated color, asymmetric layouts, perpetual micro-motion, and hardware-accelerated performance. allowed-tools: - "StitchMCP" - "Read" - "Write" --- # Stitch Design Taste — Semantic Design System Skill ## Overview This skill generates `DESIGN.md` files optimized for Google Stitch screen generation. It translates the battle-tested anti-slop frontend engineering directives into Stitch's native semantic design language — descriptive, natural-language rules paired with precise values that Stitch's AI agent can interpret to produce premium, non-generic interfaces. The generated `DESIGN.md` serves as the **single source of truth** for prompting Stitch to generate new screens that align with a curated, high-agency design language. Stitch interprets design through **"Visual Descriptions"** supported by specific color values, typography specs, and component behaviors. ## Prerequisites - Access to Google Stitch via [labs.google.com/stitch](https://labs.google.com/stitch) - Optionally: Stitch MCP Server for programmatic integration with Cursor, Antigravity, or Gemini CLI ## The Goal Generate a `DESIGN.md` file that encodes: 1. **Visual atmosphere** — the mood, density, and design philosophy 2. **Color calibration** — neutrals, accents, and banned patterns with hex codes 3. **Typographic architecture** — font stacks, scale hierarchy, and anti-patterns 4. **Component behaviors** — buttons, cards, inputs with interaction states 5. **Layout principles** — grid systems, spacing philosophy, responsive strategy 6. **Motion philosophy** — animation engine specs, spring physics, perpetual micro-interactions 7. **Anti-patterns** — explicit list of banned AI design clichés ## Analysis & Synthesis Instructions ### 1. Define the Atmosphere Evaluate the target project's intent. Use evocative adjectives from the taste spectrum: - **Density:** "Art Gallery Airy" (1–3) → "Daily App Balanced" (4–7) → "Cockpit Dense" (8–10) - **Variance:** "Predictable Symmetric" (1–3) → "Offset Asymmetric" (4–7) → "Artsy Chaotic" (8–10) - **Motion:** "Static Restrained" (1–3) → "Fluid CSS" (4–7) → "Cinematic Choreography" (8–10) Default baseline: Creativity 9, Variance 8, Motion 6, Density 5. Adapt dynamically based on user's vibe description. ### 2. Map the Color Palette For each color provide: **Descriptive Name** + **Hex Code** + **Functional Role**. **Mandatory constraints:** - Maximum 1 accent color. Saturation below 80% - The "AI Purple/Blue Neon" aesthetic is strictly BANNED — no purple button glows, no neon gradients - Use absolute neutral bases (Zinc/Slate) with high-contrast singular accents - Stick to one palette for the entire output — no warm/cool gray fluctuation - Never use pure black (`#000000`) — use Off-Black, Zinc-950, or Charcoal ### 3. Establish Typography Rules - **Display/Headlines:** Track-tight, controlled scale. Not screaming. Hierarchy through weight and color, not just massive size - **Body:** Relaxed leading, max 65 characters per line - **Font Selection:** `Inter` is BANNED for premium/creative contexts. Force unique character: `Geist`, `Outfit`, `Cabinet Grotesk`, or `Satoshi` - **Serif Ban:** Generic serif fonts (`Times New Roman`, `Georgia`, `Garamond`, `Palatino`) are BANNED. If serif is needed for editorial/creative contexts, use only distinctive modern serifs: `Fraunces`, `Gambarino`, `Editorial New`, or `Instrument Serif`. Serif is always BANNED in dashboards or software UIs - **Dashboard Constraint:** Use Sans-Serif pairings exclusively (`Geist` + `Geist Mono` or `Satoshi` + `JetBrains Mono`) - **High-Density Override:** When density exceeds 7, all numbers must use Monospace ### 4. Define the Hero Section The Hero is the first impression and must be creative, striking, and never generic: - **Inline Image Typography:** Embed small, contextual photos or visuals directly between words or letters in the headline. Images sit inline at type-height, rounded, acting as visual punctuation. This is the signature creative technique - **No Overlapping:** Text must never overlap images or other text. Every element occupies its own clean spatial zone - **No Filler Text:** "Scroll to explore", "Swipe down", scroll arrow icons, bouncing chevrons are BANNED. The content should pull users in naturally - **Asymmetric Structure:** Centered Hero layouts BANNED when variance exceeds 4 - **CTA Restraint:** Maximum one primary CTA. No secondary "Learn more" links ### 5. Describe Component Stylings For each component type, describe shape, color, shadow depth, and interaction behavior: - **Buttons:** Tactile push feedback on active state. No neon outer glows. No custom mouse cursors - **Cards:** Use ONLY when elevation communicates hierarchy. Tint shadows to background hue. For high-density layouts, replace cards with border-top dividers or negative space - **Inputs/Forms:** Label above input, helper text optional, error text below. Standard gap spacing - **Loading States:** Skeletal loaders matching layout dimensions — no generic circular spinners - **Empty States:** Composed compositions indicating how to populate data - **Error States:** Clear, inline error reporting ### 6. Define Layout Principles - No overlapping elements — every element occupies its own clear spatial zone. No absolute-positioned content stacking - Centered Hero sections are BANNED when variance exceeds 4 — force Split Screen, Left-Aligned, or Asymmetric Whitespace - The generic "3 equal cards horizontally" feature row is BANNED — use 2-column Zig-Zag, asymmetric grid, or horizontal scroll - CSS Grid over Flexbox math — never use `calc()` percentage hacks - Contain layouts using max-width constraints (e.g., 1400px centered) - Full-height sections must use `min-h-[100dvh]` — never `h-screen` (iOS Safari catastrophic jump) ### 7. Define Responsive Rules Every design must work across all viewports: - **Mobile-First Collapse (< 768px):** All multi-column layouts collapse to single column. No exceptions - **No Horizontal Scroll:** Horizontal overflow on mobile is a critical failure - **Typography Scaling:** Headlines scale via `clamp()`. Body text minimum `1rem`/`14px` - **Touch Targets:** All interactive elements minimum `44px` tap target - **Image Behavior:** Inline typography images (photos between words) stack below headline on mobile - **Navigation:** Desktop horizontal nav collapses to clean mobile menu - **Spacing:** Vertical section gaps reduce proportionally (`clamp(3rem, 8vw, 6rem)`) ### 8. Encode Motion Philosophy - **Spring Physics default:** `stiffness: 100, damping: 20` — premium, weighty feel. No linear easing - **Perpetual Micro-Interactions:** Every active component should have an infinite loop state (Pulse, Typewriter, Float, Shimmer) - **Staggered Orchestration:** Never mount lists instantly — use cascade delays for waterfall reveals - **Performance:** Animate exclusively via `transform` and `opacity`. Never animate `top`, `left`, `width`, `height`. Grain/noise filters on fixed pseudo-elements only ### 9. List Anti-Patterns (AI Tells) Encode these as explicit "NEVER DO" rules in the DESIGN.md: - No emojis anywhere - No `Inter` font - No generic serif fonts (`Times New Roman`, `Georgia`, `Garamond`) — distinctive modern serifs only if needed - No pure black (`#000000`) - No neon/outer glow shadows - No oversaturated accents - No excessive gradient text on large headers - No custom mouse cursors - No overlapping elements — clean spatial separation always - No 3-column equal card layouts - No generic names ("John Doe", "Acme", "Nexus") - No fake round numbers (`99.99%`, `50%`) - No fabricated data or statistics — never generate metrics, performance numbers, uptime percentages, response times, or any data that the user did not explicitly provide. "99.98% UPTIME SLA", "124ms AVG. RESPONSE", "18.5k DEPLOY CYCLES" are invented AI filler. If real data is not available, use clear placeholder labels like `[metric]` instead of making up numbers - No fake system/metric sections — "SYSTEM PERFORMANCE METRICS", "KEY STATISTICS", "BY THE NUMBERS" dashboard cards filled with invented data are BANNED - No `LABEL // YEAR` formatting — "SYSTEM // 2024", "METRICS // 2025" is a lazy AI convention, not real design typography - No AI copywriting clichés ("Elevate", "Seamless", "Unleash", "Next-Gen") - No filler UI text: "Scroll to explore", "Swipe down", scroll arrows, bouncing chevrons - No broken Unsplash links — use `picsum.photos` or SVG avatars - No centered Hero sections (for high-variance projects) ## Output Format (DESIGN.md Structure) ```markdown # Design System: [Project Title] ## 1. Visual Theme & Atmosphere (Evocative description of the mood, density, variance, and motion intensity. Example: "A restrained, gallery-airy interface with confident asymmetric layouts and fluid spring-physics motion. The atmosphere is clinical yet warm — like a well-lit architecture studio.") ## 2. Color Palette & Roles - **Canvas White** (#F9FAFB) — Primary background surface - **Pure Surface** (#FFFFFF) — Card and container fill - **Charcoal Ink** (#18181B) — Primary text, Zinc-950 depth - **Muted Steel** (#71717A) — Secondary text, descriptions, metadata - **Whisper Border** (rgba(226,232,240,0.5)) — Card borders, 1px structural lines - **[Accent Name]** (#XXXXXX) — Single accent for CTAs, active states, focus rings (Max 1 accent. Saturation < 80%. No purple/neon.) ## 3. Typography Rules - **Display:** [Font Name] — Track-tight, controlled scale, weight-driven hierarchy - **Body:** [Font Name] — Relaxed leading, 65ch max-width, neutral secondary color - **Mono:** [Font Name] — For code, metadata, timestamps, high-density numbers - **Banned:** Inter, generic system fonts for premium contexts. Serif fonts banned in dashboards. ## 4. Component Stylings * **Buttons:** Flat, no outer glow. Tactile -1px translate on active. Accent fill for primary, ghost/outline for secondary. * **Cards:** Generously rounded corners (2.5rem). Diffused whisper shadow. Used only when elevation serves hierarchy. High-density: replace with border-top dividers. * **Inputs:** Label above, error below. Focus ring in accent color. No floating labels. * **Loaders:** Skeletal shimmer matching exact layout dimensions. No circular spinners. * **Empty States:** Composed, illustrated compositions — not just "No data" text. ## 5. Layout Principles (Grid-first responsive architecture. Asymmetric splits for Hero sections. Strict single-column collapse below 768px. Max-width containment. No flexbox percentage math. Generous internal padding.) ## 6. Motion & Interaction (Spring physics for all interactive elements. Staggered cascade reveals. Perpetual micro-loops on active dashboard components. Hardware-accelerated transforms only. Isolated Client Components for CPU-heavy animations.) ## 7. Anti-Patterns (Banned) (Explicit list of forbidden patterns: no emojis, no Inter, no pure black, no neon glows, no 3-column equal grids, no AI copywriting clichés, no generic placeholder names, no broken image links.) ``` ## Best Practices - **Be Descriptive:** "Deep Charcoal Ink (#18181B)" — not just "dark text" - **Be Functional:** Explain what each element is used for - **Be Consistent:** Same terminology throughout the document - **Be Precise:** Include exact hex codes, rem values, pixel values in parentheses - **Be Opinionated:** This is not a neutral template — it enforces a specific, premium aesthetic ## Tips for Success 1. Start with the atmosphere — understand the vibe before detailing tokens 2. Look for patterns — identify consistent spacing, sizing, and styling 3. Think semantically — name colors by purpose, not just appearance 4. Consider hierarchy — document how visual weight communicates importance 5. Encode the bans — anti-patterns are as important as the rules themselves ## Common Pitfalls to Avoid - Using technical jargon without translation ("rounded-xl" instead of "generously rounded corners") - Omitting hex codes or using only descriptive names - Forgetting functional roles of design elements - Being too vague in atmosphere descriptions - Ignoring the anti-pattern list — these are what make the output premium - Defaulting to generic "safe" designs instead of enforcing the curated aesthetic --- Source attribution: andrewthomastaylor Original project: https://github.com/andrewthomastaylor/Skills/blob/cb7b4065bacb4b06224de86d509ccef568f68b79/stitch-skills/skills/taste-design/SKILL.md License: Apache-2.0 License information: https://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0 Original upstream instructions; downloaded from Mega AI Hub. ## Upstream license notice Apache License Version 2.0, January 2004 http://www.apache.org/licenses/ TERMS AND CONDITIONS FOR USE, REPRODUCTION, AND DISTRIBUTION 1. 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See the License for the specific language governing permissions and limitations under the License. # Mega AI Hub resource metadata Creator / publisher: andrewthomastaylor Original project: https://github.com/andrewthomastaylor/Skills/blob/cb7b4065bacb4b06224de86d509ccef568f68b79/stitch-skills/skills/taste-design/SKILL.md Attribution basis: Source repository record Fields of work: Design, Development & Engineering, Product Management Roles: Frontend Developer, Graphic Designer, Growth Product Manager, Product Designer, UX Designer Specialties: Design Tools: Antigravity, Cursor, Stitchmcp, Gemini Cli Country applicability: Country not specified Classification basis: Source catalog labels Instruction SHA-256: e425fdb7ab250764f6229c48941f97e20bd6a7ba9e25a628f1e0ebeb008e8bff