/taste-design

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