/brand-identity-generator

name: brand-identity-generator
description: "Use this skill when the user needs to create a visual brand identity for their product. Generates a comprehensive BRAND-IDENTITY.md file for the project root. Covers colors, typography, spacing, components, accessibility, and responsive design — with no gaps for AI to fill with generic defaults."

Brand Identity Generator

Generate a complete `BRAND-IDENTITY.md` file for the user's project root — a single reference document that specifies every visual decision so AI tools never guess.

**Two modes:**

• **Guided discovery** (default) — Ask one question, propose a full identity, refine from reactions. The user never needs design vocabulary.
• **Expert shortcut** — Detect when the user already provides specific design tokens (hex codes, font names, spacing values). Acknowledge what they've specified, fill gaps with smart defaults, skip discovery.

The output is a project-level reference file, not a skill. Once generated, any AI tool (Claude Code, Lovable, Cursor, Replit) can read `BRAND-IDENTITY.md` and build consistent UI without repeated instructions.

> Logo guidance, decision frameworks, and common branding mistakes are included at the end.

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Discovery Process

**Core principle: The user should never need to use design vocabulary. They react to your proposals. You do the heavy lifting.**

Default Path (Guided Discovery)

**Step 1 — Ask ONE question:**

> "What are you building and who is it for?"

That's it. One question. Do not ask about colors, fonts, or design preferences.

**Step 2 — Select reference brands:**

Based on their answer, select the 1-2 closest reference brands from the Reference Brand Library below. Use the "Best for" field to match.

**Step 3 — Propose a complete identity in plain English:**

Write a human-readable recommendation. Talk about feeling, not specs. Example tone:

> "Your users are developers who'll have this open all day. Products that succeed in this space — like Linear and GitHub — use calm, minimal aesthetics because your users stare at this 8 hours a day. I'd go with a dark-compatible palette built around a single cool accent, tight spacing so information density is high, and geometric type that feels fast. Here's what I'd recommend and why..."

Then present a summary covering:

• Overall feel in plain words
• Which reference brands you're drawing from and why
• Color direction (warm/cool, light/dark, accent character)
• Typography character (not font names — "clean and precise" vs "warm and readable")
• Density and spacing feel
• Component personality (sharp and fast vs soft and friendly)

Do NOT present the full 12-section spec yet. Keep it conversational.

**Step 4 — User reacts:**

They might say things like:

• "Love it"
• "Warmer"
• "I hate green"
• "More like Notion"
• "Can we make it feel more premium?"
• "Less corporate"

Adjust and re-propose. This loop usually takes 1-3 rounds.

**Step 5 — Generate the full BRAND-IDENTITY.md:**

Once the user approves, generate the complete output using the Output Template below. Write it to the project root as `BRAND-IDENTITY.md`.

Expert Path

Detect when the user provides specific design tokens — hex codes, font names, radius values, spacing scales. Signs of an expert:

• They paste CSS custom properties or Tailwind config
• They name specific fonts ("Inter for headings, Source Sans for body")
• They provide hex codes
• They reference specific component libraries

When detected: 1. Acknowledge exactly what they've specified 2. Fill every gap with smart defaults that complement their choices 3. Skip the discovery conversation 4. Generate the full BRAND-IDENTITY.md 5. Still apply ALL enforced best practices (accessibility, responsive, etc.)

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Reference Brand Library

25 brands across 7 categories. Use the "Feel" to describe brands to users. Use the "Design DNA" internally to derive specific values.

Minimal / Precise

**Stripe**

• Feel: Precise, confident, no wasted space
• Best for: Financial tools, APIs, B2B platforms
• Design DNA: Cool temperature | Moderate spacing | Moderate radius | Subtle shadows | Geometric type | Medium weight | High contrast

**Linear**

• Feel: Fast, quiet, stays out of your way
• Best for: Dev tools, productivity apps, task management
• Design DNA: Cool temperature | Moderate spacing | Moderate radius | Minimal shadows | Geometric type | Light weight | High contrast

**Vercel**

• Feel: Bold, dark, futuristic
• Best for: Technical platforms, dev tools, infrastructure
• Design DNA: Cool temperature | Moderate spacing | Sharp radius | No shadows | Geometric type | Heavy weight | High contrast

**Superhuman**

• Feel: Luxurious, dense, keyboard-driven
• Best for: Premium productivity, power-user tools
• Design DNA: Cool temperature | Dense spacing | Moderate radius | Subtle shadows | Geometric type | Medium weight | High contrast

Warm / Approachable

**Notion**

• Feel: Warm, inviting, like a blank notebook
• Best for: Creative tools, knowledge work, wikis
• Design DNA: Warm temperature | Spacious spacing | Moderate radius | Subtle shadows | Humanist type | Light weight | Moderate contrast

**Basecamp**

• Feel: Honest, unpretentious, handmade feel
• Best for: Small business tools, project management
• Design DNA: Warm temperature | Spacious spacing | Rounded radius | No shadows | Humanist type | Medium weight | Moderate contrast

**Mailchimp**

• Feel: Quirky, fun, doesn't take itself too seriously
• Best for: Small business marketing, email tools
• Design DNA: Warm temperature | Spacious spacing | Rounded radius | Subtle shadows | Humanist type | Medium weight | Moderate contrast

**Canva**

• Feel: Bright, encouraging, "you can do this"
• Best for: Creative tools for non-designers, visual editors
• Design DNA: Warm temperature | Moderate spacing | Rounded radius | Subtle shadows | Geometric type | Medium weight | High contrast

Collaborative / Social

**Slack**

• Feel: Friendly, colorful, energetic

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