brand-visual-generator

What this skill does

# Components: Brand Visual Identity

Guides visual identity for consistent brand presentation. Companies with consistent branding see up to 23-33% revenue lift; 94% of consumers say consistency influences buying decisions.

**Keywords**: visual identity, design tokens, color palette, typography, CSS variables, slide deck, brand guidelines, frontend aesthetics, accessibility

**When invoking**: On **first use**, if helpful, open with 1-2 sentences on what this skill covers and why it matters, then provide the main output. On **subsequent use** or when the user asks to skip, go directly to the main output.

## Initial Assessment

**Check for project context first:** If `.claude/project-context.md` or `.cursor/project-context.md` exists, read Section 12 (Visual Identity) for colors, typography, spacing. See **branding** for brand strategy and visual identity strategy layer.

Identify:
1. **Scope**: New brand, audit, or component design
2. **Touchpoints**: Web, print, social, product UI, **slides** (PowerPoint, Google Slides, Keynote), **documents** (Word, Google Docs, PDF reports)
3. **Existing assets**: Logo, style guide, design files

## Best Practices

### Typography

- **Two-font system**: One display font for headlines, one body font for text. Contrast + harmony: different enough for distinct roles, similar enough to feel cohesive.
- **Body font**: Prioritize legibility—large x-height, open counters. For neutral/safe: Source Sans 3, Lora, IBM Plex Sans. **For distinctiveness**: avoid overused AI fonts (Inter, Roboto, Arial, system fonts); prefer characterful choices that elevate the brand. See **Frontend Aesthetics**.
- **Headline font**: Communicates brand voice; must be readable in under one second. Carries personality while body handles infrastructure.
- **Type scale**: Use ratios 1.25–1.5 (Major Third or Perfect Fifth) for hierarchy. Limit to 3–4 styles per block.
- **Pairing rule**: Decorative fonts only with neutral typefaces. Assign distinct roles; avoid mixing more than two families.
- **Sizes**: Hero, section, subheading, body, caption; responsive scaling. Line length max 120 chars; generous line-height.

### Color Palette

- **Structure**: Primary, secondary, CTA, background, text. Use flexible systems (core hero color + complementary shades), not single rigid colors.
- **Industry mapping**: Finance → blue, gray, navy (stability); Luxury → rose gold, burgundy, black (exclusivity); Tech → teal, neon accents, charcoal (innovation); Wellness → lavender, peach, mint (calm); Sustainability → sage green, earthy tones.
- **Reproduction**: HEX, RGB, CMYK for print and digital. For **programmatic slides** (e.g. python-pptx), map brand HEX to RGB tuples `(R, G, B)` for fills and text; keep a single source of truth table (HEX + RGB) in the deliverable.
- **Accessibility**: Contrast >=4.5:1 for normal text, >=3:1 for large text (18px+ or 14px+ bold). Don't rely on color alone for information.

### Spacing

- **Margins**: Horizontal (e.g. 120px), vertical section padding
- **Grid**: Consistent spacing scale (8px base common)
- **Logo clear space**: Minimum space around logo; document in brand guide

### Logo Usage

- **Variants**: Primary, secondary, monogram; light/dark backgrounds
- **Minimum size**: Prevent illegibility
- **Don't**: Stretch, recolor, add effects without approval

### Anti-Patterns (Avoid)

- **Aesthetics over functionality**: Don't sacrifice usability for visual appeal.
- **Unclear CTAs**: Limit primary CTA to one per section; visually differentiate primary vs secondary.
- **Inconsistent elements**: Pixelated icons, mismatched spacing/typography/color reduce trust.
- **Poor text hierarchy**: Disordered, cluttered text confuses users.
- **Overusing effects**: Drop shadows, pop-ups, crowded UI distract from content.
- **Chasing trends blindly**: Adopt trends only when they fit project needs.
- **Ignoring performance**: Heavy assets and complex layouts hurt load times.
- **Generic AI aesthetics**: Inter, Roboto, Arial, Space Grotesk, and system fonts contribute to cookie-cutter design; avoid clichéd schemes (e.g., purple gradients on white). Prefer distinctive choices when brand differentiation matters.
- **Emoji as icons**: Use SVG icons (Heroicons, Lucide, Simple Icons)—never emojis (🎨 🚀 ⚙️) as UI icons; emojis look unprofessional and inconsistent.
- **Unstable hover states**: Use color/opacity transitions on hover; avoid scale transforms that shift layout or cause content jump.

### Accessibility Checklist

- **Contrast**: Normal text >=4.5:1; large text >=3:1; interactive elements >=3:1.
- **Focus**: Visible focus indicator (>=2px solid, 3:1 contrast); logical Tab order; no keyboard traps.
- **Color**: Never use color alone to convey information; add text or icons for states (error, success).
- **Keyboard**: All interactive elements reachable via Tab, Enter, Spacebar.
- **Reduced motion**: Respect `prefers-reduced-motion` for animations.

## Frontend Aesthetics

Guides distinctive, production-grade frontend implementation. Components (hero, CTA, footer, etc.) and pages (landing, home, features) should reference these principles for visual differentiation. **Intentionality over intensity**: bold maximalism and refined minimalism both work when executed with precision.

### Typography

- **Avoid generic AI fonts**: Inter, Roboto, Arial, system fonts, Space Grotesk. These create cookie-cutter aesthetics.
- **Distinctive pairing**: One display font (headlines, personality) + one refined body font (readability). Choose characterful, unexpected fonts that elevate the interface.
- **Consistency**: Use CSS variables; limit to 3–4 type styles per block.

### Motion

- **High-impact moments**: One well-orchestrated page load with staggered reveals (`animation-delay`) creates more delight than scattered micro-interactions.
- **Prioritize**: CSS-only for HTML; Motion library for React when available. Scroll-triggering and hover states that surprise.
- **Accessibility**: Always respect `prefers-reduced-motion`; provide reduced or no-motion alternatives.

### Spatial Composition

- **Unexpected layouts**: Asymmetry, overlap, diagonal flow, grid-breaking elements.
- **Balance**: Generous negative space OR controlled density—choose intentionally.
- **Hierarchy**: Clear visual flow; avoid predictable, evenly-distributed layouts.

### Backgrounds & Visual Details

- **Atmosphere over flat**: Create depth rather than defaulting to solid colors.
- **Techniques**: Gradient meshes, noise textures, geometric patterns, layered transparencies, dramatic shadows, decorative borders, grain overlays.
- **Context**: Match effects to overall aesthetic; don't distract from content.

### Never

- Overused font families (Inter, Roboto, Arial, system fonts)
- Clichéd color schemes (e.g., purple gradients on white)
- Predictable layouts and cookie-cutter component patterns
- Design that lacks context-specific character
- Emojis as UI icons (use SVG: Heroicons, Lucide, Simple Icons)

## AI Brand Aesthetics (Optional)

For AI/SaaS products, consider these visual trends and brand archetypes; adopt, ignore, or counter consciously to avoid sameness.

### Visual Trends

| Trend | Signal |
|-------|--------|
| **Off-white / beige** | Trust, restraint, premium without gloss |
| **Organic gradients** | Distinctiveness; add grain, texture |
| **Digital impressionism** | Mood over literal; suggestive, not descriptive |
| **Lomo / imperfect** | Exploratory, human creativity |
| **Contemporary realism** | Precision, reliability, mastery |
| **Sketch / scribble** | Human thought, exploration over certainty |
| **Non-brand academia** | Authority; work speaks for itself |
| **Technical illustrations** | Rigor, engineering depth |
| **Quirky cuteness** | Approachability; counter doomsday narratives |
| **Morphing objects** | Emergence, systems that learn |
| **Futuristic surrealism** | Gateway to new worlds |
| **Outer space** | Exploration, unknown |
| **ASCII / pixels** | Ret