Taste

High-Agency Frontend Skill

Authority References (shokunin improvement)

The rules in this skill are based on patterns observed across:

• Linear, Vercel, Stripe, Notion — product UI
• Apple Human Interface Guidelines
• Material Design 3
• Emil Kowalski's design engineering (Sonner, Vaul, animations.dev)
• Paul Lewis (Google Chrome) — compositor-only properties
• Ahmad Shadeed — Container Queries and CSS architecture
• WCAG 2.2 — Accessibility guidelines
• CSS Working Group — modern CSS features

1. ACTIVE BASELINE CONFIGURATION

• DESIGN_VARIANCE: 8 (1=Perfect Symmetry, 10=Artsy Chaos)
• MOTION_INTENSITY: 6 (1=Static, 10=Cinematic/Magic Physics)
• VISUAL_DENSITY: 4 (1=Art Gallery/Airy, 10=Pilot Cockpit/Packed Data)

These are the standard baselines. ALWAYS listen to the user: adapt these values dynamically based on what they explicitly request. Use these values as global variables driving Sections 3 through 7.

2. DEFAULT ARCHITECTURE & CONVENTIONS

Framework & Interactivity

• React or Next.js. Default to Server Components (RSC).
• INTERACTIVITY ISOLATION: Interactive UI components with motion MUST be extracted as isolated leaf components with 'use client' at top.
• DEPENDENCY VERIFICATION [MANDATORY]: Before importing ANY 3rd party library (framer-motion, lucide-react, zustand), check package.json. If missing, output npm install <package> before code. Never assume.

Styling

• Use Tailwind CSS (v3/v4) for 90% of styling.
• CSS vanilla alternative (shokunin improvement): For projects without Tailwind, use CSS custom properties + modern CSS (Container Queries, clamp(), :has(), OKLCH).
• TAILWIND VERSION LOCK: Check package.json. No v4 syntax in v3 projects.
• ANTI-EMOJI POLICY: NEVER use emojis in code, markup, text, or alt text. Replace with Phosphor, Lucide, or clean SVG primitives.

Responsiveness

• Viewport Stability [CRITICAL]: NEVER h-screen. Always min-h-[100dvh] for iOS Safari.
• Grid over Flex-Math: NEVER w-[calc(33%-1rem)]. Always CSS Grid grid-cols-3 gap-6.
• Standardize breakpoints: sm(640), md(768), lg(1024), xl(1280).

Icons

• @phosphor-icons/react or @radix-ui/react-icons. Standardize strokeWidth (1.5 or 2.0).

3. DESIGN ENGINEERING DIRECTIVES (Bias Correction)

Rule 1: Deterministic Typography

• Display/Headlines: text-4xl md:text-6xl tracking-tighter leading-none. Use Geist, Outfit, Cabinet Grotesk, or Satoshi. NEVER Inter for premium.
• TECHNICAL UI: Serif fonts strictly BANNED for Dashboards. Use high-end Sans-Serif: Geist + Geist Mono.
• Body: text-base text-gray-600 leading-relaxed max-w-[65ch].

Rule 2: Color Calibration

• Max 1 Accent Color. Saturation < 80%.
• THE AI PURPLE BAN: No purple button glows, no neon gradients. Use neutral bases (Zinc/Slate) with singular accents (Emerald, Electric Blue, Deep Rose).
• OKLCH preferred (shokunin improvement): oklch(50% 0.2 170) over hex #10b981.
• One palette for entire project. No warm/cool gray mix.

Rule 3: Layout Diversification

• ANTI-CENTER BIAS: When DESIGN_VARIANCE > 4, centered Hero sections are BANNED. Use Split Screen (50/50), Left Aligned content + Right Aligned asset, or Asymmetric White-space.

Rule 4: Materiality and Shadows

• DASHBOARD HARDENING: For VISUAL_DENSITY > 7, cards are BANNED. Use border-t, divide-y, or negative space. Data breathes without boxes.
• Cards only when elevation communicates hierarchy. Tint shadow to background hue.

Rule 5: Interactive UI States

• Mandatory: Loading (skeletal, not spinners) → Empty (beautiful, with guidance) → Error (inline, specific) → Success.
• Tactile Feedback: :active → scale-[0.98]. transition: transform 160ms ease-out.

Rule 6: Data & Form Patterns

• Labels ABOVE inputs. Error text BELOW input. Standard gap-2 for input blocks.

4. CREATIVE PROACTIVITY (Anti-Slop Implementation)

• "Liquid Glass": When glassmorphism is needed, add 1px inner border + inner shadow. Never default decoration.
• Magnetic Micro-physics (MOTION_INTENSITY > 5): Use Framer Motion useMotionValue + useTransform outside React render cycle. NEVER useState for continuous animations.
• Perpetual Micro-Interactions: Pulse, Typewriter, Float, Shimmer. Spring physics (type: "spring", stiffness: 100, damping: 20). No linear easing.
• Staggered Orchestration: animation-delay: calc(var(--index) * 100ms). 30-80ms between items. Parent + Children in same Client Component tree.
• WAAPI fallback for heavy load (shokunin improvement): When Framer Motion drops frames under load, use WAAPI: element.animate(...). Runs off main thread.

5. PERFORMANCE GUARDRAILS

• GPU-Safe: Only animate transform and opacity. Never top, left, width, height.
• Grain/Noise: Apply exclusively to position: fixed; pointer-events: none pseudo-elements. Never on scrolling containers.
• Blur: Only on fixed/sticky elements. Never on scrolling content.
• Z-Index Discipline: Only for systemic layers (sticky nav, modals, overlays).
• prefers-reduced-motion (shokunin improvement): Mandatory on every animation:

@media (prefers-reduced-motion: reduce) {
  *, *::before, *::after {
    animation-duration: 0.01ms !important;
    transition-duration: 0.01ms !important;
  }
}

6. TECHNICAL REFERENCE (Dial Definitions)

DESIGN_VARIANCE (1-10)

• 1-3 (Predictable): justify-center, 12-column grids, equal paddings.
• 4-7 (Offset): Overlapping, varied aspect ratios, left-aligned over center.
• 8-10 (Asymmetric): Masonry, fractional grids, massive empty zones.
• MOBILE OVERRIDE: Levels 4-10: collapse to single-column (w-full, px-4, py-8) below 768px.

MOTION_INTENSITY (1-10)

• 1-3 (Static): :hover and :active only.
• 4-7 (Fluid): transition: all 0.3s cubic-bezier(0.16, 1, 0.3, 1). Stagger reveals.
• 8-10 (Choreography): Complex scroll-triggers. Framer Motion. NEVER window.addEventListener('scroll').

VISUAL_DENSITY (1-10)

• 1-3 (Gallery): Lots of white space. Expensive, clean.
• 4-7 (Daily App): Normal spacing.
• 8-10 (Cockpit): Tiny paddings. No cards. 1px lines. Monospace for all numbers.

7. AI TELLS (Forbidden Patterns)

8. THE CREATIVE ARSENAL (High-End Inspiration)

Reference library of advanced UI concepts. Never default to generic. Use Framer Motion for Bento/UI interactions. Use GSAP/ThreeJS exclusively for isolated full-page scrolltelling or canvas backgrounds, wrapped in strict useEffect cleanup.

Hero Paradigms: Split Screen, Slide-Away Text, Curtain Reveal, Zoom Parallax

Navigation: Mac OS Dock, Magnetic Button, Dynamic Island, Radial Menu

Layouts: Bento Grid, Masonry, Chroma Grid, Split Scroll

Cards: Parallax Tilt, Spotlight Border, Holographic Foil, Tinder Swipe

Scroll: Sticky Stack, Horizontal Hijack, Scroll Progress Path, Liquid Swipe

Text: Kinetic Marquee, Text Mask Reveal, Scramble Effect, Circular Path

Micro: Particle Explosion, Ripple Click, Skeleton Shimmer, Animated SVG Line Drawing

Error Handling

10. PRE-FLIGHT CHECKLIST

• Mobile: min-h-[100dvh] (not h-screen)
• Mobile collapse below 768px for asymmetric layouts
• prefers-reduced-motion on every animation
• Only transform + opacity animated
• Hover gated behind @media (hover: hover)
• No emojis in code or content
• No Inter as display font
• No neon glows or AI purple
• No #000000 or #ffffff — tinted neutrals
• Grid used instead of complex flexbox math
• Loading, empty, error states all rendered
• Buttons: scale-[0.98] on :active
• Grain/noise: position: fixed; pointer-events: none only
• Perpetual animations in isolated Client Components
• Dependency verification: all imports exist in package.json

Workflow

1. Read user intent — extract product type, style keywords, motion preference, visual density preference. Map to the three dial values (DESIGN_VARIANCE, MOTION_INTENSITY, VISUAL_DENSITY).
2. Lock dependencies — check package.json before importing. Tailwind version (v3 vs v4 syntax). Icon library availability. Framer Motion presence.
3. Establish the global config — set typography (display sans, body sans, mono). Set 1 accent color (saturation < 80%). Set neutral palette (Zinc or Slate, never mixed).
4. Apply bias corrections — anti-center for DESIGN_VARIANCE > 4. No cards for VISUAL_DENSITY > 7. No serif for dashboards. No purple glows. No Inter as display.
5. Build component tree — extract interactive/motion components into isolated Client Components with 'use client'. Static content stays server-rendered.
6. Layer creative effects — apply grain/noise to fixed pseudo-elements only. Add scroll-entry reveals (staggered at 100ms intervals). Spring physics for magnetic micro-interactions.
7. Guard performance — only animate transform + opacity. Gate hover behind @media (hover: hover). Mandatory prefers-reduced-motion on every animation.
8. Run pre-flight checklist — verify mobile min-h-[100dvh], no emojis, no banned patterns, all states rendered (loading, empty, error, success).

Anti-Patterns

Sources

• Emil Kowalski — Design engineering (Sonner, Vaul, Linear, animations.dev)
• Paul Lewis — Compositor-only properties (Google Chrome)
• Ahmad Shadeed — Container Queries and modern CSS
• WCAG 2.2 — Accessibility
• Apple Human Interface Guidelines
• Material Design 3
• OKLCH color space (W3C)

Checklist

• Skill loads without errors in the AI agent
• YAML frontmatter is valid (description, compatibility, audience)
• Workflow section provides clear step-by-step instructions
• Error handling section covers common failure modes
• All referenced files (references/, scripts/, assets/) exist
• Skill triggers correctly for intended use cases
• No broken links or missing resources