Typography Director
The department head for typography within the design domain. Routes questions to the right specialist, defines the learning order, and resolves conflicts between type choices.
Routing Logic
When a typography question arrives, classify it and route accordingly:
| Question Pattern |
Route To |
Why |
| Font selection, typeface classification, anatomy (x-height, ascenders) |
type-fundamentals |
Foundational type knowledge |
| Combining fonts, heading/body pairs, contrast and harmony |
type-pairing |
Pairing methodology |
| Type at different screen sizes, fluid type, mobile vs desktop |
responsive-type |
Scale-specific expertise |
| "What font should I use?" (vague) |
type-fundamentals first, then type-pairing |
Need classification before pairing |
| Readability or legibility concerns |
type-fundamentals first, then responsive-type |
Anatomy constrains scale |
Multi-Skill Questions
Some questions need multiple skills. Load in this priority:
type-fundamentals — understand the typeface's anatomy and classificationtype-pairing — how to combine it with other facesresponsive-type — how it behaves across screen sizes
This order ensures fundamentals constrain pairing, and pairing constrains responsive behavior.
Cross-Subdomain Routing
Typography questions sometimes overlap with visual-communication:
- Color + type: Route color questions to
visual-communication director, keep type questions here
- Layout + type: Route to
visual-communication for overall layout, this director handles type hierarchy within that layout
- Accessibility + type:
type-fundamentals handles legibility; escalate contrast ratios to visual-communication
Curriculum Order
For learning or progressive loading:
- Type Fundamentals (foundation) — What makes a typeface. Anatomy, classification, history. Without this, pairing is guesswork.
- Type Pairing (application) — How to combine typefaces. Contrast, harmony, hierarchy. Builds on fundamentals.
- Responsive Type (specialization) — How type behaves at different scales. Fluid sizing, optical adjustments. Needs both fundamentals and pairing context.
Level Progression
- Foundational: type-fundamentals, type-pairing, responsive-type (current skills)
- Intermediate: (future) lettering, variable fonts, type animation
- Advanced: (future) custom type design, type systems at scale
Conflict Resolution
When child skills give contradictory guidance:
| Conflict |
Resolution |
Reason |
| Pairing says "use decorative display font" but fundamentals says "low legibility" |
Fundamentals wins |
Readability is non-negotiable |
| Responsive says "increase to 18px" but pairing says "maintain 2:3 ratio with heading" |
Responsive wins |
Screen rendering is physical constraint |
| Fundamentals says "geometric sans" but pairing says "needs contrast with existing serif" |
Pairing wins |
Context-specific decision overrides general classification |
General rule: legibility > responsive behavior > aesthetic pairing. The reader's ability to read the text is the final arbiter.
Scope Boundaries
This director handles: All typography decisions — typeface selection, pairing, hierarchy, sizing, spacing, and readability assessment.
Escalate to the orchestrator when:
- The question involves brand-level type decisions (type as brand identity)
- The question spans multiple subdomains (e.g., "design a complete page" involves layout + type + color)
- The user needs a specialist agent launched (only orchestrators launch agents)
Cross-Domain Connections
- Writing/sentence-craft: Typography is sentence-craft for the eye. Both domains work with rhythm, hierarchy, and whitespace — prose-rhythm controls temporal pacing through sentence length variation; typography controls spatial pacing through size, weight, and leading. Type hierarchy (H1 → H2 → body → caption) mirrors prose structure (topic sentence → development → detail).
- Writing/sentence-craft/prose-rhythm: Type pairing parallels diction — choosing complementary elements that create contrast without conflict. A serif/sans pair creates the same kind of productive tension as alternating long and short sentences.
1---2name: typography3description: Direct the typography subdomain — route type-related questions to the right specialist skill, define the curriculum from anatomy to pairing to responsive scaling, and resolve conflicts between readability and aesthetic goals. Use when the user has a typography question and you need to determine which knowledge skill to consult.4---56# Typography Director78The department head for typography within the design domain. Routes questions to the right specialist, defines the learning order, and resolves conflicts between type choices.910## Routing Logic1112When a typography question arrives, classify it and route accordingly:1314| Question Pattern | Route To | Why |15|-----------------|----------|-----|16| Font selection, typeface classification, anatomy (x-height, ascenders) | `type-fundamentals` | Foundational type knowledge |17| Combining fonts, heading/body pairs, contrast and harmony | `type-pairing` | Pairing methodology |18| Type at different screen sizes, fluid type, mobile vs desktop | `responsive-type` | Scale-specific expertise |19| "What font should I use?" (vague) | `type-fundamentals` first, then `type-pairing` | Need classification before pairing |20| Readability or legibility concerns | `type-fundamentals` first, then `responsive-type` | Anatomy constrains scale |2122### Multi-Skill Questions2324Some questions need multiple skills. Load in this priority:251. `type-fundamentals` — understand the typeface's anatomy and classification262. `type-pairing` — how to combine it with other faces273. `responsive-type` — how it behaves across screen sizes2829This order ensures fundamentals constrain pairing, and pairing constrains responsive behavior.3031### Cross-Subdomain Routing3233Typography questions sometimes overlap with visual-communication:34- **Color + type**: Route color questions to `visual-communication` director, keep type questions here35- **Layout + type**: Route to `visual-communication` for overall layout, this director handles type hierarchy within that layout36- **Accessibility + type**: `type-fundamentals` handles legibility; escalate contrast ratios to `visual-communication`3738## Curriculum Order3940For learning or progressive loading:41421. **Type Fundamentals** (foundation) — What makes a typeface. Anatomy, classification, history. Without this, pairing is guesswork.432. **Type Pairing** (application) — How to combine typefaces. Contrast, harmony, hierarchy. Builds on fundamentals.443. **Responsive Type** (specialization) — How type behaves at different scales. Fluid sizing, optical adjustments. Needs both fundamentals and pairing context.4546### Level Progression47- **Foundational**: type-fundamentals, type-pairing, responsive-type (current skills)48- **Intermediate**: (future) lettering, variable fonts, type animation49- **Advanced**: (future) custom type design, type systems at scale5051## Conflict Resolution5253When child skills give contradictory guidance:5455| Conflict | Resolution | Reason |56|----------|-----------|--------|57| Pairing says "use decorative display font" but fundamentals says "low legibility" | Fundamentals wins | Readability is non-negotiable |58| Responsive says "increase to 18px" but pairing says "maintain 2:3 ratio with heading" | Responsive wins | Screen rendering is physical constraint |59| Fundamentals says "geometric sans" but pairing says "needs contrast with existing serif" | Pairing wins | Context-specific decision overrides general classification |6061**General rule**: legibility > responsive behavior > aesthetic pairing. The reader's ability to read the text is the final arbiter.6263## Scope Boundaries6465**This director handles**: All typography decisions — typeface selection, pairing, hierarchy, sizing, spacing, and readability assessment.6667**Escalate to the orchestrator when**:68- The question involves brand-level type decisions (type as brand identity)69- The question spans multiple subdomains (e.g., "design a complete page" involves layout + type + color)70- The user needs a specialist agent launched (only orchestrators launch agents)7172## Cross-Domain Connections7374- **Writing/sentence-craft**: Typography is sentence-craft for the eye. Both domains work with rhythm, hierarchy, and whitespace — prose-rhythm controls temporal pacing through sentence length variation; typography controls spatial pacing through size, weight, and leading. Type hierarchy (H1 → H2 → body → caption) mirrors prose structure (topic sentence → development → detail).75- **Writing/sentence-craft/prose-rhythm**: Type pairing parallels diction — choosing complementary elements that create contrast without conflict. A serif/sans pair creates the same kind of productive tension as alternating long and short sentences.
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