Using Document Designer
Overview
This skill routes you to professional document design capabilities using Pandoc and Typst. Use it when the task requires more than content — when the document needs to look professional, with intentional typography, layout, and visual hierarchy.
Core Principle: Documents are communication artifacts. Content determines what you say; design determines whether anyone reads it.
When to Use
Load this skill when:
- Creating PDF reports, proposals, whitepapers, or specifications
- Designing Typst templates for repeatable document production
- Converting Markdown/DOCX to professionally formatted PDF
- Building branded document systems (letterheads, report templates, slide decks)
- User mentions: "PDF", "Typst", "Pandoc", "template", "format", "layout", "typography"
- Any task where default formatting isn't good enough
Don't use for: Plain text content writing (use muna-technical-writer), web page design (use lyra-ux-designer), or data visualization.
How This Pack Works
This pack provides a document-designer agent — a specialist subagent that combines graphic design sensibility with typesetting engineering. The agent handles:
| Capability |
Details |
| Typst templates |
Page layout, fonts, colors, headers/footers, cover pages, callouts |
| Pandoc pipelines |
Format conversion, custom templates, Lua filters, citation processing |
| Document types |
Reports, proposals, specs, resumes, brochures, slide decks |
| Design patterns |
Accent bars, sidebars, pull quotes, data cards, section dividers |
| Quality assurance |
Typography, table verification, font checks, accessibility |
Toolchain Versions
This pack targets:
- Typst >= 0.14.0 (tagged-PDF-by-default, PDF/UA-1,
image(alt:), pdf.artifact, fixed CMYK image export). Several reference sheets and the agent assume 0.14+ semantics. Older 0.11–0.13 docs work for most examples but lose accessibility features and need manual context syntax checks.
- Pandoc >= 3.2 for the
--pdf-engine=typst pipeline. Earlier versions have rougher Typst output and inconsistent admonition handling.
Pin these at the top of any new template, e.g. // Requires Typst >= 0.14.0 in a comment, so future readers know what they're compiling against.
Typst Universe Packages
The Typst package registry at https://typst.app/universe is the modern way to add non-trivial functionality. Use #import "@preview/<name>:<version>" with a pinned version — naked names break when packages drift. Verify the latest version on Universe before pinning.
Canonical packages by use case:
| Package |
Use case |
Notes |
@preview/cetz |
Drawing, plots, charts, geometry |
TikZ-inspired API; the workhorse for diagrams in Typst |
@preview/fletcher |
Node-and-arrow diagrams, commutative diagrams, flowcharts |
Built on cetz |
@preview/touying |
Modern presentation slides — themes, animations, speaker notes, PDF export |
Active and recommended for slides |
@preview/polylux |
Slides — older, still maintained, simpler model |
Use touying for new decks |
@preview/valkyrie |
Type-safe argument validation for template authors |
Useful when shipping a parameterised template |
@preview/glossarium |
Glossaries and acronym lists |
|
@preview/physica / @preview/mitex |
Physics math notation; LaTeX-math passthrough |
|
Discovery pattern: when the user asks for a capability that isn't a built-in (graph diagrams, citation styles, CV templates, slide themes), search Universe first. typst init @preview/<template-name> scaffolds a full project from a template package.
Note on tablex: Typst 0.11+ absorbed most tablex functionality into native table(). Prefer the built-in unless you specifically need tablex's fit-spans or arbitrary line extension.
Reference Sheets
Reference sheets are located in the same directory as this SKILL.md file. Load them when the user's task matches:
| Reference |
When to Load |
| academic-papers.md |
Journal papers, conference submissions, theses — citations, author blocks, two-column layouts, theorem environments |
| accessible-documents.md |
Any public-facing document — tagged PDF, screen readers, contrast, alt text, PDF/UA compliance |
| data-heavy-documents.md |
Documents dominated by tables, charts, metrics — dashboard layouts, landscape pages, large table handling |
| multilingual-documents.md |
RTL scripts, CJK typography, bilingual layouts, mixed-script font fallback chains |
| print-production.md |
Documents for commercial printing — bleed, crop marks, binding margins, CMYK, image DPI |
| standards-and-specifications.md |
ISO/NIST/RFC-style specs, compliance docs, classification markings, conformance clauses |
To load: Read the reference sheet from this skill's directory and include its guidance when dispatching the document-designer agent. Multiple sheets can be combined (e.g., accessible + print-production for a printed public document).
Quick Start
Creating a New Document
Ask for what you need — the document-designer agent will be dispatched:
"Create a professional PDF report template for our quarterly reviews"
"I need a Typst template with our brand colors (#1a365d, #e53e3e) and Inter font"
"Convert this markdown spec to a polished PDF with table of contents"
Scaffolding from a Template Package
# List candidate templates on https://typst.app/universe and pick one
typst init @preview/charged-ieee # IEEE conference template
typst init @preview/modern-cv # CV/resume template
# Then customise — most template packages expose a #show: <template-fn>.with(...) entrypoint
Common Workflows
From scratch (Pure Typst):
Best when you need fine control over every layout element. The agent designs the template, populates content, and compiles to PDF.
From existing content (Pandoc → Typst):
Best when you have Markdown/DOCX content that needs professional formatting. The agent creates a custom Pandoc template and conversion pipeline.
Reusable template design:
Best when you need a template for repeated use. The agent designs a parameterized Typst template with metadata-driven customization.
Relationship to Other Muna Skills
| Need |
Use |
| Writing content (ADRs, runbooks, READMs) |
muna-technical-writer |
| Document set governance and consistency |
muna-wiki-management |
| Audience-testing a document suite |
muna-panel-review |
| Making documents look professional |
muna-document-designer (this pack) |
The typical flow: write content with muna-technical-writer, then format it with muna-document-designer.
1---2name: using-document-designer3description: Use when creating professional documents, PDF reports, Typst templates, Pandoc conversions, or any task where document visual design quality matters4---56# Using Document Designer78## Overview910This skill routes you to professional document design capabilities using Pandoc and Typst. Use it when the task requires more than content — when the document needs to **look** professional, with intentional typography, layout, and visual hierarchy.1112**Core Principle**: Documents are communication artifacts. Content determines what you say; design determines whether anyone reads it.1314## When to Use1516Load this skill when:17- Creating PDF reports, proposals, whitepapers, or specifications18- Designing Typst templates for repeatable document production19- Converting Markdown/DOCX to professionally formatted PDF20- Building branded document systems (letterheads, report templates, slide decks)21- User mentions: "PDF", "Typst", "Pandoc", "template", "format", "layout", "typography"22- Any task where default formatting isn't good enough2324**Don't use for**: Plain text content writing (use `muna-technical-writer`), web page design (use `lyra-ux-designer`), or data visualization.2526## How This Pack Works2728This pack provides a **document-designer agent** — a specialist subagent that combines graphic design sensibility with typesetting engineering. The agent handles:2930| Capability | Details |31|------------|---------|32| **Typst templates** | Page layout, fonts, colors, headers/footers, cover pages, callouts |33| **Pandoc pipelines** | Format conversion, custom templates, Lua filters, citation processing |34| **Document types** | Reports, proposals, specs, resumes, brochures, slide decks |35| **Design patterns** | Accent bars, sidebars, pull quotes, data cards, section dividers |36| **Quality assurance** | Typography, table verification, font checks, accessibility |3738## Toolchain Versions3940This pack targets:4142- **Typst >= 0.14.0** (tagged-PDF-by-default, PDF/UA-1, `image(alt:)`, `pdf.artifact`, fixed CMYK image export). Several reference sheets and the agent assume 0.14+ semantics. Older 0.11–0.13 docs work for most examples but lose accessibility features and need manual `context` syntax checks.43- **Pandoc >= 3.2** for the `--pdf-engine=typst` pipeline. Earlier versions have rougher Typst output and inconsistent admonition handling.4445Pin these at the top of any new template, e.g. `// Requires Typst >= 0.14.0` in a comment, so future readers know what they're compiling against.4647## Typst Universe Packages4849The Typst package registry at <https://typst.app/universe> is the modern way to add non-trivial functionality. Use `#import "@preview/<name>:<version>"` with a pinned version — naked names break when packages drift. Verify the latest version on Universe before pinning.5051Canonical packages by use case:5253| Package | Use case | Notes |54|---------|----------|-------|55| `@preview/cetz` | Drawing, plots, charts, geometry | TikZ-inspired API; the workhorse for diagrams in Typst |56| `@preview/fletcher` | Node-and-arrow diagrams, commutative diagrams, flowcharts | Built on cetz |57| `@preview/touying` | Modern presentation slides — themes, animations, speaker notes, PDF export | Active and recommended for slides |58| `@preview/polylux` | Slides — older, still maintained, simpler model | Use touying for new decks |59| `@preview/valkyrie` | Type-safe argument validation for template authors | Useful when shipping a parameterised template |60| `@preview/glossarium` | Glossaries and acronym lists | |61| `@preview/physica` / `@preview/mitex` | Physics math notation; LaTeX-math passthrough | |6263**Discovery pattern**: when the user asks for a capability that isn't a built-in (graph diagrams, citation styles, CV templates, slide themes), search Universe first. `typst init @preview/<template-name>` scaffolds a full project from a template package.6465**Note on `tablex`**: Typst 0.11+ absorbed most tablex functionality into native `table()`. Prefer the built-in unless you specifically need tablex's `fit-spans` or arbitrary line extension.6667## Reference Sheets6869Reference sheets are located in the **same directory** as this SKILL.md file. Load them when the user's task matches:7071| Reference | When to Load |72|-----------|-------------|73| [academic-papers.md](academic-papers.md) | Journal papers, conference submissions, theses — citations, author blocks, two-column layouts, theorem environments |74| [accessible-documents.md](accessible-documents.md) | Any public-facing document — tagged PDF, screen readers, contrast, alt text, PDF/UA compliance |75| [data-heavy-documents.md](data-heavy-documents.md) | Documents dominated by tables, charts, metrics — dashboard layouts, landscape pages, large table handling |76| [multilingual-documents.md](multilingual-documents.md) | RTL scripts, CJK typography, bilingual layouts, mixed-script font fallback chains |77| [print-production.md](print-production.md) | Documents for commercial printing — bleed, crop marks, binding margins, CMYK, image DPI |78| [standards-and-specifications.md](standards-and-specifications.md) | ISO/NIST/RFC-style specs, compliance docs, classification markings, conformance clauses |7980To load: Read the reference sheet from this skill's directory and include its guidance when dispatching the document-designer agent. Multiple sheets can be combined (e.g., accessible + print-production for a printed public document).8182## Quick Start8384### Creating a New Document8586Ask for what you need — the document-designer agent will be dispatched:8788```89"Create a professional PDF report template for our quarterly reviews"90"I need a Typst template with our brand colors (#1a365d, #e53e3e) and Inter font"91"Convert this markdown spec to a polished PDF with table of contents"92```9394### Scaffolding from a Template Package9596```bash97# List candidate templates on https://typst.app/universe and pick one98typst init @preview/charged-ieee # IEEE conference template99typst init @preview/modern-cv # CV/resume template100101# Then customise — most template packages expose a #show: <template-fn>.with(...) entrypoint102```103104### Common Workflows105106**From scratch (Pure Typst):**107Best when you need fine control over every layout element. The agent designs the template, populates content, and compiles to PDF.108109**From existing content (Pandoc → Typst):**110Best when you have Markdown/DOCX content that needs professional formatting. The agent creates a custom Pandoc template and conversion pipeline.111112**Reusable template design:**113Best when you need a template for repeated use. The agent designs a parameterized Typst template with metadata-driven customization.114115## Relationship to Other Muna Skills116117| Need | Use |118|------|-----|119| Writing content (ADRs, runbooks, READMs) | `muna-technical-writer` |120| Document set governance and consistency | `muna-wiki-management` |121| Audience-testing a document suite | `muna-panel-review` |122| **Making documents look professional** | **`muna-document-designer`** (this pack) |123124The typical flow: write content with `muna-technical-writer`, then format it with `muna-document-designer`.
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