# Website Building
> Build distinctive, production-grade websites and web apps. Routes to the right guidance based on framework (Next.js, React Native, vanilla HTML). Covers design tokens, typography, motion, layout, accessibility, and deployment.
- Skill: `vril-labs/website-building` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 19 files)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add vril-labs/website-building`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/vril-labs/website-building/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Design & Media
- Author: VRIL-LABS (https://skillmd.com/u/vril-labs)
- Updated: 2026-09-17
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/vril-labs/website-building
---
# Website Building
Build distinctive, production-grade websites that avoid generic "AI slop" aesthetics. Every choice — type, color, motion, layout — must be intentional. Deploy as static HTML/CSS/JS bundles to S3.
**This skill covers everything for web projects.** When loaded via `load_skill("website-building")`, all files are copied to `workspace/skills/website-building/`. Read sub-files as needed based on your project type. For web applications, load the child skill: `load_skill("website-building/webapp")`.
**Universal design principles** (color philosophy, default palette, font selection) are shared with other skills via `design-foundations`. This skill's shared files extend those foundations with web-specific implementation (CSS variables, responsive tokens, base stylesheets). You don't need to load `design-foundations` separately — the web-specific versions in `shared/` are comprehensive.
Use `read` with the full path, e.g. `skills/website-building/shared/01-design-tokens.md`
---
## Framework Detection Router
**Before routing by project type, identify the framework:**
| Signal | Framework | Action |
|---|---|---|
| `package.json` has `"next"` dependency OR `next.config.*` exists | **Next.js** | Read `skills/website-building/nextjs/SKILL.md` first |
| `package.json` has `"react-native"` or `"expo"` dependency | **React Native** | Read `skills/website-building/react-native/SKILL.md` first |
| `package.json` has `"react"` only (Vite/CRA/Remix) | **React (non-Next)** | Use `skills/website-building/webapp/SKILL.md` with standard Tailwind guidance |
| No `package.json`, `.html` files only | **Vanilla HTML/CSS/JS** | Proceed with standard shared files |
**Framework-specific files provide:**
- The exact setup commands and version numbers to use
- Framework-specific Tailwind integration (v4 for Next.js, NativeWind for RN)
- Routing, data fetching, and component patterns specific to the framework
- Deployment guidance for the framework
**After reading the framework file**, return to this skill's project type routing (below) to load domain-specific design guidance (informational/webapp/game).
---
## Project Type Routing
**Step 1: Identify project type and load domain-specific guidance:**
| Project Type | Action | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Informational sites | `read` `skills/website-building/informational/informational.md` | Personal sites, portfolios, editorial/blogs, small business, landing pages |
| Web applications | `load_skill("website-building/webapp")` | SaaS products, dashboards, admin panels, e-commerce, brand experiences |
| Browser games | `read` `skills/website-building/game/game.md` + `skills/website-building/game/game-testing.md` | 2D Canvas games, Three.js/WebGL, HTML5 games, interactive 3D experiences |
**Step 2: Read shared files** — read `skills/website-building/shared/01-design-tokens.md` and `skills/website-building/shared/02-typography.md` first (mandatory for ALL project types, including webapp). These establish the Nexus design system defaults and typography rules that apply universally. For web applications and dashboards, skip files marked with `†` below — those contain implementation details pre-configured in the fullstack template.
If the user says just "website" or "site" with no detail, ask what type or default to informational.
---
## Sub-File Reference
### Shared (`shared/`) — Every project
| File | Covers | Load |
|---|---|---|
| `shared/01-design-tokens.md` | Type scale, spacing, Nexus palette, base.css | **Always** |
| `shared/02-typography.md` | Font selection, pairing, loading, blacklist | **Always** |
| `shared/04-layout.md` | Spatial composition, responsive, mobile-first | **Always** † |
| `shared/05-taste.md` | Skeleton loaders, empty/error states, polish | **Always** |
| `shared/08-standards.md` | Accessibility, performance, anti-patterns | **Always** |
| `shared/09-technical.md` | Project structure, sandbox, deploy, checklist | **Always** † |
| `shared/pplx_attribution.html` | Attribution block for `` | **Always** † |
| `shared/03-motion.md` | Scroll animations, Motion library, GSAP SVG plugins, hover/cursor | When animated |
| `shared/06-css-and-tailwind.md` | Tailwind CSS v3, shadcn/ui, modern CSS | When using Tailwind |
| `shared/07-toolkit.md` | CDN libraries, React, Three.js, icons, maps, SVG patterns/filters, esm.sh | When choosing libs |
| `shared/10-charts-and-dataviz.md` | Chart.js, Recharts, D3, KPIs, sparklines | When data viz needed |
| `shared/11-web-technologies.md` | Framework versions, browser compatibility | When checking compat |
| `shared/12-playwright-interactive.md` | Persistent Playwright browser QA, screenshots, visual testing | When testing |
| `shared/19-backend.md` | FastAPI/Express/Flask servers, WebSocket, SSE, port forwarding | When backend needed |
| `shared/20-llm-api.md` | LLM chat, image/video/audio generation, transcription — models, credentials, SDK helpers | When site uses AI/LLM APIs |
All paths are relative to `skills/website-building/`.
† **Skip for webapp and dashboards** — implementation details pre-configured in the fullstack template. Design-tokens and typography are NOT skipped — they provide the authoritative design system defaults and font selection guidance for all project types.
### Domain-Specific — Load one
| File | When to load |
|---|---|
| `load_skill("website-building/webapp")` | SaaS, dashboard, admin, e-commerce, brand experience (child skill with fullstack template) |
| `webapp/dashboards.md` | Dashboard or data-dense interface (companion to webapp) |
| `informational/informational.md` | Personal site, portfolio, editorial, small business, landing |
| `game/game.md` | Browser game, Three.js, WebGL, interactive 3D |
| `game/2d-canvas.md` | 2D Canvas game (companion to game.md) |
| `game/game-testing.md` | Any browser game — load alongside game.md |
**Interactive QA:** Read `skills/website-building/shared/12-playwright-interactive.md` for persistent browser automation with Playwright (screenshots, functional testing, visual QA). Required for game testing, useful for any complex site.
---
## Workflow
1. **Design Direction**: Clarify purpose, pick aesthetic direction
2. **Build**: Build the site page by page, screenshotting via Playwright for QA
3. **Publish**: `deploy_website()` returns public URL
---
## Use Every Tool
- **Research first.** Search the web for reference sites, trends, and competitor examples before designing. Browse award-winning examples of the specific site type. Fetch any URLs the user provides.
- **Generate real assets — generously.** Generate images for heroes, section illustrations, editorial feature visuals, atmospheric backgrounds — not just one hero image. Every long page should have visual rhythm with generated images that match the site's art direction. No placeholders. Generate a custom SVG logo for every project (see below) — SVG is for logos only unless the user specifically requests SVG output. Save web reference images that inform direction.
- **Screenshot via Playwright.** Read `skills/website-building/shared/12-playwright-interactive.md` to screenshot at desktop (1280px+) and mobile (375px). Compare against references. This is mandatory, not optional. See Visual QA below.
- **Write production code directly.** HTML, CSS, JS, SVG. Use bash for build tools and file processing.
---
## SVG Logo Generation
Every project gets a custom inline SVG logo. Never substitute a styled text heading.
1. **Understand the brand** — purpose, tone, one defining word
2. **Write SVG directly** — geometric shapes, letterforms, or abstract marks. One memorable shape.
3. **Principles:** Geometric/minimal (Paul Rand, Vignelli). Works at 24px and 200px. Monochrome first — add color as enhancement. Use `currentColor` for dark/light mode.
4. **Implement inline** with `aria-label`, `viewBox`, `fill="none"`, `currentColor` strokes
5. **Generate a favicon** — simplified 32x32 version if needed
For SVG animation (DrawSVG, MorphSVG), see `shared/03-motion.md`. For SVG patterns/filters, see `shared/07-toolkit.md`.
---
## Visual QA Testing Process
Every deployment must pass visual QA. Screenshots are quality gates.
Read `skills/website-building/shared/12-playwright-interactive.md` for all visual QA. Playwright provides a persistent browser session for screenshots, interaction testing, and viewport verification.
**Cycle:** `Build → Playwright QA → Evaluate → Fix → Repeat → Deploy when ready`
### Stage 1: Page-by-Page QA
After building each page:
1. **Screenshot at desktop** (1280px+) and **mobile** (375px) via Playwright
2. **Evaluate critically:** Does it look professionally designed (not AI-generated)? Is typography distinctive? Is whitespace generous? Is there one clear visual hierarchy?
3. **Fix every issue before moving on.** No visual debt.
### Stage 2: Final QA (before publishing)
1. Screenshot every page at desktop and mobile
2. Check cross-page consistency (spacing, color, type treatment)
3. Verify dark mode (screenshot both themes for homepage minimum)
4. Check interactive states: hover, focus, active, loading, empty, error
5. Cold-open first impression test: does it feel polished and intentional?
**QA failures:** text overflow, inconsistent spacing, off-token colors, missing dark mode, squished mobile, generic AI look, placeholder content, missing logo.
---
## Step 1: Art Direction — Infer Before You Ask, Ask Before You Default
Every site should have a visual identity derived from its content. **Do not skip to the Nexus fallback palette.** The Nexus palette is a last resort for when both inference and asking have failed — not a convenient default.
1. **Infer from the subject.** A coffee roaster site → earthy browns, warm cream, hand-drawn feel. A fintech dashboard → cool slate, sharp sans-serif, data-dense. A children's learning app → bright primaries, rounded type, playful motion. The content itself tells you the palette, typography, and spacing before the user says a word.
2. **Check the Art Direction tables.** Each domain file (`informational.md`, `webapp/SKILL.md`, `game/game.md`) has an Art Direction table mapping site/product types to concept-driven directions and token starting points. Use these as a springboard.
3. **Derive the five pillars:** Color (warm/cool, accent from subject), Typography (serif/sans, display personality), Spacing (dense/generous), Motion (minimal/expressive), Imagery (photo/illustration/type-only).
4. **If the subject is genuinely ambiguous, ask** — "What mood are you going for?" and "Any reference sites?" One question is enough.
5. **Nexus fallback — only when inference AND asking yield nothing.** If the user has been asked and gave no direction, AND the subject matter gives no clear signal, then fall back to Nexus/Swiss defaults.
### The Fallback: Clean & Swiss (Last Resort)
When inference yielded no clear direction AND the user was asked but gave no style guidance, use defaults from `skills/website-building/shared/01-design-tokens.md` with:
- **Typography:** Satoshi or General Sans body (Fontshare — preferred), or Inter/DM Sans. Weight contrast over font contrast. 3-4 sizes max. Keep text compact — `--text-3xl`/`--text-hero` are for informational site heroes only.
- **Color:** Nexus palette. Neutral surfaces + one teal accent for CTAs only.
- **Layout:** Grid-aligned. Generous margins. Asymmetric where interesting.
- **Motion:** Minimal, functional. Smooth state transitions only.
- **Imagery:** Generate clean, relevant visuals. No stock photos.
### Art Direction — Avoid the AI Aesthetic
See `skills/website-building/shared/08-standards.md` for the full anti-patterns list.
---
## Step 2: Publish
Call `deploy_website()` with the project path and site name. Returns a public S3 URL. To update, edit the local files and re-deploy with the same path. See `skills/website-building/shared/09-technical.md` for the exact call and examples.
---
## Perplexity Computer Attribution (Mandatory)
Every page of every project must include attribution.
**1. `` block** — Read `skills/website-building/shared/pplx_attribution.html` and copy its contents verbatim as the **first child** inside ``, before ``. Do this for every `.html` file. Do not reproduce the ASCII art from memory.
**2. Footer link** — Every page's `