Develop brand color palette with exact specifications
Develops a comprehensive brand color palette with exact specifications and accessibility guidelines.
/plugin marketplace add mike-coulbourn/claude-vibes/plugin install claude-vibes@claude-vibesOptional color preferences or constraints00-BRAND/03-visual/You are helping a startup founder develop their brand color palette. This includes primary colors, secondary colors, neutrals, and accent colors — all with exact specifications and usage guidelines.
Note: Color is one of the most powerful brand tools — research shows 62-90% of snap judgments about products are based on color alone.
Founder Brief (optional): @docs/00-BRAND/00-DISCOVERY/01-founder-brief.md
Audience Research (optional): @docs/00-BRAND/00-DISCOVERY/02-audience-research.md
Competitive Audit (required): @docs/00-BRAND/00-DISCOVERY/03-competitive-audit.md
Brand Name (required): @docs/00-BRAND/00-DISCOVERY/04-brand-name.md
Purpose/Mission/Vision (optional): @docs/00-BRAND/01-STRATEGY/01-purpose-mission-vision.md
Core Values (optional): @docs/00-BRAND/01-STRATEGY/02-core-values.md
Positioning (optional): @docs/00-BRAND/01-STRATEGY/03-positioning.md
Archetype (required): @docs/00-BRAND/01-STRATEGY/04-archetype.md
Brand Personality/Voice (required): @docs/00-BRAND/01-STRATEGY/05-brand-personality-voice.md
Visual Direction (required): @docs/00-BRAND/03-VISUAL/01-visual-direction.md
Check above: If brand name, competitive audit, archetype, brand personality, or visual direction content is missing, STOP and tell the user to complete prerequisites first.
Optional color preferences: $ARGUMENTS
CRITICAL: ALWAYS use the AskUserQuestion tool for ANY question to the user. Never ask questions as plain text output. The AskUserQuestion tool ensures a guided, interactive experience with structured options. Every single user question must go through this tool.
CRITICAL: You MUST use the Task tool to launch the brand-color-strategist agent. Do not create color palettes yourself — that's what the specialized agent is for.
Your job is to:
ALWAYS use the AskUserQuestion tool when interacting with the user. This ensures a guided, interactive experience where the founder feels engaged and consulted throughout the branding process.
Use AskUserQuestion to:
Never save final outputs without user approval.
BEFORE launching the brand-color-strategist agent, you MUST:
Use the Skill tool to invoke claude-vibes:ai-writing-detection
Use the Sequential Thinking MCP tool (ultrathink) to prepare AI-aware instructions:
Include AI-aware instructions in the agent prompt so output is human-sounding from the start
Use Task tool with subagent_type: "claude-vibes:BRANDING:brand-color-strategist" and this prompt:
Develop the brand color palette. ultrathink
## BRAND CONTEXT
**Brand Name**: [From brand name document]
**Purpose (WHY)**: [From purpose-mission-vision.md]
**Mission (HOW)**: [From purpose-mission-vision.md]
**Vision (WHERE)**: [From purpose-mission-vision.md]
**Core Values**: [From core-values.md]
**Positioning**: [From positioning.md — the territory we claim]
**Onlyness Statement**: [From positioning.md]
## BRAND PERSONALITY
**Archetype**: [From archetype.md — primary and secondary]
**Personality Traits**: [From brand-personality-voice.md — the 5 traits]
**Brand Essence**: [From brand-personality-voice.md — 2-3 words]
## VISUAL DIRECTION
**Visual Adjectives**: [From visual-direction.md — the 3-5 visual words]
**Mood Board Direction**: [From visual-direction.md — overall aesthetic]
**Visual SMP**: [From visual-direction.md — single-minded proposition]
## AUDIENCE INSIGHTS
**Who They Serve**: [From audience research — primary customer segment]
**Audience Demographics**: [From audience research — age, location, etc.]
**Color Expectations**: [From audience research — what they expect visually]
**Aspirational Brands**: [From audience research — brands they admire]
## COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE
**Competitor Colors**: [From competitive audit — what colors competitors use]
**Dominant Category Colors**: [From competitive audit — industry patterns]
**Color White Space**: [From competitive audit — opportunities to differentiate]
## PRACTICAL CONSTRAINTS
**Design Budget**: [From founder brief — budget for design]
**Existing Elements**: [From founder brief — any existing colors/visuals]
**Color Preferences/Avoids**: [From founder brief or $ARGUMENTS — constraints]
**Target Markets**: [From founder brief — cultural considerations needed]
## CRITICAL: INTERACTIVE DISCOVERY
**ALWAYS use the AskUserQuestion tool to ensure an interactive, guided experience:**
- Gather preferences and opinions before making recommendations
- Present options with clear tradeoffs for the user to choose from
- Validate findings and get feedback before proceeding
- Confirm final outputs resonate before saving
Never make significant decisions without user input. The brand identity belongs to them.
## DISCOVERY APPROACH
### Phase 1: Analyze Brand Strategy
Extract from inputs:
- Archetype → What colors align with this emotional territory
- Personality → How traits translate to color qualities
- Positioning → Color territory to claim or avoid
- Audience → Color preferences of target segment
- Industry → Conventions to follow or intentionally break
### Phase 2: Audit Competitive Color Landscape
Apply Blue Ocean Color Strategy:
1. Identify dominant colors in category
2. Find underutilized colors (white space)
3. Identify colors to avoid (owned by competitors)
4. Assess: Can we own alternative territory credibly?
### Phase 3: Apply Color Psychology
For each potential color:
- Check Appropriateness Principle (fit over preference)
- Apply Color-in-Context Theory (context determines meaning)
- Verify cultural implications for target markets
- Connect to archetype color framework
### Phase 4: Build the Palette
Using color harmony systems:
- Select primary color based on strategy
- Add secondaries using harmony schemes (complementary, analogous, etc.)
- Add neutrals for balance
- Add accent/CTA color for action
- Apply 60-30-10 Rule for proportions
- Keep total to 3-5 core colors
### Phase 5: Validate Accessibility
- Test WCAG contrast ratios (4.5:1 normal text, 3:1 large)
- Simulate colorblindness (protanopia, deuteranopia, tritanopia)
- Ensure color is never the only indicator
- Document accessible alternatives
### Phase 6: Document Completely
Specify every color in:
- HEX (web)
- RGB (digital)
- CMYK (print)
- Pantone (brand consistency)
## TOOLS TO USE
- **Sequential Thinking MCP**: Build palette from brand psychology through to specific values systematically
- **AskUserQuestion**: Understand color preferences/constraints, validate primary color direction, get feedback on palette options
- **WebSearch**: Discover competitor brand colors, research color psychology, find brand color case studies, check industry color patterns
- **WebFetch**: Read color psychology articles, study brand color case studies, understand research behind color associations
## OUTPUT REQUIREMENTS
Deliver the complete color palette using the Color Palette Documentation Template from the `brand-color-psychology` skill. Must include:
1. **Executive Summary** (2-3 sentences on palette and rationale)
2. **Strategic Foundation** (brand inputs, psychology alignment, appropriateness analysis)
3. **Competitive Color Landscape** (audit, Blue Ocean analysis, differentiation strategy)
4. **Primary Colors** (1-2 with all values, rationale, usage guidelines)
5. **Secondary Colors** (2-3 with harmony relationship, role in palette)
6. **Neutral Colors** (dark, medium, light with usage)
7. **Accent Colors** (CTA, success, warning, error)
8. **Color Combinations** (approved, avoided, 60-30-10 proportions)
9. **Accessibility** (contrast ratios, colorblindness testing, non-color indicators)
10. **Quick Reference** (core palette table, CSS custom properties)
Use AskUserQuestion to help founder review and validate:
"Here's your brand color palette. How would you like to proceed?"
After the founder approves the palette:
Ensure docs/00-BRAND/03-VISUAL/ directory exists
Save to docs/00-BRAND/03-VISUAL/02-color-palette.md with:
Next step: "Run /00-BRAND:03-visual/03-select-typography to develop your brand typography."