design-document

Design Document (8.5×11 long-form)

This skill owns the 8.5×11 long-form document format. Deliverables are .docx or .pdf files — whitepapers, POVs, solution briefs, playbooks, executive summaries, case studies. The work isn't paragraph-by-paragraph layout — it's the editorial system every page pulls from: master grid, type scale, color palette, section archetypes, callout system, citation style.

A document with a system reads like a publication. A document without one reads like a Word doc someone exported.

Pair with [[design-taste]] (load first), [[design-process]] (Phase-0 calibrate), the [[docx]] skill or [[pdf]] skill (execution), and [[stylistic-vocabulary]] (register selection — usually editorial-tech for thought leadership, premium-restrained for executive briefings).

When to use this skill

• Whitepaper, POV, or thought-leadership document.
• Solution brief or proposal short-form (4–8 pages).
• Playbook (internal or client-facing).
• Executive summary as standalone document.
• Case study (1–4 pages typically).
• Refactoring an existing document that "reads OK but looks like a Word doc."

What this skill is NOT

• Not the writing skill. Narrative and argument are upstream — the writer hands you the manuscript, you design the page system around it.
• Not the slide deck skill (see [[design-presentation]] for 16:9).
• Not the social asset skill (see [[design-social-asset]] for short-form web posts).
• Not the execution skill. File generation is docx and pdf.

The document system (build first)

1. Format and grid

• Page size: 8.5×11 inches (US letter). For European audiences, A4 (8.27×11.69) — note the difference.
• Orientation: portrait by default. Landscape only for specific data-heavy spreads.
• Margins: asymmetric is common in editorial work. Default: 1" top, 1" bottom, 1.25" outside, 0.75" inside (for binding) — or symmetric 1" all around for screen-only PDFs.
• Column grid: single column for prose-heavy work; 2-column for technical reference; 3-column for newsletter-style.
• Baseline grid: 12-point baseline for body type. Helps text columns align across spreads.

2. Type scale (print-grade, not screen-default)

For 8.5×11 documents, body type lives at 10–12pt (smaller than screen). 14pt body looks juvenile in print.

Role	Size	Weight	Line-height	Use
Display (cover hero)	48–72pt	Bold/Black	1.0	Cover only
H1 (chapter / section)	24–36pt	Semibold	1.1	Chapter opens
H2 (subsection)	18–22pt	Medium	1.2	Subsections
H3 (sub-subsection)	14–16pt	Semibold	1.3	Use sparingly
Body	10–12pt	Regular	1.45	Default body
Caption / footnote	8–9pt	Regular	1.4	Sources, captions
Pull quote	18–24pt	Italic or weighted	1.3	Editorial moments
Callout body	11pt	Medium	1.4	Sidebars, notes

Print-vs-screen note: if the document is screen-only (PDF distributed digitally), bump body to 11–12pt. If print-output, 10–11pt is fine.

For typeface bans (no Inter as a "premium" choice on editorial work, no serif on technical-cockpit pages), see [[ai-tells-forbidden-patterns]].

3. Color system

For editorial-tech and premium-restrained registers:

• Ink (body text): near-black, not pure black. #0A0A0A or warmer #1A1714.
• Paper (background): off-white. #FAFAFA for screen, true white for print.
• Accent (chapter heads, pull quotes, callout backgrounds): one brand color.
• Functional (success, warning, error): rare in long-form documents — usually only in playbooks with status callouts.

Use color sparingly. A whitepaper with three colors used carefully reads more authoritative than one with seven.

4. Section archetypes (define your set)

Archetype	When
Cover	Page 1. Title, subtitle, author/firm, date, version. Sometimes a hero visual.
Executive summary	Page 2 (often). Makes a claim. Earns the rest of the document.
Table of contents	For documents > 12 pages. Skip for shorter ones.
Section open	Each major section. Big chapter title plus optional epigraph.
Body prose	Default content page. Single column or 2-column.
Pull quote	Editorial highlight from the surrounding text. One per spread max.
Callout / sidebar	Tip, note, warning, key insight. Visually distinct from body.
Figure / chart	Data viz with caption, source, figure number.
Process diagram	Boxes-and-arrows or sequence diagram.
Comparison table	Multi-column comparison.
Case-in-point box	A specific example illustrating the surrounding argument.
About / authors	Bio + photo (one per page max).
Closing / call-to-action	Specific next step.
Citations / endnotes	Source references.
Back cover	Logo, tagline, contact, version.

For the bans on full-bleed-stock-image covers, "executive summary that summarizes," "our approach" five-pillar pages, headshot grids, and pillar-checkmarks pages, see [[ai-tells-forbidden-patterns]] under "Surface-specific tells: documents."

5. Header / footer system

Define once, hold across all pages:

• Running header: document title (left or center) + section name (right) — or both. Suppress on cover and section opens.
• Running footer: page number + author/firm short name — or just page number. Suppress on cover.
• Page numbers: iv for front matter, 1 from main content. Right page numbers on right pages, left on left, for two-page spreads.
• Footnote vs. endnote: pick one. Footnotes at bottom of page (academic, technical). Endnotes at end of section/document (consulting standard).

6. Pull quotes and callouts

Pull quotes lift a sentence from the surrounding text and present it as an editorial moment.

• Type: larger than body (18–24pt), often italic or in the accent color.
• Layout: in a column gutter, breaking into the text column.
• Frequency: one per spread max. More dilutes them.

Callouts are sidebar content — tips, notes, warnings, key insights.

• Visual treatment: icon + heading + body in a tinted box, or accent-color rule on the left edge with body in default style.
• Length: 30–60 words.
• Type: one or two callout-archetypes per document, used consistently.

7. Figures and charts

Every figure has:

• Figure number (Figure 1, Figure 2.3 if numbered by section).
• Title (descriptive, not "Chart").
• Caption (1–2 sentences explaining what the figure shows).
• Source ("Source: Slalom client research, 2026" or external citation).

For chart selection see [[shadcn-chart-inventory]]. For image generation, see [[design-imagery]].

8. Citations

Pick one citation style and hold it:

• APA (academic, social sciences).
• Chicago footnote (long-form, editorial).
• Numbered endnotes (consulting whitepapers — most common for our work).
• Inline parenthetical ((Author, 2026)) — for shorter pieces.

Citations on hyperlinks: full URL in the citation, hyperlinked text in the body. Don't bury the URL.

Document-system file

Before any content layout, produce document-system.md in the WIP folder:

# Document system: {Project name}

## Audience and intent
- Audience: {specific person, context}
- Intent: {what they should do/decide after reading}
- Stylistic register: {editorial-tech / premium-restrained / etc.}
- Length target: {N pages including cover, TOC, back}

## Format
- Size: 8.5×11 (US letter) | A4 | other
- Output: print-ready / screen-only PDF / docx
- Margins: {top/bottom/inside/outside}
- Columns: single | 2-col | mixed by section

## Type scale
- Display: {font} 60pt Bold (cover only)
- H1: {font} 28pt Semibold
- H2: {font} 18pt Medium
- Body: {font} 11pt Regular, 1.45 line-height
- Caption: {font} 9pt Regular
- Pull quote: {font} 22pt Italic Medium
- Mono / data: {font} 10pt

## Color tokens
- ink: #0A0A0A
- paper: #FAFAFA (screen) / #FFFFFF (print)
- accent: {brand color}
- callout backgrounds: tinted accent at 8% opacity

## Section archetypes in use
- Cover, Exec summary, TOC, Section open, Body prose, Pull quote, Callout, Figure, Citations, Back cover.

## Anti-bland gates
- Cover not a stock-photo full bleed.
- Exec summary makes a claim, doesn't list contents.
- No "our approach" five-pillar page.
- No headshot grid on about page.
- No checkmark grid for capabilities.

## Citation style: {APA | Chicago | numbered endnotes | inline}
- Endnote count: {N} expected.

How to engage

1. Calibrate ([[design-taste]]): intent, register, dials. Default editorial-tech for technical thought leadership; premium-restrained for executive briefings.
2. Read the manuscript end-to-end if it's already written. Note where pull quotes, callouts, and figures naturally fit.
3. Define the document system. Document in document-system.md.
4. Build the document master in docx or InDesign or pdf-skill scaffold. One template covering all archetypes.
5. Lay out the content using the masters.
6. Run the four checks ([[design-taste]] — swap, squint, signature, token).
7. Pre-delivery checklist ([[pre-delivery-checklist]]): contrast, type sizes, margin consistency, citation style, page numbering, alt text on figures, accessible PDF tags if exporting.

Length conventions (Slalom Composable DXP defaults)

Per [[preferences]] in the memory layer:

Document type	Length
Whitepaper	8–15 pages
POV	3–5 pages
Solution brief	4–8 pages
Playbook	12–30 pages
Case study	1–4 pages
Executive summary	1–2 pages standalone

Going over by 50% is usually a signal the document is two documents. Going under by 50% is usually a signal it's a slide.

Document-archetype cheat sheets

Whitepaper structure (default)

1. Cover
2. Executive summary (claim + 3-4 supporting points)
3. Table of contents
4. Introduction / context
5. Argument (3–5 sections)
6. Implications / what to do about it
7. Case examples
8. Conclusion / specific next step
9. About authors
10. Citations / references
11. Back cover

POV structure (sharper, shorter)

1. Cover
2. The claim (one paragraph, on the cover or page 2)
3. The argument (2–3 sections)
4. What this means for [audience]
5. Closing commitment
6. Citations
7. Back cover

Solution brief

1. Cover (with one-line value prop)
2. The problem (the audience experiences)
3. The solution (what we do)
4. Why us / proof
5. Engagement model
6. Closing call-to-action
7. Back cover

Playbook

1. Cover
2. How to use this playbook (1 page)
3. Methodology overview
4. Per-stage chapters (1 chapter per stage)
5. Per-deliverable templates
6. Per-role checklists
7. Glossary
8. Citations / further reading

Common document failure modes

Failure	Symptom	Fix
Word-doc-aesthetic	Reads like a Calibri Word export	Custom type scale, custom margins, designed cover
Stock-photo cover	Full-bleed Unsplash hands-on-keyboard with title overlay	Typographic cover or commissioned image
Five-pillar page	"Our approach" with 5 identical icon-headline blurbs	Methodology by example, or skip the page
Exec summary that summarizes	Page 2 lists contents	Exec summary makes a claim
Headshot grid	"About the team" with 8 cropped headshots	Cut, or one headshot at a time with one sentence each
Citations as afterthought	Inconsistent citation style, broken URLs	Pick one style; verify every URL
No pull quotes / callouts	Wall of body text for 12 pages	Add 1 pull quote per spread; 1–2 callouts per chapter
Microscopic body type on print	9pt body	10–11pt body for print, 11–12pt for screen
Inconsistent header/footer	Page numbers in different positions	Define once, hold across all pages
Figures without captions	Charts inserted without figure number/source	Number, title, caption, source for every figure

Hand-offs

• docx skill — for Word document execution.
• pdf skill — for PDF generation, accessibility tagging, form fields if applicable.
• [[design-imagery]] — when documents need commissioned imagery or higgsfield-generated visuals.
• [[design-visualization]] — when documents need diagrams or data viz.
• [[design-iconography]] — when callouts need icons.
• [[design-presentation]] — when content is too thin for a document and should be a deck instead.

Surface-specific cross-reference

For full format specs, see [[surface-document-letter]] in design/references/.

Constraints

• Don't open Word before the document system is defined.
• Don't accept Calibri 11pt as the type scale. Custom typeface, custom scale.
• Don't ship a document without endnotes/citations if the document references external sources.
• Don't reuse a Slalom template's defaults — they were tuned for someone else's brief.
• Default register for thought-leadership: editorial-tech. For executive briefings: premium-restrained.