Brand Awareness

Brand knowledge lives in the Brand Guide — the third pillar of persistent project knowledge:

     SPEC (WHAT)          BRAND (HOW IT LOOKS)
    /           \        /
   /             \      /
ADR (HOW+WHY) -- C4 (CONTEXT MAP)

• Specs describe WHAT the system does (capabilities, acceptance criteria)
• ADRs describe HOW the system is built and WHY those technical choices were made
• Brand Guides describe HOW IT LOOKS — visual identity, colors, typography, imagery

All three are persistent, first-class artifacts. Backlog items are transient; these are not.

Brand Guide Organization

Brand Guides capture visual identity using YAML frontmatter (machine-readable) and markdown narrative (human-readable).

Directory Structure

docs/brand/
  {brand-name}.md              # Brand Guide (YAML frontmatter + design narrative)
  tokens.json                  # W3C Design Tokens (derived from brand guide)
  assets/                      # Generated images
    manifest.md                # Asset catalog with provenance
    *.png / *.jpg              # Generated files

Frontmatter Schema

Schema: schemas/brand-spec.schema.md v1.0

Required: spec_version, type: brand-spec, brand_name, status, created, identity, visual Optional: updated, author, target_project, tags, extends

Brand Guide Lifecycle

/brand (create) → draft → /brand --activate → active → deprecated
                              ↑
                    /brand --evolve (update)

• draft — Created by /brand workshop, pending user review
• active — Promoted by --activate, the source of truth for how the product looks
• deprecated — Superseded by a newer brand guide

When Active

This skill activates during:

• /brand — Create or evolve brand guide via interactive workshop
• /brand:image — Generate brand-consistent images
• /brand:review — Review design artifacts against brand guidelines and UX heuristics
• /brand:tokens — Extract W3C Design Tokens from brand guide
• /design — Inject brand constraints as Architect context
• /deliver — Surface design tokens for Crafter theming
• /discern — Add Brand Compliance to Critic review checklist
• /handoff — Inject brand-specific transition guidance into handoff output
• /context:load — Report brand guide status
• /context:refresh — Detect brand guide / tokens drift

Behaviors

Common: Brand Guide Loading Pattern

All commands that read brand guides follow this pattern:

1. Check for brand_ref in the backlog item frontmatter
2. If brand_ref is present: Read the referenced brand guide file from docs/brand/
3. If brand_ref is missing: Scan docs/brand/*.md for any file with type: brand-spec in frontmatter
4. If multiple brand guides found: Use the one with status: active (prefer active over draft)
5. If no brand guide found: Silently continue (no warning, no overhead)
6. Never block — brand is valuable but optional

Key difference from spec-awareness: Step 5 does NOT warn when no brand guide is found. Brand is fully opt-in — there is no expectation that every project has one.

During /brand (AC-3, AC-10)

Creates or evolves brand guides via the 6-phase interactive workshop:

1. Load existing brand guides via common pattern
2. If --activate: Change status: draft → status: active in frontmatter, done
3. If --evolve "reason": Load existing brand guide, re-enter relevant workshop phases
4. If no flags: Start new brand workshop (Identity → Colors → Typography → Imagery → Target Examples → Consolidation)
5. Workshop uses mcp__imagegen__image_generate_gemini with model: "gemini-2.5-flash-image" for visual exploration
6. Write brand guide to docs/brand/{name}.md with status: draft
7. Generate tokens to docs/brand/tokens.json
8. Log generated assets to docs/brand/assets/manifest.md

Reads: docs/brand/*.md, schemas/brand-spec.schema.md Writes: docs/brand/{name}.md, docs/brand/tokens.json, docs/brand/assets/

During /brand:image (AC-5, AC-6, AC-6a)

Generates brand-consistent images with cost-tiered routing:

1. Load brand guide via common pattern
2. If no brand guide found: Guard rail — ask user:

   No brand guide found at docs/brand/. Would you like to:

   1. Start the brand interview (/brand)
   2. Generate without brand context (one-off)

3. If brand guide found: Augment user prompt with brand context (colors, mood, style, subjects, avoid)
4. Add "No text overlay unless explicitly requested" to prevent hallucinated brand names
5. Detect MCP availability:
   • Full (MCP + key): Generate via mcp__imagegen__image_generate_gemini
     • Default: model: "gemini-2.5-flash-image"
     • On --pro: model: "gemini-3-pro-image-preview"
   • Basic (MCP, no key): Output augmented prompt with warning
   • Prompt-only (no MCP): Craft optimized prompt, suggest free tools
6. Save generated image to docs/brand/assets/
7. Append provenance entry to docs/brand/assets/manifest.md

Reads: docs/brand/*.md, backlog brand_ref Writes: docs/brand/assets/*.png, docs/brand/assets/manifest.md

During /brand:review

Loads brand guide and injects brand rules as review criteria:

1. Load brand guide via common pattern
2. If brand guide found: Extract review criteria and inject into command context:
   • From visual.colors: all color hex values with their roles (primary, secondary, accent, semantic)
   • From visual.typography: font families and their roles (headings, body, mono)
   • From visual.imagery: style, mood, subjects, avoid list
   • Inject as "Brand Review Criteria" block for designer agent to use in Brand Adherence section
3. If no brand guide found: Set review_mode to heuristics-only; report header notes the fallback
4. Never block — heuristics-only mode produces a useful review

Reads: docs/brand/*.md, backlog brand_ref Writes: Nothing (read-only — criteria injection only)

During /brand:tokens (AC-4)

Extracts W3C Design Tokens from brand guide:

1. Load brand guide via common pattern (or use explicit path argument)
2. Read YAML frontmatter visual object
3. Transform to W3C Design Tokens format:
   • visual.colors.* → brand.color.* tokens
   • visual.typography.* → brand.typography.* tokens
   • visual.colors.semantic.* → brand.semantic.* tokens
   • Extended visual.colors.palette[] → brand.color.{name} tokens
4. Write to docs/brand/tokens.json

Reads: docs/brand/{name}.md (YAML frontmatter only) Writes: docs/brand/tokens.json

During /design (AC-7)

Injects brand constraints as Architect context:

1. Load brand guide via common pattern
2. If brand guide found: Surface brand constraints for Architect:
   • Color palette and semantic colors → design constraint for UI components
   • Typography hierarchy → font stack constraints
   • Imagery style → asset generation guidelines
   • Design tokens path → implementation reference
3. Present as "Brand Context" section in Architect's input:

   ## Brand Context (from docs/brand/{name}.md)
   - Colors: primary {primary}, secondary {secondary}, accent {accent}
   - Typography: {headings.family} / {body.family} / {mono.family}
   - Imagery: {style}, mood: {mood}
   - Tokens: docs/brand/tokens.json
   

4. If no brand guide: Silently continue (no warning)

Reads: docs/brand/*.md, docs/brand/tokens.json Writes: Nothing (read-only — context injection only)

During /deliver (AC-7)

Surfaces design tokens for Crafter theming:

1. Load brand guide via common pattern
2. If brand guide found: Surface design tokens for implementation:
   • Color values from docs/brand/tokens.json for CSS/theme variables
   • Font families for typography implementation
   • Imagery guidelines for any asset-related code
3. Reference token values in implementation context:

   ## Brand Tokens Available
   Use these values from docs/brand/tokens.json:
   - Primary: {colors.primary}
   - Font stack: {typography.heading-family}, {typography.body-family}
   

4. If no brand guide: Silently continue (no warning)
5. Transition guidance (conditional): a. If docs/brand/assets/manifest.md has entries:

   Brand assets available: Generated brand images exist in docs/brand/assets/ — review the manifest for visual references (color palettes, signature elements, mood boards) that capture intent beyond what the YAML brand guide encodes. b. If brand guide has status: active and work touches CSS/theme/style files: Visual verification recommended: This work affects visual appearance. Before marking complete, verify the rendered UI matches the brand guide's visual intent (not just hex values).

Reads: docs/brand/*.md, docs/brand/tokens.json Writes: Nothing (read-only — context surface only)

During /discern (AC-7)

Adds Brand Compliance to Critic review:

1. Load brand guide via common pattern
2. If brand guide found: Add Brand Compliance section to review checklist:
   • Do implemented colors match brand spec values?
   • Does typography use the specified font families?
   • Do generated or referenced images follow imagery style guidelines?
   • Are design token values used (not hardcoded alternatives)?
3. Output Brand Compliance table:

   | Aspect | Brand Spec | Implementation | Compliant? |
   |--------|-----------|----------------|------------|
   | Primary color | #2563EB | #2563EB | YES |
   | Heading font | Inter | Arial | NO — should use Inter |
   | Imagery style | Photography | Stock illustration | NO — brand specifies photography |
   

4. If no brand guide: Silently continue (no Brand Compliance section)
5. Transition guidance (conditional): a. If work touched CSS/theme/style files:

   Visual evidence: This review covers brand-related visual changes. Consider requesting a screenshot or dev server inspection to verify rendered appearance matches brand intent — hex-value compliance alone may miss visual issues.

Reads: docs/brand/*.md, docs/brand/tokens.json, implementation files Writes: Nothing (compliance output goes in review document, not in brand guide)

During /context:load

Reports brand guide status:

1. Scan docs/brand/*.md for files with type: brand-spec in frontmatter
2. If found: Report status:

   Brand guide found: docs/brand/{name}.md (status: {status}) Design tokens: docs/brand/tokens.json ({exists|missing}) Assets: {count} entries in docs/brand/assets/manifest.md

3. If not found: Report:

   No brand guide found. Use /brand to create one.

Reads: docs/brand/*.md, docs/brand/tokens.json, docs/brand/assets/manifest.md Writes: Nothing (read-only)

During /context:refresh

Detects brand guide / tokens drift:

1. Load brand guide via common pattern
2. If brand guide found: a. Check if docs/brand/tokens.json exists b. If tokens exist: Compare brand guide updated date vs tokens file modification date c. If brand guide is newer than tokens: Flag drift:

   Brand guide updated more recently than tokens.json. Run /brand:tokens to sync. d. Scan docs/brand/assets/manifest.md for references to deprecated brand guide versions e. Read docs/brand/assets/manifest.md for entry dates f. If any manifest entries have dates older than the brand guide updated field: Brand asset images may be stale (generated before latest brand guide update). Visual references in these images may not reflect current brand values. Regenerate with /brand:image if needed.

3. If no brand guide: Silently continue

Reads: docs/brand/*.md, docs/brand/tokens.json Writes: Nothing (drift is reported, user fixes it)

During /handoff

Injects brand-specific transition guidance into handoff output:

1. Load brand guide via common pattern
2. If brand guide found: a. For design → deliver handoff:

   Brand context for Crafter: Brand guide active at docs/brand/{name}.md. Design tokens at docs/brand/tokens.json. {If manifest has entries: "Review docs/brand/assets/manifest.md for visual reference images."} b. For deliver → discern handoff: Brand context for Critic: {If work touched CSS/theme/style files: "Visual changes present — verify rendered appearance, not just token compliance."}

3. If no brand guide: Silently continue (no guidance injected)

Reads: docs/brand/*.md, docs/brand/tokens.json, docs/brand/assets/manifest.md Writes: Nothing (read-only — guidance injection only)

Brand Update Rules (All Commands)

These rules apply to ALL commands that interact with brand artifacts:

1. Silently skip, never block — Missing brand guide is silent, not a warning. Brand is fully opt-in.
2. Never archive brand guides — They persist as project knowledge, same as specs and ADRs
3. Prefer active over draft — When multiple brand guides exist, use the one with status: active
4. brand_ref takes precedence — If backlog has brand_ref, use that specific guide over auto-detection
5. Tokens are derived — tokens.json is always derived from brand guide; regenerated via /brand:tokens
6. Assets have provenance — Every generated image gets a manifest entry with prompt, model, and date

What This Skill Does NOT Do

• Does NOT block any workflow — silently continues when no brand guide exists
• Does NOT warn when brand guide is missing — brand is opt-in (unlike specs which are expected)
• Does NOT auto-generate tokens on brand guide changes — tokens regeneration is explicit via /brand:tokens
• Does NOT auto-detect imagery style for model selection — --pro is always explicit
• Does NOT write to brand guides during /design, /deliver, or /discern — those commands only read brand context
• Does NOT replace the Designer genie — this skill provides cross-cutting context; the genie creates and manages brand guides
• Does NOT validate brand guide schema — that is /brand command's responsibility during creation