Design System

Token architecture, component specifications, systematic design, slide generation.

When to Use

• Design token creation
• Component state definitions
• CSS variable systems
• Spacing/typography scales
• Design-to-code handoff
• Tailwind theme configuration
• Slide/presentation generation

Token Architecture

Load: references/token-architecture.md

Three-Layer Structure

Primitive (raw values)
       ↓
Semantic (purpose aliases)
       ↓
Component (component-specific)

Example:

/* Primitive */
--color-blue-600: #2563EB;

/* Semantic */
--color-primary: var(--color-blue-600);

/* Component */
--button-bg: var(--color-primary);

Quick Start

Generate tokens:

node scripts/generate-tokens.cjs --config tokens.json -o tokens.css

Validate usage:

node scripts/validate-tokens.cjs --dir src/

References

Topic	File
Token Architecture	references/token-architecture.md
Primitive Tokens	references/primitive-tokens.md
Semantic Tokens	references/semantic-tokens.md
Component Tokens	references/component-tokens.md
Component Specs	references/component-specs.md
States & Variants	references/states-and-variants.md
Tailwind Integration	references/tailwind-integration.md

Component Spec Pattern

Property	Default	Hover	Active	Disabled
Background	primary	primary-dark	primary-darker	muted
Text	white	white	white	muted-fg
Border	none	none	none	muted-border
Shadow	sm	md	none	none

Scripts

Script	Purpose
generate-tokens.cjs	Generate CSS from JSON token config
validate-tokens.cjs	Check for hardcoded values in code
search-slides.py	BM25 search + contextual recommendations
slide-token-validator.py	Validate slide HTML for token compliance
fetch-background.py	Fetch images from Pexels/Unsplash

Templates

Template	Purpose
design-tokens-starter.json	Starter JSON with three-layer structure

Integration

With brand-guidelines: Extract primitives from brand colors/typography With ui-styling: Component tokens → Tailwind config

Skill Dependencies: brand-guidelines, ui-styling Primary Agents: ui-ux-designer, frontend-developer

Slide System

Brand-compliant presentations using design tokens + Chart.js + contextual decision system.

Source of Truth

File	Purpose
docs/brand-guidelines.md	Brand identity, voice, colors
assets/design-tokens.json	Token definitions (primitive→semantic→component)
assets/design-tokens.css	CSS variables (import in slides)
assets/css/slide-animations.css	CSS animation library

Slide Search (BM25)

# Basic search (auto-detect domain)
python scripts/search-slides.py "investor pitch"

# Domain-specific search
python scripts/search-slides.py "problem agitation" -d copy
python scripts/search-slides.py "revenue growth" -d chart

# Contextual search (Premium System)
python scripts/search-slides.py "problem slide" --context --position 2 --total 9
python scripts/search-slides.py "cta" --context --position 9 --prev-emotion frustration

Decision System CSVs

File	Purpose
data/slide-strategies.csv	15 deck structures + emotion arcs + sparkline beats
data/slide-layouts.csv	25 layouts + component variants + animations
data/slide-layout-logic.csv	Goal → Layout + break_pattern flag
data/slide-typography.csv	Content type → Typography scale
data/slide-color-logic.csv	Emotion → Color treatment
data/slide-backgrounds.csv	Slide type → Image category (Pexels/Unsplash)
data/slide-copy.csv	25 copywriting formulas (PAS, AIDA, FAB)
data/slide-charts.csv	25 chart types with Chart.js config

Contextual Decision Flow

1. Parse goal/context
        ↓
2. Search slide-strategies.csv → Get strategy + emotion beats
        ↓
3. For each slide:
   a. Query slide-layout-logic.csv → layout + break_pattern
   b. Query slide-typography.csv → type scale
   c. Query slide-color-logic.csv → color treatment
   d. Query slide-backgrounds.csv → image if needed
   e. Apply animation class from slide-animations.css
        ↓
4. Generate HTML with design tokens
        ↓
5. Validate with slide-token-validator.py

Pattern Breaking (Duarte Sparkline)

Premium decks alternate between emotions for engagement:

"What Is" (frustration) ↔ "What Could Be" (hope)

System calculates pattern breaks at 1/3 and 2/3 positions.

Slide Requirements

ALL slides MUST:

1. Import assets/design-tokens.css - single source of truth
2. Use CSS variables: var(--color-primary), var(--slide-bg), etc.
3. Use Chart.js for charts (NOT CSS-only bars)
4. Include navigation (keyboard arrows, click, progress bar)
5. Center align content
6. Focus on persuasion/conversion

Chart.js Integration

<script src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/chart.js@4.4.1/dist/chart.umd.min.js"></script>

<canvas id="revenueChart"></canvas>
<script>
new Chart(document.getElementById('revenueChart'), {
    type: 'line',
    data: {
        labels: ['Sep', 'Oct', 'Nov', 'Dec'],
        datasets: [{
            data: [5, 12, 28, 45],
            borderColor: '#FF6B6B',  // Use brand coral
            backgroundColor: 'rgba(255, 107, 107, 0.1)',
            fill: true,
            tension: 0.4
        }]
    }
});
</script>

Token Compliance

/* CORRECT - uses token */
background: var(--slide-bg);
color: var(--color-primary);
font-family: var(--typography-font-heading);

/* WRONG - hardcoded */
background: #0D0D0D;
color: #FF6B6B;
font-family: 'Space Grotesk';

Reference Implementation

Working example with all features:

assets/designs/slides/claudekit-pitch-251223.html

Command

/slides:create "10-slide investor pitch for ClaudeKit Marketing"

Best Practices

1. Never use raw hex in components - always reference tokens
2. Semantic layer enables theme switching (light/dark)
3. Component tokens enable per-component customization
4. Use HSL format for opacity control
5. Document every token's purpose
6. Slides must import design-tokens.css and use var() exclusively