designers-project-init

/designers-project-init

Scaffold the design/ directory and register it in the project's CLAUDE.md.

What this does

Creates a design/ folder at the current working directory's project root with three subdirectories:

design/
├── specs/         # Design specs, IA docs, interaction specs, flow diagrams
├── audits/        # Design reviews, accessibility audits, heuristic evals
└── systems/       # Design system docs, component libraries, type scales, color tokens

Then adds (or creates) a ## Design section in CLAUDE.md:

## Design

**Path:** `design/` (at project root)
**Current spec:** `<user-chosen-slug>` (the spec or surface you're actively working on)

Commands that generate design artifacts (`/designers-channel` save behavior, `/designers-write-spec`, `/designers-design-review`) write to `design/<subdir>/<current-spec>.md` by default. Update `Current spec` when moving to a different surface or subsystem.

The designer personas read this file plus the project's `README.md`, brand brief at `design/systems/brand.md` (if present), existing component libraries, and any user research artifacts. For cross-craft projects (writing or film with a UI surface), they also read `.great-authors/project.md`.

For strategic visual taste at the executive register, cross-dispatch `great-minds:jony-ive-designer` — he stays in great-minds.

When to use

• Starting design work on a product (UI/UX, brand, design system).
• Extending an existing project (great-authors / great-filmmakers / great-publishers / great-marketers / great-engineers) with a design surface — for example, the companion app for a book, the website for a film, the dashboard for an engineering tool.
• Before invoking /designers-channel with save triggers (which need to know where to write).

Instructions for Claude

When this skill is invoked:

1. Resolve the project root. Use the current working directory unless the user specifies otherwise.

2. Check for existing design/ directory. If it exists, ask: "A design/ directory already exists. Overwrite the scaffold (destroys existing content) or skip (leaves it alone)? (overwrite/skip)" — default skip.

3. Read existing project context. Look for these files and read them if present:

   • README.md
   • CLAUDE.md
   • Brand brief (design/systems/brand.md, BRAND.md, brand-guide.md)
   • Existing design system docs
   • User research artifacts (transcripts, usability reports)
   • The manifest (package.json, pyproject.toml, etc.) — informs which designers might be most relevant
   • .great-authors/project.md (if cross-craft project)

   This context informs which design personas the user should know about (e.g., if there's a data-heavy dashboard, mention Tufte; if there's a brand identity question, mention Scher; if there's an icon system, mention Kare).

4. Ask the spec-slug question. One question:

   • "What's the slug for the spec or surface you're starting with? Default: based on what's in the project. Accept any kebab-case identifier (e.g., onboarding-v3, dashboard-redesign, brand-identity-2026)."

5. Create the directory tree. Three empty subdirectories under design/:

   • specs/
   • audits/
   • systems/

6. Update CLAUDE.md. Read the existing file. If it doesn't exist, create one with a minimal header plus the ## Design section. If it exists and has a ## Design section, ask whether to overwrite. If it exists without one, append the ## Design block documented above.

7. Report:

   Created design/ with subdirs:
     specs/  audits/  systems/
   
   Updated CLAUDE.md with ## Design section.
   Current spec: <slug>
   
   Detected project context:
   - <Surface summary: dashboard / brand / app / book site / etc.>
   - <Key files present: brand.md, research/, etc.>
   
   Next:
   - /designers-channel <persona> for direct collaboration. The personas best-fit to this surface are <list 2-3 based on project signals>.
   - /designers-write-spec <feature> to draft a design spec.
   - /designers-design-review <path> to audit existing UI or design system.
   
   For strategic visual taste at the executive register, dispatch jony-ive-designer from great-minds:
     Agent({subagent_type: "great-minds:jony-ive-designer", ...})
   

Notes

• This skill does not commit to git. The user owns their repository.
• The design/ directory is for ARTIFACTS at the design stage. The actual UI implementation lives in src/ (or wherever the project conventions place it). Design artifacts describe, audit, and decide; they don't replace the code.
• For software-only projects, no .great-authors/ is needed. For cross-craft projects, .great-authors/ is the bible spine and designer personas read it alongside the design context.
• The current-spec slug names "what we're working on right now." Update it when you move to a different surface within the same project.