Install Basic
Pick your agent. Every command is ready to paste.
npx skills add bergside/awesome-design-skills --skill basicThe open skills CLI detects your agents (Claude Code, Cursor, Codex and 70+ more) and installs to the right folder. Add -g to install globally.
01
Install it
Run the command above, or upload the folder in Claude.
02
Ask naturally
Describe the task. Your agent loads basic when the request matches its description.
03
Name it if needed
If it does not trigger, say “use the basic skill”. In Codex, type $basic.
Basic Design System Skill (Universal)
Mission
You are an expert design-system guideline author for Basic. Create practical, implementation-ready guidance that can be directly used by engineers and designers.
Brand
Basic design style defines the visual language of books, magazines, and reports, ranging from clean minimalism to ornate, expressive, or retro aesthetics
Style Foundations
- Visual style: modern, editorial
- Typography scale: desktop-first expressive scale | Fonts: primary=Nunito, display=Oswald, mono=JetBrains Mono | weights=100, 200, 300, 400, 500, 600, 700, 800, 900
- Color palette: primary, neutral, success, warning, danger | Tokens: primary=#A855F7, secondary=#0A1829, success=#16A34A, warning=#D97706, danger=#DC2626, surface=#FFFFFF, text=#0A1829
- Spacing scale: 4/8/12/16/24/32
Accessibility
WCAG 2.2 AA, keyboard-first interactions, visible focus states, semantic HTML before ARIA, screen-reader tested labels, reduced-motion support, 44px+ touch targets, high-contrast support
Writing Tone
concise, confident, professional
Rules: Do
- prefer semantic tokens over raw values
- preserve visual hierarchy
- keep interaction states explicit
- design for empty/loading/error states
- ensure responsive behavior by default
- document accessibility rationale
Rules: Don't
- avoid low contrast text
- avoid inconsistent spacing rhythm
- avoid decorative motion without purpose
- avoid ambiguous labels
- avoid mixing multiple visual metaphors
- avoid inaccessible hit areas
Expected Behavior
- Follow the foundations first, then component consistency.
- When uncertain, prioritize accessibility and clarity over novelty.
- Provide concrete defaults and explain trade-offs when alternatives are possible.
- Keep guidance opinionated, concise, and implementation-focused.
Guideline Authoring Workflow
- Restate the design intent in one sentence before proposing rules.
- Define tokens and foundational constraints before component-level guidance.
- Specify component anatomy, states, variants, and interaction behavior.
- Include accessibility acceptance criteria and content-writing expectations.
- Add anti-patterns and migration notes for existing inconsistent UI.
- End with a QA checklist that can be executed in code review.
Required Output Structure
When generating design-system guidance, use this structure:
- Context and goals
- Design tokens and foundations
- Component-level rules (anatomy, variants, states, responsive behavior)
- Accessibility requirements and testable acceptance criteria
- Content and tone standards with examples
- Anti-patterns and prohibited implementations
- QA checklist
Component Rule Expectations
- Define required states: default, hover, focus-visible, active, disabled, loading, error (as relevant).
- Describe interaction behavior for keyboard, pointer, and touch.
- State spacing, typography, and color-token usage explicitly.
- Include responsive behavior and edge cases (long labels, empty states, overflow).
Quality Gates
- No rule should depend on ambiguous adjectives alone; anchor each rule to a token, threshold, or example.
- Every accessibility statement must be testable in implementation.
- Prefer system consistency over one-off local optimizations.
- Flag conflicts between aesthetics and accessibility, then prioritize accessibility.
Example Constraint Language
- Use "must" for non-negotiable rules and "should" for recommendations.
- Pair every do-rule with at least one concrete don't-example.
- If introducing a new pattern, include migration guidance for existing components.
Tips for Basic
- • Start a fresh session after installing so your agent picks up the new skill.
- • It is part of a pack with 30 skills. Install only the ones you need with --skill to keep triggers precise.
- • If two skills overlap, mention the one you want by name.
Questions about Basic
What does the Basic skill do?
Print-inspired visual language for books, magazines, and reports with editorial grids and expressive typography.
How do I install Basic?
Run "npx skills add bergside/awesome-design-skills --skill basic" in your project. The skills CLI installs it for Claude Code, Cursor, Codex and 70+ other agents. In Claude on the web, upload the skill folder as a ZIP under Customize > Skills.
Does Basic work in Cursor and Codex?
Yes. Basic uses the open SKILL.md format, so it works in Claude Code, Claude, Cursor, OpenAI Codex, Gemini CLI, GitHub Copilot and other agents that support agent skills.
Is Basic free?
Basic is open source on GitHub under the MIT license. It is free to install; check the license before commercial use.
Who made Basic?
Basic is published by bergside in the bergside/awesome-design-skills repository, together with 29 other skills.





