Design Style Archetype Selection

Use this skill when the user knows they want a stronger design direction but has not yet translated that into a clear visual system.

Read ../../references/style-archetypes.md before deciding.

Use when

• The user says the UI should feel more premium, sharper, calmer, or more distinctive.
• A page or product needs a visual direction before implementation begins.
• The user references outside brands and you need to translate that into a first-party design language.

Do not use when

• The project already has a stable design direction and only needs implementation detail.
• The task is a narrow spacing or color tweak with no directional ambiguity.

Archetype-selection failures to avoid

• recommending a style based only on personal taste
• copying a brand name instead of extracting the underlying system logic
• mixing multiple archetypes equally
• choosing a landing-page style that will break the product surface

Workflow

1. Classify the product and the surface

Clarify:

• product category
• trust requirement
• user mindset
• page type

2. Name the emotional target

Decide whether the surface should feel primarily:

• precise
• calm
• energetic

3. Match the archetype

Select the strongest archetype from the reference set.

If needed, add one secondary influence, but keep one primary.

4. Translate the archetype into design consequences

Make the choice concrete through:

• typography character
• palette discipline
• component geometry
• surface density
• motion behavior

5. Call out anti-patterns

End with the mistakes most likely to ruin this direction.

Output format

Return:

1. Product and surface read

• product type
• audience
• page or surface type

2. Recommended archetype

• primary archetype
• optional secondary influence
• why it fits

3. Visual consequences

• type
• color
• components
• spacing
• motion

4. Anti-patterns

• what would make the output feel generic or off-brand

Use together with

• design-system-distillation
• design-landing-page-art-direction
• design-product-surface-art-direction