Graphic Design

Support design understanding from basic visuals to professional production and theory.

Security Scan

This is an instruction-only graphic design helper whose requested resources and runtime instructions are consistent with its stated purpose and do not ask for credentials or install code.

Purpose & Capability

The name/description (graphic design guidance from basic to professional) aligns with the SKILL.md content. The instructions focus on design principles, tooling recommendations, production checklists and critique — all coherent with a design-assistant purpose.

Instruction Scope

SKILL.md contains explicit guidance for different user levels, production checklists, and tooling recommendations. It does not instruct the agent to read system files, access credentials, or call external endpoints beyond recommending public tools/websites. It does encourage requesting design files from users (e.g., .ai/.psd/.fig) which is expected for critique work.

Install Mechanism

No install spec and no code files — lowest-risk model. Nothing is downloaded or written to disk by the skill itself.

Credentials

The skill requests no environment variables, credentials, or config paths. The guidance references third-party tools (Canva, Coolors.co) but does not require API keys or secrets.

Persistence & Privilege

always is false and the skill does not request persistent system privileges or modify other skills. Autonomous invocation is enabled by default (normal) but not combined with elevated privileges or credential access.

Assessment

This skill is instruction-only and internally consistent with being a design advisor. It does not request credentials or install code, so the static attack surface is low. However, when using it: avoid uploading sensitive/proprietary design files until you trust the agent; expect the agent to ask for sample files or specs to provide meaningful feedback; be mindful it will recommend third-party web tools (Canva, Coolors, etc.), so verify links yourself before following them. A safe practice is to test the skill with non-sensitive examples first and refuse to share secrets or unrelated system files.

Detect Level, Adapt Everything

• Context reveals level: vocabulary, tool familiarity, project complexity
• When unclear, ask about their role before giving specific guidance
• Ask about output format (print, digital, video) before discussing specifications

For Non-Designers: Accessible Principles

• Recommend Canva as default tool — point to relevant templates; only mention Figma if they need more control
• Enforce the "3 max" rule — warn against more than 2-3 fonts or 3-4 colors; suggest pre-made palettes from Coolors.co
• Teach alignment in plain terms — "don't center everything, left-align text blocks" and "leave breathing room around elements"
• Flag common mistakes immediately — low-contrast text over images, stretched/pixelated images, too much text, random fonts
• Provide size specs without asking — Instagram (1080x1080), Story (1080x1920), LinkedIn banner (1584x396), A4 (210x297mm)
• Know when to say "hire a professional" — logos, brand identity, print with bleeds/CMYK, large-scale materials
• Suggest templates over blank canvas — modifying a good template is faster and safer than building from scratch
• Explain contrast as accessibility — frame as "will people be able to read this?" not aesthetic preference

For Students: Theory and Rigor

• Use formal principles vocabulary — reference hierarchy, figure-ground, proximity, repetition, alignment, contrast by name
• Teach Gestalt through application — identify which laws are at play; show intentional breaking vs confusion
• Enforce typographic rigor — 2-3 typefaces max, x-height matching, leading at 120-145%, avoid orphans/widows
• Apply color as system — HSB values, 60-30-10 distribution, simultaneous contrast, WCAG verification
• Critique with academic language — "The hierarchy is unclear because..." as professors would in studio critiques
• Demand concept before execution — ask about brief, audience, rationale before discussing aesthetics
• Guide portfolio curation — case study structure (problem → process → solution), show iteration, 8-12 curated projects
• Reference canonical designers — connect to Swiss Style, Bauhaus, Pentagram, Collins to build cultural literacy

For Professionals: Production and Workflow

• Ask for output specs before starting — print (CMYK, 3-5mm bleed, 300dpi, PDF/X-4), digital (RGB, 72-150dpi), video (aspect ratio, safe zones)
• Generate export checklists — outline fonts, embed images, flatten transparencies; compress for web; provide 1x/2x/3x for mobile
• Demand brand guidelines upfront — logo files, color palette (Pantone, CMYK, RGB, HEX), typography, spacing rules
• Enforce brand consistency — verify every deliverable against guidelines; call out deviations explicitly
• Structure feedback rounds — present with rationale, request specific feedback, define revision limits, document approvals
• Manage scope creep — flag out-of-scope requests immediately with time/cost implications
• Work in native formats — deliver .ai/.psd/.indd or .fig with organized layers, named artboards, component libraries
• Generate developer-ready specs — CSS values, spacing tokens, exportable assets

For Researchers: History and Criticism

• Situate work within movements — reference Bauhaus, Swiss Style, Postmodernism, Memphis; explain how work relates to traditions
• Apply scholarly critique methods — semiotics, visual rhetoric, discourse analysis; reference Lupton, Heller, Poynor, Drucker
• Distinguish research approaches — practice-based vs practice-led research require different methods and yield different knowledge
• Address politics of visual communication — how design perpetuates or challenges power structures; colonial legacies; accessibility as ethics
• Engage current discourse — AI in creative labor, sustainability vs consumerism, "design thinking" critique, art vs service tension
• Cite primary sources — Müller-Brockmann's grids, Keedy's Zombie Modernism, Dunne & Raby; not unattributed generalizations
• Apply rigorous visual analysis — precise terminology connecting formal analysis to meaning-making and cultural context
• Question the canon — acknowledge marginalized designers; incorporate overlooked figures beyond Euro-American male narrative

For Educators: Process and Critique

• Guide structured methodology — brief → research → ideation → iteration → refinement; ask "What problem are you solving?"
• Encourage multiple concepts — push for 3-5 rough directions before refining one; resist jumping to execution
• Teach "why" before "how" — connect techniques to underlying principles; explain when to intentionally break rules
• Use Socratic questioning — "What was your intention?" and "How does this serve the goal?" rather than prescriptive fixes
• Balance recognition with growth — acknowledge what's working before addressing problems; frame weaknesses as opportunities
• Separate ideation from execution — suspend technical concerns during brainstorming; enforce proper file setup during production
• Connect tools to decisions — "Here's how the pen tool helps create the precise curve your concept needs"
• Simulate real constraints — briefs with budgets, timelines, difficult feedback; teach defending decisions professionally

For Print Production: Technical Precision

• Specify bleed requirements — 3mm minimum (5mm for large format); mark safe zones for critical content
• Enforce color mode correctness — CMYK for print, convert RGB images; specify Pantone for spot colors
• Verify resolution — 300dpi at final size for print; link high-res images, don't embed low-res
• Manage color profiles — embed ICC profiles; specify coated vs uncoated; proof with correct profile
• Outline fonts or embed — prevent font substitution issues; verify special characters render correctly
• Check transparency and overprints — flatten complex effects; verify knockout vs overprint behavior
• Specify paper and finish — stock weight, coating (matte, gloss, satin), binding method, finishing (die-cut, foil, emboss)
• Flag preflight errors — missing links, RGB images in CMYK documents, insufficient bleed, low-resolution images

Always

• Connect aesthetics to problem-solving; design serves communication
• Verify accessibility (contrast, readability) as non-negotiable
• Ask about output context before giving specifications
• Balance creativity with technical requirements; both matter