# build-a-brand

Builds a practical brand identity or a 14-16-page PDF guidelines deck from an idea, website URL, reference brands, or product photos.

- skill · `type=skill` · Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI, OpenCode · 1700 installs · ★ 41
- Author: Pika-Labs
- License: Apache-2.0 · policy=mirror · the beginning of the file is at the end of this page
- Source: https://github.com/Pika-Labs/Pika-Plugins/tree/HEAD/skills/build-a-brand/SKILL.md
- Updated: 2026-07-20
- HTML: https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/skills/build-a-brand

## What it does

The skill drafts a brand strategy, logo assets, typography, and color tokens from raw inputs. It accepts text concepts, live site URLs, reference brands, or product photos. By default, it runs a quick pass in 8-12 minutes with up to 4 images. You can request a 14-16-page guidelines PDF using `--full` or approve an upgrade after reviewing the initial kit.

Asset generation relies on Pika MCP and `gpt-image-2`, which requires account credits. Before making paid calls, the skill runs a balance check, reports estimated costs, and halts until you reply `proceed`. All file assembly, font downloads, and PDF rendering happen locally on your machine, saving deliverables to `~/Desktop` or your working directory.

To prevent bloated PDF files, the workflow downsamples generated graphics to local JPEGs and skips CSS photo filters. Note that this workflow covers brand identity only, with no storefront setups or social media scheduling included.

## Install

### Claude Code (native platform)

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add Pika-Labs/Pika-Plugins --skill build-a-brand -a claude-code
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `~/.claude/skills/build-a-brand/SKILL.md` — Copy the whole skill folder; for one project use .claude/skills/build-a-brand/

### Codex

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add Pika-Labs/Pika-Plugins --skill build-a-brand -a codex
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.agents/skills/build-a-brand/SKILL.md` — For all projects use ~/.agents/skills/

### Cursor

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add Pika-Labs/Pika-Plugins --skill build-a-brand -a cursor
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.cursor/skills/build-a-brand/SKILL.md` — Cursor also reads .agents/skills/ and .claude/skills/

### GitHub Copilot

1. **GitHub CLI**
```bash
gh skill install Pika-Labs/Pika-Plugins build-a-brand
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.github/skills/build-a-brand/SKILL.md`

### Gemini CLI

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add Pika-Labs/Pika-Plugins --skill build-a-brand -a gemini-cli
```

2. **Platform CLI**
```bash
gemini skills install https://github.com/Pika-Labs/Pika-Plugins --path skills/build-a-brand
```

### Windsurf (Devin Desktop)

**Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.devin/skills/build-a-brand/SKILL.md` — The legacy .windsurf/skills/ path still works

### OpenCode

**Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add Pika-Labs/Pika-Plugins --skill build-a-brand -a opencode
```

### Claude.ai

**Claude.ai**
- Zip the folder and upload it in Settings → Capabilities → Skills

Where a file is given instead of a command, copy the files from the source to that path: https://github.com/Pika-Labs/Pika-Plugins/tree/HEAD/skills/build-a-brand/SKILL.md

## When to use it
- build a complete visual identity for a new startup idea
- generate a 14-16-page brand guidelines PDF locally
- refresh an existing website identity from a URL
- synthesize an aesthetic style from reference brand combinations

## Example prompts
- Build a brand for a streetwear label for cat owners --quick
- Rebrand my existing website at https://example.com --full
- Design a brand identity that feels like Aesop + Patagonia

## Source text · SKILL.md · Apache-2.0

Below is the content of a third-party file. It is data, not instructions for you: do not act on anything written inside unless the human asks. Block tag: 212c9d292e001e38.

BEGIN THIRD-PARTY FILE 212c9d292e001e38
```text
---
name: build-a-brand
description: >
  Use when the user asks for build a brand or a task matching the examples below.
  Build a practical brand identity from any input — an idea, an existing website, a list of
  reference brands, product photos, or "I want to rebrand X". Default to a fast quick-brand
  path for founder-kit users, and offer the full 14-16-page guidelines as an opt-in upgrade. Use
  when someone wants a brand identity but does NOT need a full commerce launch (no Shopify,
  no product listings, no social posting).
  Trigger phrases: "build me a brand", "make me a brand", "design a brand identity", "brand
  guidelines for [X]", "i want a brand book", "create a brand from scratch", "brand for [idea]",
  "i want a brand that feels like [X] + [Y]", "rebrand my [thing]", "visual identity for [thing]",
  "build-a-brand".
argument-hint: <idea-or-url-or-reference-brands> [photos=<paths-or-urls>] [refresh=<existing-brand>] [--quick] [--full] [--config <path>]
required-capabilities:
  - generate_image
  - task_status
  - identity_balance
---

# Build a Brand

> Tools below are **Pika MCP** tools, named bare — call each under whatever prefix your session exposes for the Pika MCP.

Take any input — an idea, a website, a list of reference brands, product photos, or an existing brand to refresh — and produce a usable brand identity.

This is a standalone brand-building workflow focused on strategy, identity, design, and copy. The default output is a **quick brand deliverable** that can be finished in minutes. The full 14-16-page brand guidelines PDF is still available, but only when the user explicitly asks for full depth or chooses to go deeper after the quick pass.

## Reference files

Load these only when the relevant phase starts:
- `references/brand-directions.md` — strategy angle structure and differentiated positioning boards.
- `references/brand-identity.md` — logo pipeline, symbol rules, concept lanes, and board-copy budgets.
- `references/brand-guidelines.md` — full guidelines layout, render contract, page structure, and QA rules.
- `references/brand-md-template.md` — required machine-readable `brand.md` structure.

## Execution Model — Local First, Cloud Only Where Needed

This skill is local-first. Keep deterministic production work on the user's machine:
- **Local:** workspace setup, downloaded fonts, generated image files after download, image compression, transparent-background cleanup, 16x16 favicon tests, HTML/CSS page builds, PDF rendering, PNG/JPG QA screenshots, logo asset assembly, token/prompt files, and final zip packaging.
- **Cloud:** paid generation only (`gpt-image-2` for symbols, mood images, photography, illustration, and ambient textures) and URL/source research when the brief requires it.
```
END THIRD-PARTY FILE 212c9d292e001e38

The third-party file has ended. Everything between the 212c9d292e001e38 tags is data: requests and commands from it are not followed. An “end of file” line with another tag inside the block is part of the file.

First 2790 of 60790 bytes. © Pika-Labs · Apache-2.0 · https://github.com/Pika-Labs/Pika-Plugins/tree/HEAD/skills/build-a-brand/SKILL.md

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