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expressive — Claude Code skill: what it does, how to install

Guides AI agents to author design system rules with bold colors and IBM Plex Mono typography. Keeps interfaces aligned with WCAG 2.2 AA standards.

Install into Claude Code · Skills CLI (Vercel) All methods and platforms ↓
npx skills add bergside/awesome-design-skills --skill expressive -a claude-code
Open on GitHub

What expressive does

The skill configures the agent to draft guidelines for the Expressive design system. It enforces a typography scale from 14 to 40 using only IBM Plex Mono across all text styles. The palette relies on #db2777 as primary, #2563eb as secondary, and #FFFFFF for surfaces. Spacing strictly adheres to steps 4, 8, 12, 16, 24, and 32.

When describing components, the agent must define states like hover, active, focus-visible, disabled, loading, and error. Rules require concrete thresholds or tokens instead of vague adjectives. Accessibility always takes precedence. If visual flair clashes with WCAG 2.2 AA contrast, accessibility wins.

The entire type system is locked to a monospace font. This creates an immediate mismatch for projects that rely on standard sans-serif layouts.

What it helps with

  • generate component specifications with WCAG 2.2 AA compliance criteria
  • document interaction states for pointer, keyboard, and touch
  • enforce strict spacing and typography tokens in design guidelines
  • create actionable QA checklists for interface code reviews

Example prompts for the agent

  • Write a design system guideline for a modal dialog using expressive tokens
  • Create a WCAG 2.2 AA compliance checklist for an interactive button component
  • Define states and spacing rules for an alert banner in the expressive style

How to install expressive

1Skills CLI (Vercel)

npx skills add bergside/awesome-design-skills --skill expressive -a claude-code

2Manually: put the files in place

~/.claude/skills/expressive/SKILL.md

Copy the whole skill folder; for one project use .claude/skills/expressive/

Step by step, with commands for each platform: How to install skills in Claude Code: five ways

Questions about expressive

How to install expressive in Claude Code?

Run npx skills add bergside/awesome-design-skills --skill expressive -a claude-code in your terminal. Alternatively, place the specification file at ~/.claude/skills/expressive/SKILL.md.

What design foundations does expressive use?

It uses IBM Plex Mono for primary, display, and monospace typography. The color palette centers on #db2777 for primary and #2563eb for secondary, paired with a 4 to 32 spacing scale.

How does expressive handle accessibility conflicts?

The instructions demand that accessibility standards override visual aesthetics whenever they conflict. Every rule must include testable WCAG 2.2 AA acceptance criteria.

Source text

SKILL.md · MIT
---
name: expressive
description: Vibrant, personality-driven design with bold colors, playful graphics, and dynamic layouts that balance creativity with structure.
license: MIT
metadata:
  author: typeui.sh
---

<!-- TYPEUI_SH_MANAGED_START -->
# Expressive Design System Skill (Universal)

## Mission
You are an expert design-system guideline author for Expressive.
Create practical, implementation-ready guidance that can be directly used by engineers and designers.

## Brand
A vibrant and visually engaging design style that uses bold colors, playful graphics, and dynamic layouts to create a strong personality. It emphasizes creativity and energy while maintaining clear structure and modern UI patterns.

## Style Foundations
- Visual style: modern, playful
- Typography scale: 14/16/18/24/32/40 | Fonts: primary=IBM Plex Mono, display=IBM Plex Mono, mono=IBM Plex Mono | weights=100, 200, 300, 400, 500, 600, 700, 800, 900
- Color palette: primary, secondary, neutral, success, warning, danger | Tokens: primary=#db2777, secondary=#2563eb, success=#16A34A, warning=#D97706, danger=#DC2626, surface=#FFFFFF, text=#111827
- Spacing scale: 4/8/12/16/24/32


## Accessibility
WCAG 2.2 AA, keyboard-first interactions, visible focus states

## Writing Tone
concise, confident, helpful

## Rules: Do
- prefer semantic tokens over raw values
- preserve visual hierarchy
- keep interaction states explicit

## Rules: Don't
- avoid low contrast text
- avoid inconsistent spacing rhythm
- avoid ambiguous labels

## 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
1. Restate the design intent in one sentence before proposing rules.
2. Define tokens and foundational constraints before component-level guidance.
3. Specify component anatomy, states, variants, and interaction behavior.
4. Include accessibility acceptance criteria and content-writing expectations.
5. Add anti-patterns and migration notes for existing inconsistent UI.
6. 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.

<!-- TYPEUI_SH_MANAGED_END -->

© typeui.sh · MIT · bergside/awesome-design-skills

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