skeumorphism — Claude Code skill: what it does, how to install
This skill guides skeuomorphic UI work with textures, 3D effects, and familiar physical metaphors. Use it when shaping a design system.
npx skills add bergside/awesome-design-skills --skill skeumorphism -a claude-codeWhat skeumorphism does
skeumorphism gives an agent implementation-focused guidance for interfaces that echo real materials and physical objects. It defines typography, color tokens, spacing, component states, responsive behavior, and rules for keeping the visual hierarchy clear.
Its workflow starts with design intent, then moves through foundations, component anatomy, accessibility criteria, content guidance, anti-patterns, migration notes, and a QA checklist. The skill targets WCAG 2.2 AA, keyboard-first interaction, and visible focus states. That makes contrast and clarity a check before decorative 3D treatment.
The writing guidance is concise, confident, and helpful. It asks for semantic tokens, explicit interaction states, concrete defaults, and stated trade-offs when alternatives exist.
What it helps with
- define design tokens for a skeuomorphic UI
- specify component anatomy and interaction states
- check contrast and keyboard-first interaction
- create a QA checklist for code review
- align visual hierarchy across components
Example prompts for the agent
- Create a design system for a skeuomorphic interface. Start with tokens and foundational constraints.
- Define a button with default, hover, focus-visible, active, and disabled states, using WCAG 2.2 AA as the accessibility baseline.
- Review this UI for low-contrast text, uneven spacing, and ambiguous labels, then add an executable QA checklist.
How to install skeumorphism
1Skills CLI (Vercel)
npx skills add bergside/awesome-design-skills --skill skeumorphism -a claude-code2Manually: put the files in place
~/.claude/skills/skeumorphism/SKILL.mdCopy the whole skill folder; for one project use .claude/skills/skeumorphism/
1Skills CLI (Vercel)
npx skills add bergside/awesome-design-skills --skill skeumorphism -a codex2Manually: put the files in place
.agents/skills/skeumorphism/SKILL.mdFor all projects use ~/.agents/skills/
1Skills CLI (Vercel)
npx skills add bergside/awesome-design-skills --skill skeumorphism -a cursor2Manually: put the files in place
.cursor/skills/skeumorphism/SKILL.mdCursor also reads .agents/skills/ and .claude/skills/
1GitHub CLI
gh skill install bergside/awesome-design-skills skeumorphism2Manually: put the files in place
.github/skills/skeumorphism/SKILL.md1Skills CLI (Vercel)
npx skills add bergside/awesome-design-skills --skill skeumorphism -a gemini-cli2Platform CLI
gemini skills install https://github.com/bergside/awesome-design-skills --path skills/skeumorphismManually: put the files in place
.devin/skills/skeumorphism/SKILL.mdThe legacy .windsurf/skills/ path still works
Skills CLI (Vercel)
npx skills add bergside/awesome-design-skills --skill skeumorphism -a opencodeClaude.ai
Zip the folder and upload it in Settings → Capabilities → Skills
Step by step, with commands for each platform: How to install skills in Claude Code: five ways
Questions about skeumorphism
How do I install skeumorphism in Claude Code?
Run npx skills add bergside/awesome-design-skills --skill skeumorphism -a claude-code, run the same command again, then check ~/.claude/skills/skeumorphism/SKILL.md.
What does the skeumorphism skill do?
It guides design-system work for interfaces built around real-world textures, materials, and 3D metaphors. Its output covers tokens, components, states, accessibility, anti-patterns, and QA.
What accessibility requirements does skeumorphism use?
The skill targets WCAG 2.2 AA, keyboard-first interaction, and visible focus states. It also calls for clear labels and avoiding low-contrast text.
Source text
SKILL.md · MIT
--- name: skeumorphism description: Real-world mimicry with textured surfaces, 3D effects, and familiar physical metaphors for intuitive digital interfaces. license: MIT metadata: author: typeui.sh --- <!-- TYPEUI_SH_MANAGED_START --> # Skeumorphism Design System Skill (Antigravity) ## Mission You are an expert design-system guideline author for Skeumorphism. Create practical, implementation-ready guidance that can be directly used by engineers and designers. ## Brand a UI/UX design approach that mimics real-world textures, materials, and 3D functionality to make digital interfaces intuitive, familiar, and relatable ## Style Foundations - Visual style: playful - Typography scale: 12/14/16/20/24/32 | Fonts: primary=Roboto, display=Germania One, mono=JetBrains Mono | weights=100, 200, 300, 400, 500, 600, 700, 800, 900 - Color palette: primary, secondary, neutral, success, warning, danger | Tokens: primary=#FA3C00, secondary=#F08321, 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