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retro · bergside — Claude Code skill: what it does, how to install

Sets up a vintage design system with high-contrast palettes, Macondo typography, and WCAG 2.2 AA accessible component guidelines.

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

What retro does

This skill instructs your coding assistant to write design system guidelines in a throwback visual style. It enforces specific foundations: Macondo for primary and display typography, JetBrains Mono for code, a 4-to-32 spacing scale, and hex tokens like #3B82F6 and #8B5CF6.

When generating UI specs, the agent follows a clear structure covering component anatomy, variants, responsive behavior, and states from hover to focus-visible. Rules are tied to concrete tokens rather than vague adjectives. If a conflict arises between retro aesthetics and readability, accessibility must take precedence.

What it helps with

  • generate design system guidelines for vintage UI components
  • define token scales for Macondo and JetBrains Mono typography
  • enforce WCAG 2.2 AA accessibility criteria across component states
  • create code review checklists for interface contrast and spacing

Example prompts for the agent

  • Generate retro design tokens and component specs for a modal dialog
  • Define button states and keyboard interaction behavior using the retro skill
  • Create a QA checklist for WCAG 2.2 AA compliance in our retro navigation bar

How to install retro

1Skills CLI (Vercel)

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

2Manually: put the files in place

~/.claude/skills/retro/SKILL.md

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

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

Questions about retro

How to install retro in Claude Code?

Run npx skills add bergside/awesome-design-skills --skill retro -a claude-code in your terminal. You can also save the file directly to ~/.claude/skills/retro/SKILL.md.

What does the retro skill do?

It provides an authoring framework for vintage design systems. The skill enforces specific fonts, color tokens, spacing scales, and mandatory QA checklists.

Which typography and color tokens does retro use?

It uses Macondo for primary text, JetBrains Mono for code, and color tokens such as primary #3B82F6 and surface #FFFFFF.

Source text

SKILL.md · MIT
---
name: retro
description: Throwback design with vintage-inspired typography, high-contrast retro palettes, and nostalgic visual elements.
license: MIT
metadata:
  author: typeui.sh
---

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

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

## Brand


## Style Foundations
- Visual style: high-contrast, retro
- Typography scale: desktop-first expressive scale | Fonts: primary=Macondo, display=Macondo, mono=JetBrains Mono | weights=100, 200, 300, 400, 500, 600, 700, 800, 900
- Color palette: primary, neutral, success, warning, danger | Tokens: primary=#3B82F6, secondary=#8B5CF6, 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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