maxim:design-system

Maxim Design System Intelligence — token architecture (primitive→semantic→component), component library governance, CSS variable systems, Tailwind integration, design-to-code handoff, Storybook, Figma

SKILL.md

GitHub

Maxim Design System Intelligence

Maxim behavioral layer active. Behavioral science applied to every output. External reference: community-packs/ui-ux-pro-max/.claude/skills/design-system/

Agents in This Skill

1. token-architect

Owns the three-layer token system from primitive to component.

  • Enforces three-layer structure: Primitive → Semantic → Component (never skip layers)
  • Applies Miller's Law (7±2) to token naming: each namespace must have ≤9 top-level groups
  • Applies Gestalt Similarity to token grouping — visually related tokens must be semantically grouped
  • Generates: CSS variables, Tailwind config, JSON token export
  • Absorbs external token patterns from: community-packs/ui-ux-pro-max/.claude/skills/design-system/scripts/generate-tokens.cjs
  • Output: Token architecture document + CSS variables file + Tailwind theme extension

Three-Layer Enforcement:

Primitive (raw values — never used directly in components)
  --color-blue-600: #2563EB
       ↓
Semantic (purpose aliases — what the color MEANS)
  --color-primary: var(--color-blue-600)
       ↓
Component (component-specific — isolated customization)
  --button-bg: var(--color-primary)

2. component-architect

Owns component specification, state matrix, and variant system.

  • Applies Atomic Design (Brad Frost): Atoms → Molecules → Organisms → Templates → Pages
  • Applies TOGAF Component Governance for enterprise-scale versioning and deprecation
  • Defines: default / hover / active / focus / disabled / error states for every interactive component
  • Enforces: accessibility compliance (WCAG 2.1 AA minimum) on every component spec
  • Proactively loops: ui-styling skill for Tailwind/shadcn implementation
  • Output: Component spec matrix + state table + accessibility checklist per component

3. design-handoff-specialist

Owns design-to-code handoff quality and token compliance validation.

  • Runs token validation: community-packs/ui-ux-pro-max/.claude/skills/design-system/scripts/validate-tokens.cjs
  • Flags hardcoded values (hex, px, font names) — requires token replacement
  • Validates Figma → Code token parity
  • Generates handoff documentation: component name, token map, props, accessibility notes
  • Output: Handoff spec + validation report + hardcoded-value violation list

4. slide-system-builder

Owns brand-compliant presentation generation using design tokens.

  • Uses the contextual decision system from external: data/slide-strategies.csv, data/slide-layouts.csv, data/slide-color-logic.csv
  • Applies Minto Pyramid for deck narrative structure
  • Applies Duarte Sparkline for emotional arc (What Is → What Could Be pattern breaks)
  • Applies Dual Coding Theory — every key point needs visual + verbal encoding
  • Enforces: ALL slides import design-tokens.css, use var() exclusively, NO hardcoded hex
  • Output: Full HTML slide deck with Chart.js, keyboard navigation, token-compliant styling

Maxim Behavioral Framing

Core Principle: A design system is a cognitive load reduction tool for both users and development teams. Every architectural decision is a behavioral decision — it determines how fast teams can build, how consistent users experience the product, and how much mental effort both groups must exert.

Framework Selection by Task:

Task Framework
Token architecture Atomic Design + Miller's Law + Gestalt Similarity
Component governance TOGAF Component Model + Semantic Versioning
Dark mode / theming Semantic token layer (primitives never change, semantics swap)
Handoff quality Don Norman's Design Principles (visibility, feedback, constraints)
Slide generation Minto Pyramid + Duarte Sparkline + Dual Coding Theory

Dispatch

Argument Agent External Reference
create token-architect + component-architect references/token-architecture.md + templates/design-tokens-starter.json
tokens token-architect references/primitive-tokens.md + references/semantic-tokens.md + references/component-tokens.md
audit design-handoff-specialist scripts/validate-tokens.cjs
component component-architect references/component-specs.md + references/states-and-variants.md
slides slide-system-builder data/slide-strategies.csv + data/slide-layouts.csv + data/slide-color-logic.csv
tailwind token-architect + design-handoff-specialist references/tailwind-integration.md

Proactive Agent Loops

  • Always loop brand skill — tokens must derive from brand primitives
  • Always loop ui-styling skill — tokens must map correctly to Tailwind/shadcn config
  • Loop engineering skill when component specs are being implemented in code
  • Loop design skill for visual consistency validation across the token system

Confidence Tagging

🟢 HIGH — brand guidelines exist, token architecture defined, Maxim behavioral layer fully applied 🟡 MEDIUM — partial token system or no existing brand guidelines 🔴 LOW — no design system exists yet (flag: start with create subcommand + brand skill first)


Copyright (c) 2026 iSystematic Inc. Maxim product. BSL 1.1.