Agent skill

Brand Archetype System

by rampstackco in rampstackco/claude-skills

Apply pre-composed aesthetic archetype defaults to jumpstart brand design work covering color, typography, layout, voice, and imagery direction.

MITAuto-check passedMedia & Creative

Install Brand Archetype System

skills CLI
$ npx skills add rampstackco/claude-skills --skill brand-archetype-system -a claude-code

Project install by default; add -g for ~/.claude/skills/.

GitHub CLI
$ gh skill install rampstackco/claude-skills brand-archetype-system --agent claude-code

Project scope by default; add --scope user for a personal install. Needs GitHub CLI 2.90.0 or later (public preview).

Manual copy
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/rampstackco/claude-skills.git skills-src && mkdir -p .claude/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/brand-archetype-system .claude/skills/brand-archetype-system && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.claude/skills/ instead of .claude/skills for a personal install. The folder must contain SKILL.md.

Claude Code skills documentation · loads skills from .claude/skills/

Facts

Skill name
brand-archetype-system
GitHub stars
940
Token cost
~1.9k tokens
SKILL.md length
832 words
Files
35 (incl. references)
Skills in repo
103
Repo updated
First seen
Licence
MIT

At a glance

Apply pre-composed aesthetic archetype defaults to jumpstart brand design work covering color, typography, layout, voice, and imagery direction.

  • Works in 4 steps: User provides a brief or references a… → Agent picks the most relevant core… → Agent adapts the archetype's defaults to… → …
  • The user wants a starting point for brand visual and verbal direction
  • SKILL.md covers When to use, When NOT to use, How this composes with other… and The framework: 12 core…, plus 5 more sections
  • Instructions only: no scripts, shell commands, URLs or credentials in SKILL.md

What it does

Brand Archetype System is an agent skill from rampstackco/claude-skills. Apply pre-composed aesthetic archetype defaults to jumpstart brand design work covering color, typography, layout, voice, and imagery direction. Use this skill whenever the user wants a starting point for brand visual and verbal direction, references a brand they want to design near (for example 'something like Stripe' or 'editorial like Linear'), needs to converge faster from many directions to one, or wants known-good defaults for a specific industry vertical. Triggers on archetype, design archetype, brand…

Its SKILL.md is about 1.9k tokens, which your agent loads only when the skill is triggered. The skill folder holds 36 other files, including reference files (for example `README.md`, `references/00-archetype-system-overview.md` and `references/01-how-to-apply-an-archetype.md`).

It sits in Media & Creative, covering Logo and visual identity and Typography. It works with Stripe. The repository describes itself as: Stack-agnostic Claude Skills covering the full website lifecycle: brand, design, content, SEO, dev, ops, growth, and research. Build, ship, audit, optimize. The licence is MIT.

When your agent uses it

  • The user wants a starting point for brand visual and verbal direction
  • References a brand they want to design near (for example something like Stripe
  • Editorial like Linear)
  • Needs to converge faster from many directions to one

Example prompts

  • “something like Stripe”
  • “editorial like Linear”
  • “/brand-archetype-system”

Workflow steps

4 steps, taken from the first numbered list in SKILL.md.

  1. User provides a brief or references a target archetype
  2. Agent picks the most relevant core archetype, or composes from 2 adjacent archetypes
  3. Agent adapts the archetype's defaults to the brief (color tokens shift, type swaps to vertical-appropriate fonts, voice samples rewrite…
  4. Agent flags adaptation choices made

What it can do on your machine

Read from SKILL.md and the folder at commit 482c9bf. It shows what the files ask for, not the result of running them.

  • Tool permissions

    Pre-approves nothing: there is no allowed-tools line, so your agent's usual permission prompts apply.

    From allowed-tools in the SKILL.md frontmatter.

  • Runs code

    No scripts in the folder and no shell commands in SKILL.md.

    From the folder's file list and the shell code blocks in SKILL.md.

  • Network

    No URLs in SKILL.md.

    From URLs in SKILL.md, links to its own repository left out.

  • Credentials

    Names no API keys, tokens, secrets or passwords.

    From names ending in _API_KEY, _TOKEN, _SECRET, _KEY or _PASSWORD in SKILL.md.

Context cost

Brand Archetype System loads about 1.9k tokens when it runs, and up to ~40k if it reads all its reference files. Until then it costs about 201 tokens; SKILL.md has 832 words of instructions outside code blocks.

Always · name and description, kept in context so the agent knows when to use it
~201
When it runs · the whole SKILL.md, loaded when a task matches
~1.9k
With references · SKILL.md plus every file in references/, read only if the agent opens them
~40k

Estimates: characters ÷ 4, the usual rule of thumb; real counts depend on the model's tokenizer. Scripts and assets cost tokens only if the agent reads them.

Safety

Auto-check passed

The automated check found no risky patterns in SKILL.md.

Automated static check — not a guarantee. Review scripts before installing. It scans the text of SKILL.md for risky patterns (piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files, hidden Unicode, destructive commands); files beside SKILL.md are not scanned.

SKILL.md

The full file from rampstackco/claude-skills at commit 482c9bf, republished under its MIT licence (© rampstackco). 832 words, ~1,916 tokens.

Download SKILL.mdSave it as .claude/skills/brand-archetype-system/SKILL.md (or your agent's skills folder). This skill also uses 34 other files; get the full folder from GitHub.
name
brand-archetype-system
description
Apply pre-composed aesthetic archetype defaults to jumpstart brand design work covering color, typography, layout, voice, and imagery direction. Use this skill whenever the user wants a starting point for brand visual and verbal direction, references a brand they want to design near (for example 'something like Stripe' or 'editorial like Linear'), needs to converge faster from many directions to one, or wants known-good defaults for a specific industry vertical. Triggers on archetype, design archetype, brand archetype, near to (brand), in the style of, similar aesthetic, design starting point, brand template, vertical-typical, industry-typical. Also triggers when the user has a brief and wants to map it to a known aesthetic family rather than design from first principles.
category
brand
catalog_summary
12 archetype defaults across 18 verticals: color, type, voice, imagery starters
display_order
5

Brand Archetype System

Pre-composed aesthetic archetype defaults that jumpstart brand design work. Each archetype bundles color tendencies, type pairings, layout patterns, voice samples, and imagery direction for a recognizable aesthetic family. Stack-agnostic. Tool-agnostic.

This is a starting-point library, not a methodology library. The agent applies archetype defaults to a specific brief; the archetypes themselves provide anchor points, not endpoints.


When to use

  • The user wants a starting point rather than designing from first principles
  • The user references a brand or aesthetic family they want to design near
  • Need to converge faster from many directions to one
  • The user wants vertical-typical defaults (for example fintech consumer, B2B developer tools)
  • The user wants to test what a brief would look like in a different archetype

When NOT to use

  • The user wants pure methodology guidance (use brand-identity)
  • The user is in early ideation needing positioning territories (use brand-ideation)
  • Defining voice for an existing brand (use brand-voice)
  • Documenting a finished brand (use brand-style-guide)

How this composes with other skills

This skill works upstream of brand-identity (provides starting defaults that brand-identity refines into a finished system) and parallel to creative-direction (archetypes can be located by position on the 4 creative-direction axes).

Typical flow when this skill is invoked:

  1. User provides a brief or references a target archetype
  2. Agent picks the most relevant core archetype, or composes from 2 adjacent archetypes
  3. Agent adapts the archetype's defaults to the brief (color tokens shift, type swaps to vertical-appropriate fonts, voice samples rewrite for the brand)
  4. Agent flags adaptation choices made

Direct verbatim copying of an archetype's default palette into a new brand is a failure mode. Archetypes constrain the design space; the brief specifies the point within that space.


The framework: 12 core archetypes plus 18 vertical applications

Two layers of content in references/:

Core archetypes (12 files)

Located in references/core-archetypes/. Each is an aesthetic family with:

  • Aesthetic summary
  • Position on the 4 creative-direction axes
  • Color palette starter (4 to 6 hex values with token names and rationale)
  • Type pairing starter (Google Fonts pairing with size scale)
  • Layout and composition patterns
  • Voice samples (5 to 10 representative lines)
  • Component pattern descriptions (heroes, buttons, cards, tables)
  • Imagery direction
  • When to pick and when to avoid
  • Adaptation guidance
  • Exemplar brands with attribution language
Vertical applications (18 files)

Located in references/by-vertical/. Each maps named brands to core archetypes in that vertical with:

  • Vertical summary
  • Common archetypes
  • Brand-to-archetype mapping (5 to 10 brands per vertical)
  • Vertical-specific adaptation notes
  • Common archetype evolution patterns as brands mature
Two overview files
  • 00-archetype-system-overview.md: how the system works, the taxonomy
  • 01-how-to-apply-an-archetype.md: the adaptation discipline, the failure modes

The 12 core archetypes

#ArchetypeSingle-line summary
01Editorial RestrainedLow-saturation, type-led, generous whitespace, considered
02Technical PreciseMonospace and grid prominent, data-dense, system-feeling
03Warm ConversationalHuman imagery, mid-saturation, friendly type, approachable
04Bold ConfidentHigh-contrast, large display type, saturated, direct
05Playful EnergeticBright colors, illustration-led, dynamic, character-driven
06Luxe ConsideredSerif-led, generous spacing, restrained palette, premium
07Clinical TrustworthyCool palette, sans-serif, clean medical or financial register
08Rugged UtilitarianEarth tones, workwear influence, no-nonsense type
09Retro NostalgicPeriod-specific palette and type, intentional vintage reference
10Minimal EssentialistBlack, white, single accent, sans-serif only, sparse
11Vibrant SaturatedHigh-saturation across full palette, color as character
12Documentary HonestPhotography-led, real people, low-touched imagery
Show full SKILL.md (280 more words)Show less

The 18 vertical applications

  • B2B SaaS: Developer Tools, Business Productivity, Marketing and Sales, Data and Analytics
  • Fintech: Consumer, Enterprise
  • DTC: Fashion, Beauty, Home and Lifestyle, Food and Beverage
  • Consumer Health and Wellness
  • Hospitality and Travel
  • Media and Publishing
  • EdTech
  • Gaming and Entertainment
  • Marketplace
  • Crypto and Web3
  • Real Estate and Proptech

Trademark and attribution

Archetypes are NAMED for aesthetic families, NOT for brands. "Editorial Restrained" not "Stripe-like." Brands are referenced as exemplars in description text using attribution language: "exemplified by [brands]", "common among [brands]", "characteristic of [brands]".

This is descriptive and nominative fair use territory, durable across brand redesigns. A brand that pivots its identity does not invalidate the archetype it once exemplified.


The four creative-direction axes (reference)

Each archetype positions on the 4 axes defined in the creative-direction skill. Brief summary for cross-reference:

  • Tone register: Professional, Conversational, Playful
  • Aesthetic register: Restrained, Considered, Expressive, Maximal
  • Audience relationship: Authority, Peer, Companion, Performer
  • Sensory ambition: Functional, Considered, Immersive, Theatrical

Each core archetype file specifies its position on each axis.


Reference files

The 12 core archetype files live in the core-archetypes/ subdirectory under references, numbered 01 (Editorial Restrained) through 12 (Documentary Honest). The 18 vertical application files live in the by-vertical/ subdirectory under references, numbered 01 (B2B SaaS Developer Tools) through 18 (Real Estate and Proptech). Load the relevant core archetype file plus the relevant vertical file together for any brief that names both an aesthetic family and an industry.

© rampstackco, MIT. Rendered from Markdown: HTML in the file is shown as text, images as links, and headings moved down two levels. Raw file

Files

SKILL.md and 34 other files (references) in skills/brand-archetype-system of rampstackco/claude-skills.

  • SKILL.md
  • README.md
  • references/00-archetype-system-overview.md
  • references/01-how-to-apply-an-archetype.md
  • references/by-vertical/01-b2b-saas-developer-tools.md
  • references/by-vertical/02-b2b-saas-business-productivity.md
  • references/by-vertical/03-b2b-saas-marketing-sales.md
  • references/by-vertical/04-b2b-saas-data-analytics.md
  • references/by-vertical/05-fintech-consumer.md
  • references/by-vertical/06-fintech-enterprise.md
  • references/by-vertical/07-dtc-fashion.md
  • references/by-vertical/08-dtc-beauty.md
  • references/by-vertical/09-dtc-home-lifestyle.md
  • references/by-vertical/10-dtc-food-beverage.md
  • references/by-vertical/11-consumer-health-wellness.md
  • references/by-vertical/12-hospitality-travel.md
  • references/by-vertical/13-media-publishing.md
  • references/by-vertical/14-edtech.md
  • references/by-vertical/15-gaming-entertainment.md
  • … and 16 more

Open the folder on GitHubat commit 482c9bf

Compare with similar skills

Brand Archetype System next to the 5 skills that share the most tags, products or categories with it. Stars are the repository's; “used in” counts other GitHub owners with a copy.

Brand Archetype System compared with similar skills
SkillStarsUsed inTokensAuto-checkLicenceRepo updated
Brand Archetype System this skillrampstackco/claude-skills940—~1.9kAutomated safety check: PassMIT
Popular Web DesignsTommy-yw/RunbookHermes5461 repos~2.4kAutomated safety check: PassMIT
Image Prompt ReverseLunarXuan/image-prompt-reverse465—~678Automated safety check: PassGPL-3.0
Nous Brandingmagnus919/agent-skills113—~4kAutomated safety check: PassMIT
Brand Dnathatrebeccarae/claude-marketing162—~1.8kAutomated safety check: PassMIT
Scenario Ideogramscenario-labs/skills913—~2.7kAutomated safety check: PassMIT

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Works with

Questions about Brand Archetype System

What does Brand Archetype System do?

Apply pre-composed aesthetic archetype defaults to jumpstart brand design work covering color, typography, layout, voice, and imagery direction. Brand Archetype System is an agent skill from rampstackco/claude-skills. Apply pre-composed aesthetic archetype defaults to jumpstart brand design work covering color, typography, layout, voice, and imagery direction.

When should I use Brand Archetype System?

Brand Archetype System fits situations like: the user wants a starting point for brand visual and verbal direction; references a brand they want to design near (for example something like Stripe; editorial like Linear); needs to converge faster from many directions to one.

How do I install Brand Archetype System in Claude Code?

Run `npx skills add rampstackco/claude-skills --skill brand-archetype-system -a claude-code`. Or copy the skill folder (skills/brand-archetype-system in rampstackco/claude-skills) into .claude/skills/brand-archetype-system in your project. Claude Code loads it when a task matches its description.

How do I install Brand Archetype System in Codex?

Run `npx skills add rampstackco/claude-skills --skill brand-archetype-system -a codex`. Or copy the skill folder (skills/brand-archetype-system in rampstackco/claude-skills) into .agents/skills/brand-archetype-system in your project. Codex loads it when a task matches its description.

Can I use Brand Archetype System in Cursor, Gemini CLI or GitHub Copilot?

Cursor, Gemini CLI, GitHub Copilot and OpenCode also load SKILL.md folders. With the skills CLI, run `npx skills add rampstackco/claude-skills --skill brand-archetype-system -a cursor` (or -a gemini-cli, github-copilot or opencode for the others). To copy it by hand, put the folder in .cursor/skills/brand-archetype-system, .gemini/skills/brand-archetype-system, .github/skills/brand-archetype-system and .opencode/skills/brand-archetype-system in your project.

What does Brand Archetype System need to run?

SKILL.md names no scripts, command-line tools or credentials: Brand Archetype System is instructions for the agent only.

Does Brand Archetype System access the network?

SKILL.md contains no URLs. Any network use would come from the scripts or tools the agent runs. This is read from the text; nothing was executed.

Is Brand Archetype System safe to install?

Our automated static check of SKILL.md found no risky patterns, such as piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files or hidden Unicode. It is not a guarantee. Review the folder before installing.

What licence does Brand Archetype System use?

Brand Archetype System is published under the MIT licence (the repository's licence). It allows redistribution, so the full SKILL.md is shown on this page.

How many tokens does Brand Archetype System use?

About 1.9k tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 7.7k characters). Agents keep only the skill's name and description in context until a task matches; then they load SKILL.md in full. Its references folder adds about 38k tokens, read only when the agent opens those files.

What are the alternatives to Brand Archetype System?

Skills that share tags, products or a category with Brand Archetype System: Popular Web Designs (Tommy-yw/RunbookHermes, 546 stars), Image Prompt Reverse (LunarXuan/image-prompt-reverse, 465 stars), Nous Branding (magnus919/agent-skills, 113 stars) and Brand Dna (thatrebeccarae/claude-marketing, 162 stars). The comparison table on this page puts their stars, adoption, token cost, safety result and licence side by side.

Who maintains Brand Archetype System?

rampstackco (a GitHub organization) maintains it in rampstackco/claude-skills, which has 940 GitHub stars. The repository holds 103 skills in this directory. The repository was last updated on October 7, 2026.

Source: rampstackco/claude-skills on GitHub. Facts on this page come from the repository at the commit we read; the author's words are quoted as theirs.