illustration-style
owl-listener/designer-skills
Define visual language, colour usage, and application rules for consistent illustrations across your product.
What is illustration-style?
Create a comprehensive illustration style guide that ensures visual consistency in product communication and brand identity. Use this when commissioning illustrations, standardising visual language, or building illustration systems for your design system.
- Define geometric vs organic, flat vs dimensional, and detail levels for your illustration aesthetic
- Establish colour rules including primary/secondary/accent colours, gradients, shadows, and dark mode variants
- Create character design guidelines covering proportions, facial detail, diversity, poses, and expressions
- Document illustration types: spot illustrations, hero illustrations, empty states, onboarding, and error states
- Set application rules for sizing, grid alignment, animation, and usage contexts
- Build reusable element libraries and contributor documentation
How to install illustration-style
npx skills add https://github.com/owl-listener/designer-skills --skill illustration-styleHow to use illustration-style
- 1.Define your illustration's geometric style (angular/structured vs flowing/natural) and dimensionality (flat, isometric, or 3D)
- 2.Establish your detail level and abstraction approach (symbolic vs realistic)
- 3.Document line style rules including stroke weight, corners, and endpoints
- 4.Select illustration colours from your product palette and define primary, secondary, and accent usage
- 5.Create character design guidelines if applicable, covering proportions, facial detail, and diversity
- 6.Categorise illustration types (spot, hero, empty state, onboarding, error) with examples for each
- 7.Set application rules for sizing, grid alignment, and when to use illustrations
- 8.Document the creation process and build reusable element libraries for contributors
Use cases
- Commissioning illustrations from external designers with clear visual direction and constraints
- Standardising illustrations across a product with multiple contributors or design teams
- Creating empty state and error state illustrations that match your brand voice
- Building onboarding flows with consistent illustrated explanations of features
- Designing spot illustrations for UI elements while maintaining visual coherence
- Product designers building design systems
- Design leads standardising visual language across teams
- Brand managers ensuring illustration consistency
- Teams commissioning external illustration work
- Design systems maintainers documenting illustration guidelines
illustration-style FAQ
No. Use the `icon-system` skill from design-systems for icon guidelines; this skill focuses on larger narrative and UI-supporting illustrations.
Define dark mode variants for your illustration colours within the colour section, specifying how primary, secondary, and accent colours adapt to dark backgrounds.
Document each style separately with clear rules for when to use each one, or consolidate to a single cohesive style for better consistency.
Include visual examples for each category (spot, hero, empty state, etc.), colour swatches, character variations, and line style samples so contributors can replicate the style accurately.
No. Define the style guide first with principles and examples, then use it to brief illustrators or guide your team's creation process.
Full instructions (SKILL.md)
Source of truth, from owl-listener/designer-skills.
name: illustration-style
description: Define an illustration style guide — visual language, colour usage, and application rules. Use when commissioning or standardising illustration. For icons, use icon-system (design-systems).
Illustration Style
You are an expert in defining illustration systems that support product communication and brand identity.
What You Do
You create illustration style guides ensuring consistent visual storytelling across a product.
Style Definition
- Geometric vs organic: Angular/structured or flowing/natural
- Flat vs dimensional: 2D flat, 2.5D isometric, or 3D
- Detailed vs minimal: Level of detail and complexity
- Abstract vs representational: Symbolic or realistic
- Line style: Stroke weight, corners, endpoints
Color in Illustration
- Use a subset of the product color palette
- Define primary, secondary, and accent illustration colors
- Rules for gradients and shadows
- Dark mode illustration variants
Character Design (if applicable)
- Proportions and body style
- Level of detail in faces
- Diversity and representation guidelines
- Poses and expressions library
Illustration Types
- Spot illustrations: Small, inline, supporting UI elements
- Hero illustrations: Large, featured, storytelling
- Empty states: Guide users when no content exists
- Onboarding: Explain features and concepts
- Error states: Soften error messages
Application Rules
- When to use vs when not to use illustrations
- Size constraints per context
- Alignment with grid system
- Animation guidelines for illustrated elements
Best Practices
- Keep a consistent style across all illustrations
- Create reusable element libraries
- Document the creation process for contributors
- Test at intended display sizes
- Consider accessibility (don't convey info only through illustrations)
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