Style Selector

Generate 8 self-contained visual direction demo pages for comparison, then apply the chosen direction to the project.

Workflow

1. Gather project context

Before generating demos, collect:

• Project type (landing page, web app, SaaS, dashboard, e-commerce, portfolio)
• Business type (consulting, SaaS, agency, e-commerce, portfolio, etc.)
• Business name and tagline
• Key stats (numbers to display -- users, clients, years, etc.)
• Services/products (3-4 items with short descriptions)
• CTA (primary call to action -- book a call, sign up, buy, etc.)
• Language (Spanish, English, etc.)
• Tone (corporate, friendly, luxury, technical, rebellious, playful, etc.)

If the project already has content (existing pages, spec docs, CLAUDE.md), extract this context automatically without asking.

2. Verify project setup

Confirm the project uses Next.js App Router + Tailwind CSS. Check:

• src/app/ or app/ directory exists
• tailwind.config.ts or tailwind.config.js exists
• globals.css has @tailwind base/components/utilities or @import "tailwindcss" directives

Critical: Ensure globals.css custom styles are wrapped in @layer base { }. Unlayered CSS overrides Tailwind utility classes due to CSS cascade layers. If * { margin: 0; padding: 0; } or body { ... } exist outside a @layer, wrap them in @layer base { }.

3. Create demo infrastructure

Create these files:

Demo layout (src/app/demo/layout.tsx):

'use client'
export default function DemoLayout({ children }: { children: React.ReactNode }) {
  return (
    <div style={{ position: 'fixed', inset: 0, zIndex: 99999, overflow: 'auto', background: '#ffffff', fontFamily: 'system-ui, sans-serif', color: '#000' }}>
      <style>{\`body { overflow: hidden !important; }\`}</style>
      {children}
    </div>
  )
}

Demo index page (src/app/demo/page.tsx): A 'use client' page listing all 8 directions as clickable cards. Each card shows: direction name, subtitle/reference, description, and 4 color swatches. Dark background (#0a0a0a) for the index page.

4. Select directions based on project type

Not all 8 directions suit every project type. Pre-select 5 that best match:

If the user says "show all 8", generate all 8 regardless. Otherwise use the recommended 5 for their project type. Always ask if they want to see all 8 after showing the 5.

5. Generate demo pages

See references/directions.md for the complete spec of each visual direction, including palette, typography, layout, animation, accessibility, and mobile specs.

Each demo page must be:

• Self-contained (no shared component imports -- only next/link and next/font/google)
• Mobile-first responsive (design for 375px first, enhance with Tailwind breakpoints)
• Complete (skip-link + nav + hero + storytelling + stats + services + CTA + footer)
• Unique fonts via next/font/google with CSS variables
• Custom colors via inline style attributes (not relying on project's Tailwind theme)
• Animated per direction specs (scroll reveal, hover effects, micro-interactions)
• Accessible (WCAG AA contrast, focus-visible outlines, 44px+ touch targets, skip link)
• Motion-safe (respect prefers-reduced-motion -- disable all animations/transitions)
• Back link to /demo in the footer

Pages that use event handlers (onMouseEnter, useState, useEffect) MUST have 'use client' at the top. Pages with 'use client' MUST NOT export metadata.

Generate all pages in parallel using Agent tool for speed.

6. Adapt copy to project

For each direction, rewrite copy to match the project's context:

• Headline adapted to the business and tone direction
• Storytelling adapted to the founder/company narrative
• Stats using real project numbers
• Services listing real offerings
• CTA pointing to real contact mechanism

Copy quality rules (avoid AI-sounding text):

• Use imperfect, conversational sentences
• Include specific details, not generic buzzwords
• Short paragraphs, varied rhythm
• Opinions and personality over corporate speak
• Questions to the reader
• First person where appropriate

Copy tone per direction (see references/directions.md for full table):

• Editorial: authoritative, measured
• Minimal: direct, stripped
• Luxury: intimate, refined
• Corporate: confident, structured
• Kinfolk: thoughtful, quiet
• Brutalist: blunt, irreverent
• Playful: energetic, modern
• Retro: dry, technical, developer humor

7. Build and verify

Run npx next build to confirm all demo routes compile. Fix any errors:

• Missing 'use client' for pages with event handlers
• metadata export in client components (remove it)
• Unused variables (remove them)

Start dev server and verify:

1. Take screenshots of each demo at desktop (1280px)
2. Take screenshots at mobile (375px) — resize viewport
3. Check that:
   • No horizontal overflow on mobile
   • All text readable (16px+ body on mobile)
   • All buttons tappable (44px+ height)
   • Nav is functional on both sizes
   • Animations play (and stop with reduced-motion)
   • Focus outlines visible when tabbing
   • Skip link works

8. Present to user

Show the user the demo index URL (/demo) and a summary table of all directions with their visual identity. Include:

Ask which direction they prefer or if they want to mix elements from multiple directions.

9. Apply direction (post-selection)

Once the user chooses a direction, apply it to the project:

9a. Generate Tailwind theme tokens

Create/update tailwind.config.ts with the chosen direction's design tokens:

// Example for "Luxury Dark Warm" direction
const config = {
  theme: {
    extend: {
      colors: {
        background: '#171614',
        foreground: '#F0EBE1',
        accent: '#C4956A',
        muted: '#8A8174',
        card: '#1E1D1A',
        border: 'rgba(196,149,106,0.3)',
      },
      fontFamily: {
        display: ['var(--font-cormorant)', 'serif'],
        body: ['var(--font-outfit)', 'sans-serif'],
      },
      animation: {
        'fade-in': 'fadeIn 800ms ease-out',
        'slide-up': 'slideUp 800ms ease-out',
      },
      keyframes: {
        fadeIn: { '0%': { opacity: '0' }, '100%': { opacity: '1' } },
        slideUp: { '0%': { transform: 'translateY(20px)', opacity: '0' }, '100%': { transform: 'translateY(0)', opacity: '1' } },
      },
    },
  },
}

9b. Generate CSS variables

Add to globals.css:

@layer base {
  :root {
    --background: <bg-color>;
    --foreground: <text-color>;
    --accent: <accent-color>;
    --muted: <secondary-color>;
    --card: <card-bg>;
    --border: <border-color>;
    --focus-ring: <focus-color>;

    /* Animation tokens */
    --reveal-y: <direction-value>;
    --reveal-duration: <direction-value>;
    --reveal-stagger: <direction-value>;
    --reveal-easing: <direction-value>;
  }

  @media (prefers-reduced-motion: reduce) {
    *, *::before, *::after {
      animation-duration: 0.01ms !important;
      animation-iteration-count: 1 !important;
      transition-duration: 0.01ms !important;
    }
  }
}

9c. Generate base components

Create reusable components that encode the chosen direction's patterns:

src/components/ui/Button.tsx — Primary and secondary variants matching direction style:

• Editorial: gold-bordered, serif text
• Minimal: red bg (primary), text link with arrow (secondary)
• Luxury: copper bg, light weight text
• Corporate: purple filled + outline variants
• Kinfolk: olive outline, minimal
• Brutalist: black border + hard shadow, uppercase mono
• Playful: gradient border, glass effect
• Retro: terminal command style, mono text

src/components/ui/Card.tsx — Card component matching direction:

• Editorial: no card, just gold left border
• Minimal: border-b divider, no card bg
• Luxury: dark raised bg, copper top border
• Corporate: light gray bg, slate border
• Kinfolk: no card, just text
• Brutalist: 3px black border, hard shadow
• Playful: glass morphism (white 5%, backdrop-blur)
• Retro: green/30% border, terminal bg

src/components/ui/Section.tsx — Section wrapper with direction-appropriate spacing, dividers, and scroll-reveal animation.

src/components/ui/Container.tsx — Max-width container matching direction's content width.

src/components/ui/Nav.tsx — Navigation with direction-appropriate mobile pattern.

src/components/ScrollReveal.tsx — Reusable scroll reveal hook/component using IntersectionObserver.

9d. Generate font setup

Add to root layout (src/app/layout.tsx or src/app/demo/layout.tsx):

import { FontDisplay, FontBody } from 'next/font/google'

const fontDisplay = FontDisplay({
  subsets: ['latin'],
  variable: '--font-display',
  display: 'swap',
})

const fontBody = FontBody({
  subsets: ['latin'],
  variable: '--font-body',
  display: 'swap',
})

// Add to <html> or <body> className:
// `${fontDisplay.variable} ${fontBody.variable}`

9e. Clean up

• Remove /demo/ directory and all demo pages
• Remove demo layout
• Confirm npx next build passes after applying theme

10. Verify applied direction

After applying the chosen direction:

1. Start dev server
2. Navigate to the main page
3. Take screenshot at desktop and mobile
4. Verify:
   • Colors match chosen direction
   • Fonts load correctly
   • Animations work (and respect reduced-motion)
   • Mobile layout is correct
   • All components render properly
5. Share screenshots with user for final approval

The 8 Directions

For detailed specs (full palette, layout, animation, accessibility, mobile), read references/directions.md.

Direction Selection Guide

Project Type Adaptations

The common section structure (nav, hero, storytelling, stats, services, CTA, footer) works for landing pages. For other project types, adapt the demo structure:

Web App / SaaS

Replace storytelling + stats with:

• Feature showcase — 3 key features with mock UI screenshots or illustrations
• How it works — 3-step flow (Sign up → Configure → Launch)
• Pricing — 3 tiers (Free, Pro, Enterprise) or simple pricing card Keep: Nav, Hero, Services/Features, CTA, Footer

Dashboard

Replace hero + storytelling with:

• Dashboard preview — Mock data visualization (charts placeholder, KPI cards)
• Sidebar — Navigation pattern preview
• Data table — Sample table with direction's styling Keep: Nav (sidebar variant), Feature cards, CTA, Footer

E-commerce

Replace storytelling with:

• Product grid — 4-6 product cards with image placeholders, price, CTA
• Categories — Category navigation
• Trust signals — Reviews, shipping info, guarantees Keep: Nav (with cart icon), Hero (product-focused), CTA, Footer

Portfolio

Replace services with:

• Project grid — 4-6 project cards with image, title, category
• About section — Bio with photo placeholder
• Testimonials — 2-3 client quotes Keep: Nav, Hero (name-focused), Storytelling, CTA (hire me), Footer