image-to-code

Skill: Image to Code

Reconstruct a design from a visual reference as a real design system, not a one-off copy. Match the system (color/type/spacing language), never lift copyrighted imagery or brand assets.

Steps

1. Read the reference like a designer. Infer and write down:

• Palette — 1 dominant surface family, text colors, 1 primary action + at most 1 accent (sample the hues; don't guess random hex).
• Type — family feel (geometric/grotesk/serif), the scale jumps, display vs. body contrast, weights.
• Spacing & density — base unit, section rhythm, card padding; airy vs. compact.
• Radius & depth — radius language (sharp/soft/pill), shadow vs. hairline separation.
• Layout archetype + sequence — full-bleed hero / asymmetric split / bento / editorial stack (taste/design-taste.md → Variance Mandate).

1. Anchor to a known system if it's close — browse taste/aesthetic-systems.md / python3 scripts/design_systems.py search <term> and adopt that recipe to stabilize decisions.
2. Build the token theme from the inferred values → 3-tier DTCG (design-tokens skill); generate a single theme.css. Verify every color pair with scripts/contrast.py / scripts/validate_contrast.py (light + dark) — a sampled brand color that fails AA gets adjusted; taste never overrides POUR.
3. Rebuild layout + components token-driven via frameworks/adapter-protocol.md + components/*: one shared primitive layer, all 8 states, a11y wired, no emoji (lucide), single theme. Apply taste (design-taste.md) so it doesn't regress to generic.
4. Verify against the reference — render and screenshot it, compare side-by-side to the reference; run node scripts/measure_render.mjs, lint_hardcodes.py, taste_audit.mjs, and npm run verify.

Verification (definition of done)

• npm run verify is 100% (tokens resolve, contrast AA light+dark, no hardcodes/emoji, real-render WCAG).
• The rebuilt UI uses ONE inferred token theme — no per-section palettes.
• A screenshot of the result visibly matches the reference's design language.

> Honest limit: this matches the design system, not a pixel-perfect copy. Do not reproduce the reference's photographs, logos, or copyrighted copy — substitute your own or generic placeholders.