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Aesthetic Foundations

Community
caoxg
aesthetic-foundations

Inject aesthetic principles from painting, photography, graphic design, and Eastern visual tradition into any visual/design decision. Use when reviewing UI/UX, making typography/color/layout/spacing choices, evaluating a screenshot, or when user asks "does this look good" / "how to improve this design" / "审美". Loads composition theory (rule of thirds, visual weight, leading lines), color theory (Munsell, Albers, Itten 7 contrasts), grid systems (Müller-Brockmann, 8pt), Gestalt hierarchy, ma/negative-space, and references masters (Vermeer, Mondrian, Rothko, Hopper, Sargent, Bresson, Avedon, Saul Leiter, 杉本博司, Rams, Vignelli, Tschichold, Saul Bass, 原研哉, 八大山人, 倪瓒). Not a web/CSS framework checklist — complements rather than replaces frontend-design.

Overview

Publishercaoxg
Repositoryclaude-skill-aesthetic-foundations
Skill nameaesthetic-foundations
Stars
10
Forks
2
Bundled files
11
LicenseMIT
Links
  • Markdown instructions

    A SKILL.md file the model loads on demand, so it only costs tokens when a request actually matches.

  • Works with any LLM

    AI skills are plain Markdown, not provider-specific code, so this works with GPT, Claude, Gemini, Grok, or a local model.

  • 11 bundled files

    Scripts, templates, and references the model can read while it works. Files are read-only and never executed.

  • Open source

    Published by caoxg on GitHub. Read the source before you install it.

Installation

Install the Aesthetic Foundations AI skill in TypingMind to use it with any LLM, or drop it into another agent that reads SKILL.md.

1

Install in TypingMind

TypingMind installs a skill straight from its GitHub folder — it reads SKILL.md, bundles the resource files, and stores the result locally.

  1. Open the app and go to Plugins → Skills.
  2. Choose "Install from GitHub".
  3. Paste the skill folder URL below and confirm.
    https://github.com/caoxg/claude-skill-aesthetic-foundations/tree/main/skills/aesthetic-foundations
  4. Enable the skill in any chat where you want it available.
Plugins → Skills → Add skill → From GitHub URL, then paste the folder URL and press Continue.
2

Install in another agent

Any agent that reads the Agent Skills format can use this skill — copy the folder into that agent's skills directory.

Claude Code — .claude/skills
git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/caoxg/claude-skill-aesthetic-foundations.git /tmp/claude-skill-aesthetic-foundations
mkdir -p .claude/skills
cp -r /tmp/claude-skill-aesthetic-foundations/skills/aesthetic-foundations .claude/skills/aesthetic-foundations
Restart Claude Code after copying so it picks up the new skill.

Use it in TypingMind

Enable Aesthetic Foundations in any TypingMind chat and the model takes it from there. Its name and description sit in the system prompt, and the moment a request matches, the model loads the full instructions itself — you never invoke it by hand, and it costs no tokens until it is actually used.

The model loads Aesthetic Foundations on its own as soon as a request matches it.

Works with any AI model

AI skills are plain Markdown instructions rather than provider-specific code, so Aesthetic Foundations is not tied to the model it was written for. Install it once in TypingMind and use it with GPT-5, Claude, Gemini, Grok, DeepSeek, Mistral, Llama, or a local model you run yourself — all on your own API keys.

  • Loaded only when it is needed

    The system prompt carries just the name and description. The instructions are fetched on the first matching request, so an idle skill costs nothing.

  • Switch models mid-chat

    Because the skill is instructions rather than code, changing model does not break it — the next model reads the same SKILL.md.

Skill instructions

This is the SKILL.md content the model loads. Read it before installing — a skill is instructions your model will follow.

Aesthetic Foundations

这个 skill 在你接到视觉判断任务时, 先把审美词汇激活, 然后再开始评审或建议. 没有它的话默认会滑回"通用 web 风格": 圆角、Material 阴影、彩虹色 badge — 那不是审美, 那是肌肉记忆.


触发后第一件事

别立刻给答案. 先做一次 critique-protocol 7 步走:

  1. 三秒第一印象 — 眼睛先落在哪?
  2. 眯眼测试 — 层次还在吗?
  3. 灰度测试 — 转黑白还能不能用?
  4. 留白测试 — 空白是"意味" 还是"没填满"?
  5. 裁剪测试 — 能砍掉什么?
  6. 大师参照 — 哪条原则被违反 / 被尊重?
  7. 改动清单 — 3-5 个具体动作, 不要"再干净一点"

详见 critique-protocol.md.


加载哪些 reference (按主题)


加载哪些 master (按情境)

情境看谁
光与窗 / 单光源场景Vermeer (painters.md)
平衡 + 非对称Mondrian, Bada Shanren (painters.md / 中式审美.md)
用色块情绪Rothko (painters.md)
决定性瞬间 / 几何瞬间布列松 (photographers.md)
隔离主体 / 极简肖像Avedon (photographers.md)
工业克制 / 功能美Dieter Rams (designers.md)
网格 + 极少字体Vignelli (designers.md)
留白 / 东方极简原研哉 + 中式审美.md
中式语境 / 项目用中文masters/中式审美.md 优先于 Bauhaus

不变量 (别忘了)

  • 审美不是规则集 — 是张力. 三分法 vs 居中, 网格 vs 破格, 都对, 看情境.
  • 先看后说 — 任何"建议"前必须先描述眼睛实际看到的 (眼动 / 焦点 / 层次), 不要直接跳到 "建议把 padding 加到 16px".
  • 不要逃进 hex — "把 ink3 改成 ink2" 是 token 操作, 不是设计判断. 判断是: "这里需要更弱的灰让标题更突出".
  • 数量级而非数值 — "留白翻倍" 比 "padding 24→48" 更靠近设计语言. 像素是结果, 不是输入.
  • 不与 frontend-design 抢活 — 那个 skill 管"web UI 是否符合工程规范". 这个 skill 管"为什么这样组合好看".

Bundled files

The model reads these on demand while the skill is loaded. They are exposed as readable files and are never executed.

Frequently asked questions

What does the Aesthetic Foundations AI skill do?

Inject aesthetic principles from painting, photography, graphic design, and Eastern visual tradition into any visual/design decision. Use when reviewing UI/UX, making typography/color/layout/spacing choices, evaluating a screenshot, or when user asks "does this look good" / "how to improve this design" / "审美". Loads composition theory (rule of thirds, visual weight, leading lines), color theory (Munsell, Albers, Itten 7 contrasts), grid systems (Müller-Brockmann, 8pt), Gestalt hierarchy, ma/negative-space, and references masters (Vermeer, Mondrian, Rothko, Hopper, Sargent, Bresson, Avedon,...

Why use Aesthetic Foundations on TypingMind?

Because you install it once and use it with any model. Aesthetic Foundations is plain Markdown rather than provider-specific code, so the same skill runs on GPT-5, Claude, Gemini, Grok, or a local model — and you can switch model mid-chat without it breaking. TypingMind runs on your own API keys, so you pay providers directly instead of a per-seat subscription, and your skills and chats stay in your own storage.

How do I install Aesthetic Foundations in TypingMind?

Open Plugins → Skills → Install from GitHub in TypingMind and paste https://github.com/caoxg/claude-skill-aesthetic-foundations/tree/main/skills/aesthetic-foundations. TypingMind reads its SKILL.md and bundles its files and installs it as a skill you can enable per chat.

Which AI models can use Aesthetic Foundations?

Any model you connect in TypingMind. AI skills are plain Markdown instructions rather than provider-specific code, so GPT, Claude, Gemini, Grok, and local models can all load this skill when a request matches it.

How many AI models can I use with Aesthetic Foundations?

As many as you like. As long as a model supports skills, you can use Aesthetic Foundations with it — GPT, Claude, Gemini, Grok, DeepSeek, Mistral, Llama and more — all on TypingMind with your own API keys.

Is the Aesthetic Foundations AI skill free?

Yes. It is published on GitHub by caoxg under the MIT license. You only pay your own AI provider for the tokens you use.

What are AI skills?

An AI skill is a reusable instruction bundle that teaches an AI model how to do one specific task. It follows the open Agent Skills format: a SKILL.md file with a name and description, plus any scripts, templates or reference files the model may need. The model reads the instructions only when your request matches the skill, so an installed skill costs nothing until it is used.

How are AI skills different from plugins or MCP servers?

A plugin or MCP server gives a model new tools to call — code that runs somewhere and returns a result. An AI skill gives the model knowledge and process instead: how to approach a task, which steps to follow, what good output looks like. Skills are plain Markdown, so they need no server, no API key and no runtime, and they work with any model.

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