# Brand yml Human Guide

## What This Is For
Create and use brand.yml files for consistent branding across Shiny applications and Quarto documents. It gives the agent a clearer input/output frame for brand and messaging: what context to ask for, what decisions to make, and what usable artifact to return.

Use this as a human-readable version of the Brand yml agent skill. It is meant for marketers, operators, founders, and other non-coders who want the workflow without reading agent-specific implementation instructions.

## When To Use This
- Use this when you need a repeatable process for brand yml.
- Use this when the task needs judgment, examples, constraints, or a clear output format rather than a one-off prompt.
- Use this when you want to hand an AI assistant enough context to produce a usable marketing artifact.

## When Not To Use This
- Do not use this when you only need a quick factual answer.
- Do not use this when the work depends on private data you cannot share with the assistant.
- Do not use this as a replacement for legal, compliance, financial, or medical review.

## What You Need Before Starting
- The goal or business outcome you want.
- The audience, customer segment, or market context.
- Any source material the assistant should respect, such as notes, briefs, examples, URLs, or brand guidance.
- Constraints such as tone, length, channel, deadline, region, or approval requirements.
- A clear definition of what a good final answer should look like.

## Step-By-Step Workflow
1. State the job clearly: "Use the Brand yml guide to help me with..."
2. Add context: audience, goal, offer, channel, source material, and constraints.
3. Ask the assistant to identify missing inputs before producing the final output.
4. Have the assistant follow the skill-specific guidance below.
5. Review the result against the final checklist and ask for revisions where needed.

## Skill-Specific Guidance
- **Colors** - Palette and semantic colors (primary, success, warning, etc.)
- **Typography** - Fonts, sizes, weights, line heights
- **Logos** - Multiple sizes and light/dark variants
- **Meta** - Company name, links, identity information
- **Standard name**: `_brand.yml` (auto-discovered by Shiny and Quarto)
- **Custom names**: Any name like `company-brand.yml` (requires explicit paths)
- **Location**: Typically at project root, or in `_brand/` or `brand/` subdirectories
- **Creating a new _brand.yml file?** → Follow "Creating brand.yml Files"
- **Using brand.yml in Shiny for R?** → Read `references/shiny-r.md`
- **Using brand.yml in Shiny for Python?** → Read `references/shiny-python.md`
- **Using brand.yml in Quarto?** → Read `references/quarto.md`
- **Using brand.yml in R (general)?** → Read `references/brand-yml-in-r.md` (R Markdown, theming functions, programmatic access)

## Decision Points And Nuance
The original skill emphasizes: What is brand.yml?, File Naming Convention, Decision Tree, Creating brand.yml Files, Step 1: Gather Information, Step 2: Read the Specification, Step 3: Build the File Incrementally, Step 4: Apply Best Practices, Step 5: Validate Structure, Modifying Existing Files.

Use these questions to steer the work:
- What is the intended audience or buyer?
- What source material must be preserved?
- What should the assistant optimize for: clarity, persuasion, accuracy, speed, creativity, or conversion?
- What examples represent the desired quality bar?
- What should the assistant avoid?

## Common Mistakes
- **Colors** - Palette and semantic colors (primary, success, warning, etc.)
- Check internet connection (required for Google Fonts)
- version: 5 # Required for brand.yml
- **Important**: Set `version: 5` to use Bootstrap 5, which has the best brand.yml support.
- All links must include `https://` prefix
- warning: "#color" # Cautions
- warning: brand-orange # References palette
- `family`: Font family name (must match a defined font)

## Copy-And-Paste Prompt
```text
Use the Brand yml human guide.

My goal:
[Describe the business outcome]

Audience:
[Describe who this is for]

Context and source material:
[Paste notes, examples, links, or existing copy]

Constraints:
[Tone, length, channel, timeline, must-include items, must-avoid items]

Before producing the final output, ask me for any missing information that would materially improve the result.
```

## Final Checklist
- [ ] The output matches the original goal.
- [ ] The audience and context are reflected in the answer.
- [ ] Important constraints and source material were preserved.
- [ ] The assistant made the relevant decisions explicit.
- [ ] The final artifact is ready to use, review, or hand to the next person.

## Source
This guide was generated from the posit-dev/skills skill entry for `brand-yml`.

## Source Skill Notes
These notes preserve the nuance from the original skill. Use them as supporting reference when the workflow above feels too generic.

# brand.yml Skill

Create and use `_brand.yml` files for consistent branding across Shiny applications and Quarto documents.

## What is brand.yml?

brand.yml is a YAML-based format that translates brand guidelines into a machine-readable file usable across Shiny and Quarto. A single `_brand.yml` file defines:

- **Colors** - Palette and semantic colors (primary, success, warning, etc.)
- **Typography** - Fonts, sizes, weights, line heights
- **Logos** - Multiple sizes and light/dark variants
- **Meta** - Company name, links, identity information

## File Naming Convention

- **Standard name**: `_brand.yml` (auto-discovered by Shiny and Quarto)
- **Custom names**: Any name like `company-brand.yml` (requires explicit paths)
- **Location**: Typically at project root, or in `_brand/` or `brand/` subdirectories

## Decision Tree

Determine the user's goal and follow the appropriate workflow:

1. **Creating a new _brand.yml file?** → Follow "Creating brand.yml Files"
2. **Using brand.yml in Shiny for R?** → Read `references/shiny-r.md`
3. **Using brand.yml in Shiny for Python?** → Read `references/shiny-python.md`
4. **Using brand.yml in Quarto?** → Read `references/quarto.md`
5. **Using brand.yml in R (general)?** → Read `references/brand-yml-in-r.md` (R Markdown, theming functions, programmatic access)
6. **Modifying existing _brand.yml?** → Follow "Modifying Existing Files"
7. **Troubleshooting integration?** → Follow "Troubleshooting"

## Creating brand.yml Files

When creating `_brand.yml` files from brand guidelines:

### Step 1: Gather Information

Collect brand information:
- **Colors**: Primary, secondary, accent colors with hex values
- **Fonts**: Font families and where they're sourced (Google Fonts, local files, etc.)
- **Logos**: Logo file paths or URLs for different sizes
- **Company info**: Name, website, social links (optional)

### Step 2: Read the Specification

Load `references/brand-yml-spec.md` to understand the complete brand.yml structure, field options, and syntax.

### Step 3: Build the File Incrementally

Start with the essential sections and add optional elements:

**Minimum viable _brand.yml:**

```yaml
color:
  palette:
    brand-blue: "#0066cc"
  primary: brand-blue
  background: "#ffffff"

typography:
  fonts:
    - family: Inter
      source: google
      weight: [400, 600]
  base: Inter
```

**Add colors as needed:**

```yaml
color:
  palette:
    brand-blue: "#0066cc"
    brand-orange: "#ff6600"
    brand-gray: "#666666"
  primary: brand-blue
  secondary: brand-gray
  warning: brand-orange
  foreground: "#333333"