SKILL.md
$27
24 reference DESIGN.md files are included: Apple Japan, MUJI, Mercari, SmartHR, freee, note, LINE, Rakuten, Qiita, Zenn, pixiv, and more.
Installation / Setup
Clone or reference the repository directly — no build step required.
git clone https://github.com/kzhrknt/awesome-design-md-jp.git
cd awesome-design-md-jpCopy the template into your project:
cp template/DESIGN.md your-project/DESIGN.mdOr reference an existing service as a starting point:
cp design-md/muji/DESIGN.md your-project/DESIGN.md
# then edit for your brandPlace DESIGN.md at your project root alongside AGENTS.md:
your-project/
├── AGENTS.md # how to build
├── DESIGN.md # how it should look and feel ← add this
├── src/
└── ...DESIGN.md Template Structure
The template extends the standard Google Stitch 9-section format with Japanese typography subsections.
Full Template
# DESIGN.md
## 1. Overview
Brief description of the product, target users, and overall visual direction.
## 2. Color Palette
| Token | Value | Usage |
|-----------------|-----------|------------------|
| `--color-primary` | `#0066CC` | CTAs, links |
| `--color-bg` | `#FFFFFF` | Page background |
| `--color-text` | `#1A1A1A` | Body text |
| `--color-muted` | `#666666` | Secondary text |
## 3. Typography
### 3.1 Font Families
**和文（Japanese）**
font-family:
"Noto Sans JP", / Google Fonts — preferred web font /
"Hiragino Kaku Gothic ProN", / macOS / iOS /
"Hiragino Sans", / macOS newer /
"Meiryo", / Windows /
"Yu Gothic", / Windows 8.1+ /
sans-serif;
**欧文（Latin / alphanumeric）**
font-family:
"Inter", / preferred web font for Latin /
-apple-system,
BlinkMacSystemFont,
"Segoe UI",
sans-serif;
**混植（Mixed typesetting）**
Use Japanese font as base; Latin glyphs rendered by Inter layered on top via `@font-face` unicode-range.
### 3.2 Type Scale
Role
Size
Weight
Line-height
Letter-spacing
Display
2.5rem
700
1.4
-0.02em
Heading 1
2rem
700
1.5
-0.01em
Heading 2
1.5rem
600
1.5
0
Body
1rem
400
1.8
0.04em
Small
0.875rem
400
1.7
0.04em
Caption
0.75rem
400
1.6
0.06em
### 3.3 Japanese Typography Rules
**Line-height:** Use 1.7–2.0 for body text (wider than Western 1.4–1.5).
**Letter-spacing:** Apply `0.04em`–`0.1em` to body Japanese text; headings may use `0` or slightly negative.
**Kinsoku shori (禁則処理):**
word-break: normal;
overflow-wrap: break-word;
line-break: strict; / enforce JIS kinsoku rules /
- 行頭禁則文字 (cannot start a line): `）」』】、。・：；？！…―`
- 行末禁則文字 (cannot end a line): `（「『【`
**OpenType features:**
font-feature-settings: "palt" 1, "kern" 1;
/ palt = proportional alternate widths for punctuation /
/ kern = kerning /
**Text rendering:**
-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;
-moz-osx-font-smoothing: grayscale;
text-rendering: optimizeLegibility;
## 4. Spacing & Layout
Base unit: `8px`
Token
Value
`--space-xs`
`4px`
`--space-sm`
`8px`
`--space-md`
`16px`
`--space-lg`
`32px`
`--space-xl`
`64px`
Max content width: `1200px` with `24px` horizontal padding on mobile.
## 5. Components
[Describe buttons, inputs, cards, navigation patterns]
## 6. Icons & Imagery
[Icon set, image ratios, illustration style]
## 7. Motion & Animation
[Transition durations, easing curves]
## 8. Responsive Breakpoints
Name
Width
Mobile
< 768px
Tablet
768–1024px
Desktop
> 1024px
## 9. Accessibility
- Contrast ratio: minimum 4.5:1 for body text
- Focus indicators: visible outline
- Tap targets: minimum 44×44px
---
Reference DESIGN.md Examples
MUJI Style (Minimalist Retail)
## Color Palette
| Token | Value |
|--------------------|-----------|
| `--color-primary` | `#000000` |
| `--color-bg` | `#F5F5F0` |
| `--color-text` | `#333333` |
| `--color-border` | `#DDDDDD` |
## Typography
### Font Stack
font-family:
"Noto Serif JP",
"Hiragino Mincho ProN",
"Yu Mincho",
"MS Mincho",
Georgia,
serif;
### Body
- font-size: 15px
- line-height: 2.0
- letter-spacing: 0.08em
- font-feature-settings: "palt" 1
### Design Principles
- 徹底した余白（generous whitespace as design element）
- 無彩色を基調（achromatic base palette）
- 装飾を排除（eliminate decoration）
SmartHR Style (B2B SaaS)
## Color Palette
| Token | Value |
|-------------------|-----------|
| `--color-primary` | `#0077C8` |
| `--color-success` | `#28A745` |
| `--color-warning` | `#FFC107` |
| `--color-danger` | `#DC3545` |
| `--color-bg` | `#F8F9FA` |
| `--color-text` | `#212529` |
## Typography
### Font Stack
font-family:
"Hiragino Kaku Gothic ProN",
"Hiragino Sans",
Meiryo,
"Yu Gothic",
sans-serif;
### Type Scale
- Display: 28px / weight 700 / line-height 1.4 / ls 0
- Body: 14px / weight 400 / line-height 1.8 / ls 0.04em
- Label: 12px / weight 500 / line-height 1.6 / ls 0.06em
- Note: Dense information layout — prioritize readability at small sizes
note Style (Media / Publishing)
## Typography
### Font Stack
/ Heading /
font-family: "Noto Serif JP", "Hiragino Mincho ProN", serif;
/ Body /
font-family: "Noto Sans JP", "Hiragino Kaku Gothic ProN", sans-serif;
### Reading Typography
- Body: 18px / line-height 1.9 / letter-spacing 0.04em
- Max line length: 38–40 chars (約38文字で折り返し)
- Paragraph spacing: 1.5em
- Drop cap on first paragraph of long-form content
---
CSS Boilerplate for Japanese UI
Use this as a starting point in any project informed by these DESIGN.md files:
/* ===== Japanese Typography Base ===== */
:root {
/* Font families */
--font-ja-sans: "Noto Sans JP", "Hiragino Kaku Gothic ProN",
"Hiragino Sans", "Meiryo", "Yu Gothic", sans-serif;
--font-ja-serif: "Noto Serif JP", "Hiragino Mincho ProN",
"Yu Mincho", "MS Mincho", Georgia, serif;
--font-en: "Inter", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont,
"Segoe UI", sans-serif;
/* Type scale */
--text-display: 2.5rem;
--text-h1: 2rem;
--text-h2: 1.5rem;
--text-h3: 1.25rem;
--text-body: 1rem;
--text-sm: 0.875rem;
--text-xs: 0.75rem;
/* Line heights */
--lh-tight: 1.4; /* headings */
--lh-normal: 1.8; /* body */
--lh-loose: 2.0; /* long-form reading */
/* Letter spacing */
--ls-tight: -0.02em;
--ls-normal: 0.04em;
--ls-wide: 0.08em;
}
/* Base Japanese text rendering */
body {
font-family: var(--font-ja-sans);
font-size: var(--text-body);
line-height: var(--lh-normal);
letter-spacing: var(--ls-normal);
font-feature-settings: "palt" 1, "kern" 1;
-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;
-moz-osx-font-smoothing: grayscale;
text-rendering: optimizeLegibility;
}
/* Kinsoku shori */
p, li, td, th {
word-break: normal;
overflow-wrap: break-word;
line-break: strict;
}
/* Headings */
h1, h2, h3, h4, h5, h6 {
line-height: var(--lh-tight);
letter-spacing: var(--ls-tight);
font-feature-settings: "palt" 1;
}
/* Mixed typesetting — Latin numerals and ASCII via Inter */
@font-face {
font-family: "Inter-for-JP";
src: url("https://fonts.gstatic.com/s/inter/v13/...") format("woff2");
unicode-range: U+0020-007E; /* Basic Latin only */
}Font Loading (Google Fonts)
<!-- In <head> — preconnect for performance -->
<link rel="preconnect" href="https://fonts.googleapis.com">
<link rel="preconnect" href="https://fonts.gstatic.com" crossorigin>
<!-- Noto Sans JP (recommended for most Japanese UI) -->
<link href="https://fonts.googleapis.com/css2?family=Noto+Sans+JP:wght@400;500;700&display=swap" rel="stylesheet">
<!-- Noto Serif JP (for editorial / reading-focused UI) -->
<link href="https://fonts.googleapis.com/css2?family=Noto+Serif+JP:wght@400;700&display=swap" rel="stylesheet">
<!-- Combined with Inter for mixed typesetting -->
<link href="https://fonts.googleapis.com/css2?family=Inter:wght@400;500;600;700&family=Noto+Sans+JP:wght@400;500;700&display=swap" rel="stylesheet">Common Patterns by Service Category
Consumer App (LINE, Mercari)
- Font: Noto Sans JP + system fallbacks
- Line-height body: 1.7
- Letter-spacing: 0.04em
- Primary color: brand-specific bold color
- Mobile-first, 375px base
- Tap targets: 48px minimumB2B SaaS (SmartHR, freee, Cybozu)
- Font: Hiragino Kaku Gothic ProN preferred (system), Noto Sans JP web
- Line-height body: 1.8 (dense data tables may use 1.5)
- Letter-spacing: 0.04em
- Neutral palette with clear action color
- Information density: high
- Data tables with sticky headersEditorial / Media (note, WIRED.jp, Qiita, Zenn)
- Font: Noto Serif JP or Hiragino Mincho for body; sans for UI chrome
- Line-height body: 1.9–2.0
- Letter-spacing: 0.06em
- Max line length: 38–42 characters (約40文字)
- Code blocks: monospace with JIS-compatible fallbackRetail / Lifestyle (MUJI, Toyota)
- Font: Serif for premium feel; sans for utility text
- Line-height: 2.0 (generous whitespace)
- Letter-spacing: 0.08em (airy)
- Achromatic or very restrained palette
- High-quality imagery as primary contentViewing Previews
Each DESIGN.md has an accompanying preview.html that visualizes design tokens:
# Open any preview locally
open design-md/muji/preview.html
open design-md/smarthr/preview.html
# Or view the full gallery
open design-md/gallery.html
# or visit: https://kzhrknt.github.io/awesome-design-md-jp/gallery.htmlTelling an AI Agent to Use DESIGN.md
When the file is at your project root, reference it explicitly in your prompt:
Read DESIGN.md and create a Japanese landing page hero section following
the typography and color specifications defined there. Use the exact
font-family fallback chain, line-height, and letter-spacing values specified.
Implement kinsoku shori with line-break: strict.For Claude Code / Cursor, you can also reference specific sections:
Following DESIGN.md section 3.3 (Japanese Typography Rules), update the
global CSS to add proper kinsoku shori, font-feature-settings, and
-webkit-font-smoothing for all text elements.Troubleshooting
AI generates wrong Japanese fonts
Problem: Agent uses "MS Gothic" or generic sans-serif only.
Fix: Make font-family fallback chain explicit in DESIGN.md with comments explaining each fallback's platform target.
### Font Stack (REQUIRED — do not simplify)
font-family:
"Noto Sans JP", / web font — always load via Google Fonts /
"Hiragino Kaku Gothic ProN", / macOS / iOS system /
"Hiragino Sans", / macOS 10.11+ /
"Meiryo", / Windows /
"Yu Gothic", / Windows 8.1+ /
sans-serif; / absolute fallback /
Line-height too tight on Japanese text
Problem: Agent uses line-height: 1.5 from a Western design system.
Fix: Specify explicitly in DESIGN.md with a note:
**IMPORTANT:** Japanese body text requires line-height 1.7–2.0,
NOT the Western default of 1.4–1.5. Use 1.8 for standard body copy.Punctuation appearing at line start/end incorrectly
Problem: 。 or 、 wraps to start of next line; 「 hangs at end.
Fix: Add kinsoku rules explicitly:
### Kinsoku Shori (禁則処理) — REQUIRED
p { line-break: strict; word-break: normal; overflow-wrap: break-word; }
Characters that MUST NOT start a line: ）」』】、。・：；？！…―
Characters that MUST NOT end a line: （「『【
Proportional punctuation not activating
Problem: Japanese commas and periods render full-width, looking too spaced.
Fix: Ensure font-feature-settings is applied:
font-feature-settings: "palt" 1, "kern" 1;
/* palt = proportional alternates — narrows full-width punctuation */
/* Required for Noto Sans JP, Hiragino fonts */Mixed Japanese/Latin spacing looks wrong
Problem: Latin letters inside Japanese text have no breathing room.
Fix: Document the spacing rule in DESIGN.md:
### Mixed Typesetting (混植)
- Insert a thin space (U+202F or 0.25em margin) between Japanese and Latin runs
- OR use CSS: `ruby { margin: 0 0.1em; }` pattern
- Preferred: use a font that handles this (Noto CJK with auto-spacing)Contributing a New DESIGN.md
# 1. Create directory
mkdir design-md/your-service
# 2. Copy template
cp template/DESIGN.md design-md/your-service/DESIGN.md
# 3. Fill in all 9 sections including Japanese typography subsections
# 4. Create preview.html from the preview template
cp template/preview.html design-md/your-service/preview.html
# 5. Take a screenshot at 1280×800 → preview-screenshot.pngRequired sections for acceptance:
- ✅ Color palette with CSS custom property names
- ✅ Japanese font-family fallback chain with platform comments
- ✅ Type scale table with line-height AND letter-spacing columns
- ✅ Kinsoku shori CSS rules
- ✅ font-feature-settings specification
- ✅ Responsive breakpoints