# The Design Method

**How Kiduna designs get worked · adopted 2026-07-22 · so it never needs restating**

Design work runs as **a series of prompts, executed step by step, one screen or flow at a time** — written so any AI collaborator (Claude Code, Codex, or another) can execute them without house context. This page is the standing method; the current prompt package lives in [design-prompts/](design-prompts/DESIGN-PROMPTS-2026-07-22.md). **The product foundation every Studio and Live design works from is the [Studio + Live Working Design Brief](studio-live-brief.html)** — the shared product model, surface responsibilities, non-negotiable principles, and the KDN decision log. It does not define screens; it defines what screens must honor.

**The rules of the method:**

1. **Every prompt package is a self-executing operating order**: README.md, AGENTS.md, CLAUDE.md, and 00_START_HERE.md all carry the same imperative — you are executing, not reviewing; begin Prompt 1 immediately; the only acceptable first question is a missing file — and PASTE-THIS.txt holds the kickoff line the human pastes with the zip (chat tools read nothing until told). Also: a CANON-BRIEF.md carrying the controlling vocabulary travels with the prompts; the live design system (kiduna-studio-enamel.motodave.chatgpt.site) and the current-screens zip are referenced explicitly; the Kiduna Kit is the deep reference. Never assume the collaborator knows anything.
2. **Prompts are separated and ordered.** One prompt per session. Later prompts consume earlier deliverables (the persona bible feeds every screen). Each prompt names its deliverables as files, versioned — never loose output in chat.
3. **The general design system is settled** — inside the Field and outside. Prompts fine-tune screens toward buildable precision; they do not restyle. Espresso ground, Avenir body, Goudy display, sky interactions, restrained mint, gold only for Deliberate acts.
4. **The four Personas are permanent**: Alice, Bob, Carol, Danny (lineage: Alice→Bob, Carol→Danny), with durable backstories, Code Names, conversational styles with Ki, invite trees, and Resources profiles. All screens are developed against them; background characters may vary, the four do not. Every important workflow is evaluated against all four patterns: Alice inspects before acting; Bob talks before summarizing; Carol explores before confirming an exact version; Danny prepares, verifies, and then commits ([the brief §6](studio-live-brief.html) carries their full commitments and failure risks).
5. **Vocabulary is canonical or it's a question.** The taxonomy governs; new words go back to Moto, never into a mock.
6. **Moto reviews each prompt's output before the next runs** — same markup loop as the spec process (brackets in, folded, versioned).
7. **Results feed the kit**: accepted design outputs and their fixtures enter the Kiduna Kit so engineering, design, and canon never diverge; every design turn ends with "Taxonomy updated" or "No taxonomy change," per the taxonomy impact rule.

**The Studio UI system is Enamel** (v0.5, 2026-07-22) — the controlling visual canon for Studio: a three-layer world where **the Field is lacquer** (near-black deep umber, engraved arcs, no atmospheric gradients), **Realms are celestial enamel vessels** (warm metal rims, dark cores, one semantic type hue, inlaid geometric crests, localized halos, labels that travel), and **Allies are people** — stable identities across four contextual moods (Open · Engaged · Focused · Dreaming), with camel + moon-cream identity rings and no permanent prominence advantage. Material rules: enamel deep and tactile; highlights moon cream; wire and rims camel and sun gold; dimension from material hierarchy, never glossy 3D. The recomposable system: [emblems](enamel/06-EMBLEM-SYSTEM.md) · [connection grammar](enamel/07-CONNECTION-GRAMMAR.md) · [talismans](enamel/08-TALISMAN-SYSTEM.md) · [background geometry](enamel/09-BACKGROUND-GEOMETRY.md), with [tokens](enamel/STUDIO-ENAMEL-TOKENS.css) and an [acceptance checklist](enamel/05-ACCEPTANCE-CHECKLIST.md). The full canon docs are [on this site](enamel/01-STUDIO-ENAMEL-CANON.md); the complete packs (Enamel v0.5 with its working website, and the broader Kiduna Design System with fonts, allies, icons, talismans, crests, and realm emblems) are in [downloads](downloads/Kiduna-Studio-Enamel-v0.5-Complete-2026-07-22.zip) ([design system](downloads/Kiduna-Design-System-2026-07-26.zip)). The design system itself was refreshed 2026-07-26 — the same system, extended: the full brand + Studio + Live token set and preview cards (Ally medallions, Realm emblems, connection grammar, talismans, Field ground, Ki panel, Live glyphs/mobile/tablet), the allies generation system, deck templates, and the business card — installed sitewide in `_ds/`.

The sibling method for specifications is the [spec-design process](dunaversity/SPEC-DESIGN-PROCESS-SKILL.md). Together they are how we build from within.
