Svg logo system

SVG Logo System Designer

A four-phase methodology for designing production-ready SVG logo systems — from brand discovery through multi-platform export. Follows the same workflow as the /design-logo Claude Code slash command and produces compatible output files.

Entry Points

Trigger	Start at
"design a logo", "I need a logo for X"	Phase 1 (full flow)
"refine my logo", "I have concepts already"	Phase 2
"generate icon alternatives"	Phase 3
"export my logo", "I need favicons"	Phase 4

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Phase 0: Context Extraction (CRITICAL — Always Run First)

Before any design work, extract the project's existing color scheme and conventions. Never hardcode default colors — always derive from the project.

0.1 Check for Project Context

Scan the following sources in order of priority:

1. CLAUDE.md — may define brand colors, framework, frontend stack
2. Welcome/landing page (e.g. resources/views/welcome.blade.php) — extract actual CSS classes and color values in use (Tailwind classes like bg-emerald-600, text-cyan-500)
3. Tailwind config (tailwind.config.js) — custom color definitions
4. Existing logo components — check resources/views/components/*logo* to understand current structure
5. CSS/SCSS files — any custom brand color variables

0.2 Build Color Map

From the extracted context, establish:

Variable	Source	Fallback
--brand-primary	Most prominent accent color in UI	#059669 (emerald-600)
--brand-secondary	Secondary/complementary color	#06B6D4 (cyan-500)
--brand-accent	Highlight/CTA color	#10B981 (emerald-500)
--dark-bg	Dark mode background	#18181B (zinc-900)
--light-text	Text on dark	#E2E8F0 (slate-200)
--muted-text	Subdued text	#A1A1AA (zinc-400)

Lesson learned: Never assume #0B1120 navy or #6366F1 indigo as defaults. Always check the project first. If the project uses Tailwind's emerald/cyan, the logo must match.

0.3 Detect Framework for Later Deployment

Check if the project is Laravel (artisan file exists), and note:

• Blade component paths (resources/views/components/)
• Public directory (public/)
• Head partial location (resources/views/partials/head.blade.php or layouts)
• Existing favicon files (public/favicon.*, public/apple-touch-icon.png)

---

Phase 1: Discovery & Mass Exploration

1.1 Brand Discovery Interview

Ask the user for the following. Keep it conversational — one message, not a form:

• Brand name and optional tagline
• Target audience (who they are, their context)
• Industry / product category
• Personality keywords (3–5 words: e.g. bold, minimal, playful, trustworthy, cutting-edge)
• Color direction (specific colors, palette name, or "you decide")
• Style preference (abstract, lettermark, icon+wordmark, wordmark only — or "explore all")
• What to avoid (clichés, colors, styles)

If the user already provided context (e.g. CLAUDE.md exists with product description), extract what you can and only ask for what's missing. If the project has a CLAUDE.md, reference it for brand context — don't ask the user to repeat what's already documented.

1.2 Generate 25 SVG Concepts

Generate exactly 25 diverse SVG logo concepts and save them as individual .svg files.

Naming: logo-01-conceptname.svg through logo-25-conceptname.svg

Ensure diversity across:

Dimension	Variants to include
Type	Icon-only mark, wordmark, combination mark, lettermark, monogram
Shape language	Circle, shield, hexagon, square, organic, abstract
Style	Geometric, typographic, symbolic, illustrative, minimal
Layout	Stacked, horizontal, icon-left, icon-right
Visual metaphor	At least 5 different metaphors relevant to the brand

Design constraints (enforce on every concept):

• Dark mode first: design on the project's --dark-bg color (from Phase 0)
• Viewbox: 0 0 400 200 for combination marks, 0 0 200 200 for icon-only
• No raster images, no external fonts — use system fonts or pure paths
• Every concept must be self-contained and render correctly as a standalone SVG
• Use the project's color map from Phase 0 — not hardcoded defaults
• Include a background <rect> in concepts (for preview), but production SVGs must NOT

Inline the fill colors — do not rely on currentColor unless explicitly designing for theming.

Performance tip: Use <text> elements with font-family="system-ui, -apple-system, sans-serif" for wordmarks. This is faster than crafting path-based letterforms and renders well cross-platform.

1.3 Build Interactive Preview Gallery

Create preview.html — a gallery with:

• All 25 SVG concepts displayed as cards
• Dark/light mode toggle (default: dark)
• Logo name label under each card
• Click-to-select interaction (marks the card with a border highlight)
• A "Selected" indicator showing which concept the user has clicked
• Use the project's --brand-primary for the selected border color

Read references/preview-gallery-template.md for the HTML/JS template to follow.

1.4 Present Phase 1 Output

Present all 26 files (logo-01.svg through logo-25.svg + preview.html). Tell the user: "Open preview.html in your browser. Toggle dark/light mode and pick your favourite direction. Come back and tell me the number (e.g. 'go with #12') or describe what you liked."

1.5 Color Corrections

If the user asks to change colors after generation, use sed for bulk find-and-replace across all SVG files in the directory. Never rewrite files one by one:

cd tinker/ && for f in logo-*.svg; do
  sed -i '' 's/#OLD_COLOR/#NEW_COLOR/g' "$f"
done

Also update preview.html selected-border color to match.

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Phase 2: Selection & Refinement

2.1 Gather Selection

User tells you which concept they prefer. Ask any clarifying questions needed (adjustments to color, weight, text, etc.) before proceeding.

2.2 Create Four Production Variants

Based on the selected concept, produce four polished SVG files:

File	Description
logo-dark.svg	Full wordmark, designed for dark backgrounds (NO background rect)
logo-light.svg	Full wordmark, designed for white/light backgrounds (NO background rect)
logo-icon-dark.svg	Icon mark only, 200×200 viewBox, for dark bg (NO background rect)
logo-icon-light.svg	Icon mark only, 200×200 viewBox, for light bg (NO background rect)

CRITICAL: Production SVGs must NOT include background <rect> elements. They will be embedded in Blade components, HTML pages, etc. where the surrounding context provides the background. Only the Phase 1 concepts include background rects for standalone preview.

Rules:

• Wordmark versions: min effective width 140px worth of content
• Icon versions: must read clearly at 80px and below
• Maintain consistent stroke weights and spacing between dark/light pairs
• Light versions should use darker fills (e.g. --dark-bg for text) instead of light fills
• Use unique gradient IDs per file to avoid conflicts when multiple logos appear on same page

2.3 Build Comprehensive Preview Page

Create logo-preview.html with real-world mockup sections:

1. Navigation bar mockup — dark and light nav, logo at standard 32px height
2. Desktop browser frame — logo in browser chrome
3. Mobile splash screen — 375×667px, icon centered
4. Favicon sizes — 64px, 32px, 16px side by side (dark and light bg)
5. Footer placement — footer strip with logo
6. Brand color palette — swatches with hex codes, names from the Phase 0 color map

Use the project's --dark-bg color (not hardcoded #0B1120) for all dark mockup sections.

Read references/preview-mockup-template.md for the HTML structure.

2.4 Present Phase 2 Output

Present all 5 files (logo-dark.svg, logo-light.svg, logo-icon-dark.svg, logo-icon-light.svg, logo-preview.html). Ask: "How does this feel? Any changes to the icon, typography, or proportions? Or ready to move to icon alternatives (Phase 3)?"

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Phase 3: Iteration & Icon Alternatives

3.1 Collect Feedback

If the user wants changes to the main logo, implement them and re-present the four production SVGs.

3.2 Generate Icon Alternatives (if requested or if icon needs work)

Generate 4 icon alternatives (A through D) in both dark and light mode = 8 SVG files:

icon-a-name-dark.svg, icon-a-name-light.svg, icon-b-name-dark.svg ... icon-d-name-light.svg

Each alternative must look meaningfully different: vary shape, weight, level of detail, or metaphor.

3.3 Build Icon Comparison Page

Create icon-compare.html showing all four alternatives:

• Each shown at: 80px, 48px, 32px, 16px
• Side by side, dark and light mode
• Clear labeling (A, B, C, D)

3.4 Finalize

User picks the winning icon. Update logo-icon-dark.svg and logo-icon-light.svg with the chosen alternative. Re-present the final set.

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Phase 4: Multi-Platform Export & Deployment

4.1 Generate Favicons Directly (Preferred)

Check for available CLI tools in this order:

command -v rsvg-convert && command -v magick

If tools are available (preferred path), generate all assets directly:

# Generate PNGs from SVG
rsvg-convert -w 16 -h 16 favicon.svg -o /tmp/favicon-16.png
rsvg-convert -w 32 -h 32 favicon.svg -o /tmp/favicon-32.png
rsvg-convert -w 48 -h 48 favicon.svg -o /tmp/favicon-48.png
rsvg-convert -w 180 -h 180 favicon.svg -o apple-touch-icon.png

# Generate multi-size ICO
magick /tmp/favicon-16.png /tmp/favicon-32.png /tmp/favicon-48.png favicon.ico

If tools are NOT available, generate _export-instructions.md with CLI commands the user can run. Recommend brew install librsvg imagemagick on macOS.

4.2 Laravel Auto-Deployment (if Laravel project detected in Phase 0)

Do NOT just generate instructions. Actually deploy the files:

1. Copy favicon.svg to public/ — overwrite the existing one
2. Generate favicon.ico and apple-touch-icon.png into public/ using CLI tools
3. Update Blade components — find and update these files:
   • resources/views/components/app-logo-icon.blade.php — replace with icon SVG inline, accepting $attributes and class prop. Use currentColor trick for the highlight layer so it adapts to Blade's dark mode:

     @props(['class' => 'h-8 w-8'])
     <svg {{ $attributes->merge(['class' => $class]) }} viewBox="0 0 200 200" ...>
       <!-- gradient + main shape -->
       <path ... fill="url(#gradient-id)"/>
       <!-- highlight layer uses currentColor for theme adaptation -->
       <path ... fill="currentColor" class="text-white/10 dark:text-white/10"/>
     </svg>
     

   • resources/views/components/app-logo.blade.php — icon + app name
   • resources/views/components/logo.blade.php — clickable nav logo (if exists)
4. Add favicon meta tags to the head partial (if not already present):

   <link rel="icon" type="image/svg+xml" href="{{ asset('favicon.svg') }}">
   <link rel="icon" type="image/x-icon" href="{{ asset('favicon.ico') }}">
   <link rel="apple-touch-icon" href="{{ asset('apple-touch-icon.png') }}">
   

5. Update hover colors in logo.blade.php to use the brand's primary color (e.g. hover:text-emerald-600 dark:hover:text-emerald-400)

Lesson learned: The old skill only generated instructions. Users expect the skill to actually deploy the logo into their project. Do the work, don't delegate it back.

4.3 Generate Web Manifests (if needed)

• site.webmanifest — PWA manifest JSON
• browserconfig.xml — Microsoft tile config

4.4 Present Deployment Summary

After deploying, present a summary table of what was updated:

| File | Change |
|---|---|
| public/favicon.svg | New lightning bolt icon |
| public/favicon.ico | Generated 16/32/48px |
| ... | ... |

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Output File Structure

All concept/preview files go in tinker/ (the project's scratch directory):

tinker/
├── logo-{01..25}-{name}.svg       # Phase 1 concepts (with bg rect for preview)
├── preview.html                    # Phase 1 interactive gallery
├── logo-dark.svg                   # Phase 2 production (NO bg rect)
├── logo-light.svg
├── logo-icon-dark.svg
├── logo-icon-light.svg
├── logo-preview.html               # Phase 2 mockup page
├── icon-{a..d}-{name}-{dark|light}.svg  # Phase 3 alternatives
└── icon-compare.html               # Phase 3 comparison

Deployed files go directly into the project structure (Phase 4):

public/
├── favicon.svg                     # Icon SVG
├── favicon.ico                     # Multi-size ICO (16/32/48)
└── apple-touch-icon.png            # 180px PNG

resources/views/components/
├── app-logo-icon.blade.php         # Inline SVG Blade component
├── app-logo.blade.php              # Icon + app name
└── logo.blade.php                  # Clickable nav logo

resources/views/partials/
└── head.blade.php                  # Favicon meta tags added

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Design Principles (Enforce Throughout)

• Project colors first — always extract from existing codebase, never hardcode defaults
• Dark mode first — design on the project's dark bg, then adapt for light
• Size-aware — wordmarks at 140px+, icons at 80px and below
• Legibility — contrast ratio must pass WCAG AA minimum
• Simplicity scales — fewer elements survive better at 16px
• Self-contained SVGs — no external dependencies
• No bg rect in production — only concept SVGs include background for standalone preview
• Consistent palette — derive all tints/shades from the project's brand colors
• Unique gradient IDs — avoid conflicts when multiple SVGs on same page

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Efficiency Rules

These rules exist to avoid slow, repetitive workflows:

1. Bulk color changes → sed: When changing colors across multiple SVGs, use sed -i '' in a loop. Never rewrite files individually for a color swap.
2. Check CLI tools early: In Phase 4, check for rsvg-convert and magick upfront. Generate assets directly instead of writing instruction docs.
3. Deploy, don't document: For Laravel projects, actually update Blade components and public/ files. Don't generate markdown instructions for the user to follow manually.
4. Extract context once: Do Phase 0 at the start. Don't discover mid-Phase-2 that the colors don't match the project.

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Reference Files

• references/preview-gallery-template.md — HTML/JS template for Phase 1 gallery
• references/preview-mockup-template.md — HTML structure for Phase 2 mockup page