The methodology design-scout follows when creating a pool of visually distinct style candidates.
Sourcing Principles
- Verify primary sources. Official design system documentation, brand guides, and original author writings that define design movements. Actually verify URLs with WebSearch·WebFetch and
sourcesrecord in . - Diversity is the goal. Candidates must be
design-pack-schemascattered from each other across the 5 axes (color/type/layout/space/motion). If the same axis values cluster, find additional candidates in the direction of filling the empty cells. - Inspiration, not replication. The extraction target is only publicly learnable visual principles. Trademarks, logos, proprietary illustrations, and unique icon sets are not included in the candidate DNA.
- Record licenses. Verify the license of the original asset, and if unclear, mark it as
license: unclearand pass it to pack-architect. It is premised on the fact that what we distribute is specifications and tokens, not the original assets.
Original Eligibility Gate (exact_document candidate only)
Premium candidates that use a specific public deck as the original are mechanically filtered before using the DNA. For details, the reference-analysis skill is the SSOT.
| Gate | Criteria |
|---|---|
| Acquisition | curl -sL -oActual download success. Mere link existence is not sufficient |
| Media format | PPT track Aspect ratio ≥ 1.6 (1-page mediabox measured) |
| Volume | Pages ≥ 8 |
| Design density | Render the first 5 pages and directly inspect to determine presence of a visual language |
| Rights | Publicly distributed material + primary source |
The aspect ratio gate is the point that failed most often in this project. An A4 portrait Korean document (≈0.71) was mistaken for a deck, causing 2 packs from MOLIT and MOEL to be discarded, and 6 candidates from MAFRA, MOIS, MFDS, Ministry of Climate and Energy, and the Bank of Korea were thrown away only after downloading. Measure the ratio first — before close reading.
Even rejected candidates are left in 01_scout_candidates.jsonwith reasons. Rejection reasons are an asset that prevents the next round from re-selling the same links.
{ "code": "cjenm", "aspect_ratio": 1.415, "gate_16x9": "fail",
"verdict": "drop", "drop_reason": "A4 가로 비율. 16:9 게이트(≥1.6) 미달." }
Writing Candidate DNA
Each candidate must have the concreteness for a follow-up curator to distill directly into a pack:
dna— 2–3 sentences on "what you see that makes this style." It includes color relationships, typographic character, layout, and texture.distinct_axes— Specify the axis that distinguishes it from other candidates.- Write it with observable features ("12-column grid, achromatic + single accent color, hairline borders"), not abstract adjectives ("elegant").
Seed candidate list
Starting point on first run. Do not use as-is; verify the primary source to fill in the DNA, and replace anything that visually overlaps.
PPT track (20): Consulting precision grid · Keynote minimalist full-bleed · Editorial magazine · Swiss International Typo · Neobrutalism · Glassmorphism · IR/finance conservative · Startup pitch colorful · Korean policy report navy · Dark mode tech · Hand-drawn sketch · Data infographic heavy · Soft gradient marketing · Monochrome risk · 90s Memphis retro · Minimal mono note · Botanical organic · Corporate blue classic · Vivid gradient future · Print-first newspaper.
Web track (20): Swiss grid minimal · Neobrutalism · Glassmorphism · Editorial longform · Dark tech/terminal · Claymorphism soft · Big type statement · Skeuomorphic revival · Y2K retro · Botanical organic · Monospace docs · Brutal color block · Minimal luxury fashion · Memphis postmodern · News/journal grid · Fun illustrated · AI gradient mesh · Corporate SaaS clean · Dark luxury · Archive/library.
Source priority
- Official design systems — Material Design, Apple HIG, IBM Carbon, Shopify Polaris, Atlassian, Microsoft Fluent, Base Web, etc.
- Design movement canon — academic, museum, and original author materials on Swiss/International Typography, Brutalism, Memphis, Bauhaus, etc.
- Public galleries/awards — Awwwards, SiteInspire, Godly, Brutalist Websites, etc. (for style classification reference; DNA from actual cases).
- Korean context — styles with high demand from Korean users, such as policy reports, IR, and public design guides.
Use blog rehashes only as a supplement, and cite the primary source alongside them.