Frequently Asked Questions

Hallmark is a design skill for Claude Code, Cursor, and Codex that specifically avoids the generic, AI-generated look. It creates unique, human-like designs by implementing a sophisticated rule-set and 57 slop-test gates that reject common AI design patterns.

Each design is generated based on the specific brief, ensuring that different projects get different visual treatments rather than being just color-swapped versions of the same template.

Default: Builds new UI by selecting a macrostructure, applying the rule-set, and running the slop test before outputting the result.

hallmark audit <target>: Scores existing code against anti-patterns, providing a punch list of issues without making edits.

hallmark redesign <target>: Rebuilds existing structure while preserving copy, information architecture, and brand elements with a different design fingerprint.

hallmark study <screenshot | URL>: Extracts design DNA from reference materials including macrostructure, type-pairing, and color anchors, avoiding pixel clones and paid templates.

Hallmark includes twenty pre-designed themes that cover a wide range of design aesthetics. When using the default verb, Hallmark selects the most appropriate theme based on the project brief.

For projects with specific creative intent that doesn't match any catalog theme, Hallmark can switch to the "Custom" mode and design the page from scratch using a made-to-measure palette, typography, and layout.

Installation is simple using the package manager for your specific tool:

Claude Code: Run npx skills add nutlope/hallmark or copy the files to ~/.claude/skills/hallmark/

Cursor: Copy the body of SKILL.md to .cursor/rules/hallmark.mdc

Codex: Copy files to ~/.codex/skills/hallmark/ (personal) or .codex/skills/hallmark/ (project-scoped)

The rule-set is defined in SKILL.md and the references/ directory.

Hallmark automatically switches to Custom mode when a project brief contains creative intent that doesn't align with any of the twenty catalog themes. This happens organically without user intervention.

In Custom mode, Hallmark creates a completely original design from scratch, developing a unique palette, typography system, and layout structure that's specifically tailored to the project's requirements.

Custom mode remains a "quiet branch" - vanilla briefs never trigger it, ensuring consistent quality across standard projects.

Hallmark is implemented primarily in CSS, with the core logic defined in the SKILL.md specification. Each generated page is a self-contained HTML + CSS file, stamped with its macrostructure in a CSS comment.

The skill leverages the native capabilities of Claude Code, Cursor, and Codex to interpret the rule-set and generate designs according to the specified parameters.

Hallmark implements a multi-layered approach to avoid AI-generated designs:

1. Slop-test gates: 57 validation checks that reject common AI design patterns

2. Macrostructure selection: Choosing appropriate architectural frameworks based on project needs

3. Theme diversity: Twenty distinct visual languages that prevent template reuse

4. Pre-emit critique: Self-evaluation before delivering results

5. Anti-defaults: Actively rejects on-distribution defaults LLMs were trained on

Yes! You can view a comprehensive gallery of examples at usehallmark.com. The gallery showcases designs created for different briefs including:

- Bubble (sourdough app) - Hum theme

- Distil (content-extraction API) - Cobalt theme

- Cold Snap (record label) - Carnival theme

- Cinder (AI reasoning tool) - Lumen theme

- Ferns & Fathom (tea menu) - Custom theme

- And many more across various industries and design requirements

Hallmark is released under the MIT License, which means you can:

- Use it for personal and commercial projects

- Fork and modify the code

- Distribute and ship it

The only requirement is to include the original license and copyright notice in any substantial portions of the software.

For support and contributions:

- Report issues on the GitHub issues page

- Join discussions in the GitHub repository

- Check the documentation folder for recipes and study examples

- Follow the project on GitHub for updates

Currently there are 20 open issues and 33 subscribers, indicating an active community around the project.