Applies Swiss and International Typographic Style principles to create clear, functional output. Use when designing interfaces, data visualizations, documentation, CLI output, or when requests mention clutter, readability, visual hierarchy, cleaner layout, or simplifying presentation.
Apply Swiss design as a discipline of clarity, not as decoration.
Core rule: every element must earn its place. Remove until removing more would harm understanding.
Before finalizing output, run the Swiss test:
If any answer is no, revise before shipping.
Apply these four principles in order:
Strip the output to essentials. For each element, ask: "If I remove this, what do users lose?"
Read references/reduction.md when you need detailed reduction guidance.
Create mathematical structure using a base unit, usually 8px.
Read references/grid.md when you need detailed grid guidance.
Define a clear reading order with exactly three levels when possible:
Prefer one strong hierarchy lever at a time: size, weight, or position.
Read references/hierarchy.md when you need detailed hierarchy guidance.
Use type as structure.
Read references/typography.md when you need detailed typography guidance.
Input: "This card feels busy."
Action: Remove decorative borders, icons, and helper text that do not affect comprehension. Rebuild spacing and alignment on a consistent unit.
Input: "Make this CLI output easier to scan."
Action: Replace banners and ornament with whitespace, aligned columns, and a clear error-first reading order.
Input: "Clean up this docs page."
Action: Remove padded intro copy, tighten heading levels, and let code examples or concrete instructions lead.
Swiss design application is complete when: