---
prompt-id: "00"
name: Archetype selection from adjectives
status: live
mcp: none
model: Opus 4.7
environment: Claude.ai or Claude Code
inputs:
  - three brand adjectives
  - product type (optional)
  - use case notes (optional)
outputs:
  - archetype recommendation (Harbor / Sentinel / Current / Lattice / Meridian)
  - per-dimension reasoning (one sentence each across 7 dimensions)
  - secondary fit + tipping condition (if applicable)
chains: [9]
prereqs: []
documented-in: Ch02 — Five Archetypes
---

# Prompt 00 — Archetype from adjectives

Maps three brand adjectives to one of the five archetypes. Surfaces reasoning per design dimension so the human can confirm or override before downstream prompts inherit the choice. Without this prompt, the workflow has no operational mechanism for adjective → archetype mapping; with it, the choice is explicit, reasoned, and confirmable.

## When to use

First step of Path A (Quick · Greenfield). Replaces the implicit "AI infers archetype" step that v1 left undocumented. Runs once before Prompt 1.

## Output shape

A single recommendation block with: restated adjectives, elimination test result, per-dimension inference (theme, density, type personality, accent strategy, elevation, iconography, implied session length), recommended archetype, one-sentence reasoning, optional secondary fit with tipping condition, and a next-step pointer to Prompt 1 / 1b.

## Chain memberships

- Chain 9 — Greenfield end-to-end (step 1)

## Prompt body

```
PROMPT — ARCHETYPE FROM ADJECTIVES

YOUR ROLE
You map three brand adjectives to one of five archetypes — Harbor,
Sentinel, Current, Lattice, Meridian — and surface your reasoning per
design dimension so the user can confirm or override. You do NOT generate
any tokens, components, or specs in this step. Your only output is an
archetype recommendation with explicit per-dimension reasoning and a
brief case for the runner-up.

STEP 0 — RECEIVE INPUTS
  THREE BRAND ADJECTIVES: [adjective 1], [adjective 2], [adjective 3]
  PRODUCT TYPE (optional): [e.g. "marketing site", "data terminal", "mobile app"]
  USE CASE NOTES (optional): [e.g. "users sit for 4-hour sessions", "thumb-zone primary"]

If fewer than three adjectives are supplied, stop and ask. If the
adjectives are obvious filler ("modern", "clean", "intuitive", "innovative",
"powerful"), apply the elimination test in STEP 1 and ask for sharper
words before proceeding.

STEP 1 — APPLY THE ELIMINATION TEST
For each adjective, ask: could a competitor design system also claim this
adjective without lying? If yes, flag it as low-signal.

If two of three adjectives flag as low-signal, stop and request sharper
adjectives. Do not proceed to a recommendation — the input doesn't narrow
the option space enough to justify one.

If exactly one adjective is low-signal, note it and proceed; the other two
will carry the inference.

STEP 2 — INFER PER-DIMENSION TENDENCIES
Output ONE sentence per dimension, naming the value the adjectives
narrow toward and the adjective(s) driving that inference:

  - Theme: dark-first | light-first | both first-class | reading-comfortable
  - Density: generous | compact | maximum | reading-comfortable (Meridian's 72ch cap)
  - Type personality: serif-display + sans-body | sans-throughout | native-system | sans + mono-numerics
  - Accent strategy: single-hue | multi-ramp + semantic | bold-multi-accent | minimal | two-systems (chrome + data)
  - Elevation: warm-shadows | flat + hairlines | soft mobile | grid-based | almost-flat
  - Iconography: Phosphor | Lucide | Phosphor + native | Tabler | Heroicons
  - Implied session length: short brand visit | desktop work session | mobile bursts | long terminal | reading session

STEP 3 — SCORE AGAINST THE FIVE ARCHETYPES
Score each archetype against the inferred tendencies. Reference the
archetype profiles below:

  - HARBOR — dark-first, generous, serif-display + sans-body, single-hue,
    warm-shadows, Phosphor, short brand visit. Editorial / marketing.
  - SENTINEL — light-first, compact, sans-throughout, multi-ramp + semantic,
    flat + hairlines, Lucide, desktop work session. Enterprise / product.
  - CURRENT — both first-class, generous (touch zones), native-system,
    bold-multi-accent, soft mobile, Phosphor + native, mobile bursts. Mobile.
  - LATTICE — dark-first, maximum, sans + mono-numerics, two-systems,
    grid-based, Tabler, long terminal. Data-dense.
  - MERIDIAN — reading-comfortable, reading-comfortable density, serif-body
    + sans-display, minimal, almost-flat, Heroicons, reading session. Long-form.

Pick the closest match. If a second archetype scores within one or two
dimensions of the closest, name it as a secondary fit and explain what
would tip the choice (e.g., "Sentinel if dashboard-heavy; Lattice if data
density matters more than approachability").

STEP 4 — DELIVER THE RECOMMENDATION
Output the recommendation in EXACTLY this shape:

  ADJECTIVES: [restated, exactly as provided]
  ELIMINATION TEST: pass | flagged: [adjective] is low-signal because [reason]

  PER-DIMENSION INFERENCE:
  - Theme: [value] (driven by [adjective])
  - Density: [value] (driven by [adjective])
  - Type personality: [value] (driven by [adjective])
  - Accent strategy: [value] (driven by [adjective])
  - Elevation: [value] (driven by [adjective])
  - Iconography: [value]
  - Implied session length: [value]

  RECOMMENDED ARCHETYPE: [Harbor | Sentinel | Current | Lattice | Meridian]
  ONE-SENTENCE REASONING: [why this archetype, not another]
  SECONDARY FIT (if applicable): [other archetype] — [one-sentence tipping condition]

  NEXT STEP: confirm or override the recommendation. Then proceed to
  Prompt 01 with the chosen archetype's spec from kit/specs/.
  If you have brand colors to use, answer "Yes" to Q1 in Prompt 01's
  meta-header — BYOC logic is built into Prompt 01 directly.

PROJECT SETUP NOTE
If running inside a Claude Project: save the archetype recommendation
output as a note in Project knowledge before running Prompt 01. The
archetype decision persists across sessions without repasting. See Ch17
for Project configuration.

CONSTRAINTS
- Do NOT generate any tokens, components, or specs in this step. Output
  the recommendation block above and stop.
- Do NOT pick an archetype outside the five named.
- If you genuinely cannot fit the adjectives to any archetype (e.g., they
  describe a hybrid use case like "marketing site + data dashboard"), say
  so explicitly and propose a layered approach: name the primary archetype
  for the dominant surface and the secondary archetype for the other
  surface (Ch11 covers hybrid patterns).
- Do NOT paraphrase the adjectives in STEP 4's "ADJECTIVES" line. Restate
  them verbatim so the user can verify what you parsed.
- If the user's product type or use case notes contradict the adjective
  inference (e.g. adjectives lean Harbor but product is "internal admin
  tool"), surface the contradiction explicitly and recommend the archetype
  that fits the use case, not the adjectives.
```